Location: Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-12120-002-007-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 31, 2026
End Date: Jun 1, 2028
Objective:
The primary objective is to determine the best soil amendments to condition legacy mercury contaminated soils to reestablish native vegetation and minimize mercury release to the environment to protect human health. The foundation of this study will focus on building soil organic matter and soil health in previously barren dryland soils. The experiments will include greenhouse trials and laboratory incubations. The Cooperator will assist by providing laboratory and greenhouse space and expertise needed to complete these studies in addition to specialized instrumentation that recently became nonfunctional in our ARS laboratory. This information will establish a foundation to build our understanding of mine site reclamation and soil carbon sequestration accumulation in legacy mine site soils with implications for system resilience and human and ecosystem health.
Approach:
The approach to this research will focus on identifying soil amendments that reestablish vegetation and reduce mercury losses from soils through targeted greenhouse and laboratory experiments. These experiments will quantify plant biomass, soil health improvements, and mercury transport in the soils. The differences between the amendments, like biochar and coir, will elucidate the best approach for the mine site reclamation. Statistical software will determine the significance of each treatment and support the impact of the results and final recommendations.