Postmining soil development on spreader reclaimed land for agricultural purpose in Rheinish lignite area, Germany

Abstract

The goal [I] of agricultural reclamation in Rheinish lignite area, Germany is to restore arable soils with high capacity for crop production which ensures a permanent productivity with normal cultivation irrespective of current crop harvesting. Reclamation forms an integral component of the mine planning process and restoration of area disturbed due to mining in the region is given as much importance as the extraction of lignite itself. The soil materials for agricultural postmining land use are carefully selected and special care is taken while handling the soil so as to preserve the basic qualities. In this research, data obtained from agricultural reclaimed lands of different ages in Rheinish lignite area, Germany for various soil physical, chemical and biological parameters have been compared with nearby undisturbed soil data to study the postmining soil development with time.