Some lands on our planet are subject to increased damage. For example, areas of mining, deforestation, city construction, waste dumping, or military testing (such as nuclear weapons). Reclamation is used to restore land cover. What such a process is and how it is carried out is described in the article below.

Reclamation process and purpose

What is reclamation? This concept refers to a set of works on the economic and environmental restoration of lands and water bodies.

In connection with mining, construction or repair work, damage and destruction of soil and land cover occurs to a significant extent, therefore, to restore them, reclamation of these areas is necessary. This process involves a set of measures aimed at the reproduction of damaged areas. Such lands also include areas contaminated by something. For example, solid waste landfills are being reclaimed.

The purpose of the event is to improve the condition of the soil and environment, restore the functioning of destroyed lands and reservoirs. When carrying out reclamation, it is necessary to take into account the degree of pollution and damage, soil and climatic conditions, landscape and geochemical characteristics of the damaged lands.

Directions for reclamation

There are 5 areas for reclamation of disturbed lands in accordance with their further use:

1. Agricultural - used for perennial plantings, pastures, meadows, arable land, etc.
2. Water management - for reservoirs of various purposes, such as ponds for breeding game or fish, reservoirs.
3. Forestry - used for forest planting for special or operational purposes (sanitary protection, soil protection, water conservation, etc.).
4. Architectural and planning - sowing field grasses (lawns), afforestation, water supply and irrigation of areas near residential buildings.
5. Recreational - recreation areas, beaches, swimming pools, parks, etc.

What is reclamation and what stages does it include?

The reclamation process usually includes two main stages - technical and biological, but a third one can be distinguished - preparatory. Let's look at all the stages in detail.

1. Preparatory stage - preparation of working equipment, standards and documentation is carried out, a preliminary budget is determined, and soil restoration work is carried out.
2. Technical stage - preparation of the landscape is carried out (leveling of industrial embankments, filling of holes, sinkholes, trenches, depressions, ditches), creation of hydraulic structures, disposal of waste, implementation of the plan for the engineering and technical component of the project.
3. The biological stage is the final part of the implementation of the process of reclamation of disturbed lands. Includes forest planting, soil cleaning, landscaping, a set of organizational and economic measures to improve agroclimatic and soil conditions in order to increase the efficiency of water and land resources. Special work is being carried out to improve the condition and properties of the soil.

What lands are subject to reclamation?

First of all, solid waste landfills and lands where repair and construction work was carried out, as well as the laying of underground pipelines, are in need of reclamation. In addition, reclamation is also necessary for the adjacent land space, which has partially or completely lost productivity due to the negative impact of waste.

Environmentalists say that the most difficult to restore are the lands that were used for storing and burying toxic waste. For such areas, special reclamation is required, which can last for years, the timing depends on the type of waste and the severity of the impact on the land.

Quarry reclamation is carried out constantly, since the mining process usually takes a long time. And the restoration of hydraulic dumps should begin only 6-8 years after the completion of their reclamation, this is exactly how much is needed to dry out and stabilize the territory. Thus, for each individual case an individual reclamation project is drawn up.

Technical reclamation

The development of a reclamation project is a difficult and multi-stage process in which professionals from various fields, from ecologists to engineers, take part. Based on the goals of the project, documentation is prepared, work stages and a budget are drawn up. The project includes technical and biological reclamation.

Technical reclamation, depending on the budget, includes the following work:

• chemical - involve the use of organic and chemical fertilizers;
• Thermal engineering - consist of complex stages of reclamation;
• water - include drainage or irrigation as needed, depending on the condition of the land;
• projective-structural - involve the organization of fresh landscape reliefs and surface planning.

This phase of the reclamation project is carried out by the mining enterprises.

Biological remediation

The biological recovery stage is performed after completion of the technical part. It involves restoring the fertile properties of the soil.

Objectives of biological remediation:

• restoration of land fertility;
• restoration of natural soil formation;
• increasing the level of self-cleaning and regeneration;
• revival of flora and fauna;
• planting plants in the damaged area that adapt well and have high regeneration rates;
• intended use.

None of the stages should be skipped or violated, as each has its own importance. At the end of the process, fresh forests are planted - this is called forest reclamation.

Plants used for reclamation

Plants for soil remediation must be selected in accordance with the following requirements:

• they must be adapted to local soil and climatic conditions;
• these must be “useful plants”, that is, those that are used in forestry and agriculture.

An excellent option would be to sow the land with medicinal plants. An important condition is the ability of grasses to quickly create a closed and durable grass stand that is resistant to washouts. Plants that are used to improve the quality of soil and land include:

• Red clover is a good source of atmospheric nitrogen for beneficial bacteria. No special soil is required for this plant.
• Meadow timothy is light-loving, has high winter hardiness, and is resistant to flooding.
• Meadow fescue is a grass with a powerful root system. It is resistant to mowing and grows quickly, durable and frost-resistant. Not picky about moisture.
• Ramson is a long-lasting herbaceous plant, one of the earliest sources of vitamins in the forest. The leaves are eaten as an ingredient in hot dishes, pies and bread, as well as raw.

Perennial grasses and trees and shrubs are used for quarry reclamation. Thanks to plants, the process of soil erosion is weakened and the stability of slopes is increased.

Restoration of commercial lands

Reclamation of a land plot used for agricultural needs is used for the purpose of planting agricultural plants on destroyed lands, and also includes the enrichment of productive land plots with a certain environment for the development and growth of plantings.

The technical part of agricultural land reclamation implies:

• forming an area a couple of meters above drainage or groundwater;
• backfilling the top layer with soil suitable for biological reclamation of damaged lands with further implementation of a set of measures that increase the properties of the reclaimed layer, which is achieved through certain actions and the application of fertilizers;
• enrichment of bulk rocks with nutrients, improvement of their structure, activation of biological processes by applying prescribed doses of fertilizer in combination with recommended processing for their subsequent use in agriculture;
• formation of hay pastures on a renewable surface.

What is reclamation and why is it needed? We can say that restoration of land cover is necessary for the further intended use of the site. Remediation is especially important for cleaning up the environment. For example, after the closure of a solid waste landfill, hazardous chemical compounds that harm nature continue to accumulate at this site. In this case, the process of restoring soil fertility is carried out.

is a set of works to restore the productivity and national economic value of disturbed lands and optimize environmental conditions in accordance with the interests of society. In the process of construction and human economic activity, during the development of mineral resources, the soil cover and hydrological regime of the territory are disturbed, and a technogenic relief is formed. The object of reclamation is land that has lost its original economic value and is a source of negative impact on the environment. Reclamation work in our country began to be carried out regularly after the approval in 1976 by the Council of Ministers of the USSR of Resolution No. 407 “On land reclamation...”. Reclamation was successfully carried out at the dumps of the Moscow region brown coal basin, Kuzbass, Voskresensky phosphorite deposit, gold dumps of the Urals, and hydraulic dumps of Western Siberia. In Russia, by the beginning of 2004, there were more than 600 thousand hectares of disturbed land, an average of 60 thousand hectares are reclaimed annually, and 55 thousand hectares are disturbed. Disturbed lands cause significant damage to adjacent territories, dismembering lands, deteriorating their quality due to the accumulation of dumps, products of water and wind erosion and the drying effect of quarries. The restoration of the economic functions of disturbed lands is carried out by their reclamation in two stages. At the technical stage - surface leveling, removal, transportation and application of a humus or potentially fertile layer to the reclaimed areas. At the stage of biological reclamation, an intensive increase in the fertility of disturbed lands is carried out by using a system of agrotechnical and phytomeliorative measures: applying increased doses of fertilizers, sowing perennial legumes, etc. Disturbed lands are a reserve for expanding areas for various purposes. Before the start of reclamation work, the type of intended use of the restored land is determined. Disturbed areas can be restored to the previous type of use (agricultural, forestry, water management, recreational) with the creation of more productive lands, and in some cases only for sanitary and hygienic purposes. Reclamation of land for economic use is associated with greater costs than reclamation for environmental protection purposes only. The costs of performing reclamation work are included in the technological process of the main production. Types of reclamation are subject to a single goal - the efficient use of territory, the reproduction of natural resources, the creation of harmonious landscapes that best meet the economic, aesthetic and sanitary-hygienic needs of society.

Sources: Methodology for determining the economic efficiency of reclamation of disturbed lands. -M., 1986; Industry and land reclamation. Motorina L.V., Ovchinnikov V.A. -M., 1975.

The main measure for restoring land after man-made disturbances is their reclamation – a set of works carried out to restore disturbed territories and bring land plots to a state of safety.

Violation of the territory occurs mainly during open-pit mining of mineral deposits, as well as during the construction process. In this case, the land loses its original value and negatively affects the natural environment.

Reclamation objects: quarry excavations, sinkholes, waste heaps, dumps and other quarry and dump complexes; lands disturbed during construction work, as well as as a result of their contamination with liquid and gaseous waste (oil-contaminated lands, gaseous deserts, etc.); territories of solid waste landfills.

Reclamation (restoration) is carried out sequentially, step by step. There are technical, biological and construction reclamation.

Technical reclamation – preliminary preparation of disturbed areas for various types of use. The work includes: surface leveling, removal, transportation and application of fertile soils to reclaimed lands, formation of excavation slopes, preparation of sites for development, etc.

At this stage of reclamation, quarry, construction and other excavations are filled up, reservoirs are built in deep quarries, waste heaps and dumps are completely or partially dismantled, and mined-out underground spaces are filled with “waste” rocks. After the settlement process is completed, the ground surface is leveled.

Biological reclamation is carried out after technical reclamation to create vegetation cover in the prepared areas. With its help, the productivity of disturbed lands is restored, a green landscape is formed, conditions are created for the habitat of animals, plants, microorganisms, bulk soils are strengthened, protecting them from water and wind erosion, hay and pasture lands are created, etc. Biological reclamation work is carried out on based on knowledge of the development of succession processes.

Under favorable conditions, the reclamation of disturbed lands is not carried out at all stages, but one preferential direction is chosen: water management, recreation, etc. (see Table 1). For example, in areas exposed to gas and smoke emissions from industrial enterprises, sanitary and hygienic reclamation with the use of gas-resistant plants is recommended.

Table 1 Use of reclaimed land depending on the direction of reclamation

It is very difficult to reclaim lands contaminated with oil, since they have depleted biota and contain carcinogenic hydrocarbons such as benzo(a)pyrene. It requires loosening and aeration of the soil, the use of oil-consuming bacteria, sowing specially selected herbs, etc.

If necessary, the construction stage of reclamation is also carried out. , during which buildings, structures and other objects are erected in prepared areas.

Work on the reclamation of disturbed areas is carried out in accordance with regulatory and instructional materials and GOST. For example, GOST 17.5.3.04-83 is in force. "Protection of Nature. Earth. General requirements for land reclamation.”

Today it is no longer possible to limit ourselves only to the restoration of the disturbed massif, land fertility, and the creation of vegetation cover, but it is important to restore all other components of the natural environment. Comprehensive reclamation is needed, or rather reclamation of the natural environment.

Disturbed lands are lands that have lost their original value and are a source of negative impact on the environment.

The main reasons for the occurrence of disturbed lands are: development of mineral deposits by open or underground methods, peat extraction; laying pipelines, carrying out construction, reclamation, logging, geological exploration, testing, operational, design and survey and other work related to soil disturbance; liquidation of industrial, military, civil and other facilities and structures; storage and burial of industrial, household and other waste; construction, operation and conservation of underground facilities and communications; elimination of the consequences of land pollution, if the conditions for their restoration required the removal of the top fertile layer of soil; Conducting military exercises outside specially designated training grounds.

Disturbed lands are subject to reclamation - a system of measures to eliminate violations and restore soil fertility for the further use of land for agricultural, forestry, water management, construction, recreational, environmental, and sanitary purposes. The involvement of disturbed lands in agricultural and other uses should be carried out with great caution, since technogenic substrates often contain heavy metals and other harmful substances that can accumulate by food plants cultivated in these areas. To assess, prevent and timely eliminate the negative impact on the environment of disturbed and reclaimed lands, environmental monitoring is carried out in areas where mineral deposits are developed, waste is stored and buried and other work is carried out related to soil disturbance, as well as in reclaimed areas and adjacent areas. nim areas. The following stages of reclamation are distinguished: 1) the preparatory stage includes the investment justification of measures for the reclamation of disturbed lands and the development of working documentation; 2) technical stage - implementation of the engineering and technical part of the land restoration project; 3) the biological stage, which completes reclamation and includes landscaping, forestry construction, biological soil treatment, and agromelioration.

35. Earthing. Cases of such work

Earthing - This is a set of measures for removing, transporting and applying a fertile layer of soil and potentially fertile rocks to unproductive lands in order to improve them. It is widely used in land reclamation.

It is designed mainly in cases where there is a need to use the fertile soil layer of the allocated area for non-agricultural needs.

The most important thing when developing land surveying projects is to select a site, justify the planned use of the land to be improved, and establish the thickness of the removed and applied soil layers. When choosing a land plot, take into account the possibility of involving it in more productive land and avoid options in which such transformation is impossible. The excavation object is selected at a short distance from the site where the fertile layer is removed.

In land development projects, the scope of work for transporting soil is determined, issues of grading improved land, applying fertilizers, soil cultivation, sowing crops, and, if necessary, chemical reclamation are resolved. They develop a technological scheme for the production of work on applying a fertile layer, determine the volume of work on the reconstruction (installation) of roads, access roads, and the need for machines and mechanisms.

1. Digging of unproductive lands can be continuous or selective.

Continuous earthing is carried out in areas with homogeneous soils.

Selective soil cultivation is carried out in areas with complex soil cover and pronounced microrelief.

2. Depending on the mechanical composition of the soils of unproductive lands and the applied fertile layer, earthing is divided into conventional and combined.

Conventional soil cultivation is carried out with a slight difference in the granulometric composition of the applied fertile layer of soil and the soil of the improved land in one step without mixing.

Combined soil cultivation is carried out when there is a significant difference in the granulometric compositions of the applied fertile soil layer and the soils of the improved lands. Combined earthing is carried out in two stages:

the first is applying a fertile layer with a thickness of 10-15 cm and mixing it with the soil or rock being improved;

the second is re-application of the fertile soil layer to the designed rate.

Land cultivation is carried out in order to increase the fertility of unproductive lands.

The natural process of technogenic-anthropogenic changes in the industrial ecosystem during its operation determines the objective

Rice. 10.3. Structures of ecological restoration of natural-technical geosystem

the need to restore the lost properties of natural landscapes in accordance with the nature of the changes that have occurred.
The point of restoring the industrial ecosystem is to, through targeted organizational and technical influences, prevent the occurrence of dangerous violations of the stability of the system and ensure the preservation of its environmental safety.
Since the nature of the restoration of natural objects is determined by the real process of development of anthropogenic changes, the organizational and technical principles of the restoration of PTG must be justified from the point of view of ensuring and maintaining environmental safety at the required level (Fig. 10.3, a).
Logically, this task is implemented by moving from the required level of environmental safety of PTG /^[e(/)] through single parameters - 247
t p
ry anthropogenic changes 12gt;, natural objects to characteristics »=1
ke restoration of ecosystem ej (Fig. 10.3, b).
Vy=I)
The general state of the PTG according to the totality of its technogenic and anthropogenic indicators hypothetically leads to an arbitrary pattern of alternation of the necessary types of Q - non-restorations.
Current planned preventive restorations are, as a rule, local in nature and are characterized by work not related to environmentally extreme situations (preventive work within environmental tolerances e ^ [Desh], co* lt;)