Chapter 5: Biochar Application for Mine Land Reclamation: Metal Mining

Phytoextraction is a promising technique that implies the use of hyper accumulator plants to reduce the heavy metal content in soils. Heavy metals can produce stress in plants, resulting in slow growth rate and loss in biomass production. Nevertheless, the biochar addition to heavy metal contaminated soil can produce the immobilization of heavy metals that together with the improvement of the physical and chemical properties of soil can produce a high plant growth and a better metal uptake. The aim of this chapter is to give a holistic approach about mine land reclamation with a specific review of the effects of biochar addition and the possibility to maximize metal phytoextraction. The influence of biochar in soil physicochemical properties, soil biota and soil heavy metal behavior are discussed in detail. Also, the chapter addresses the term phytomining as a concept to recover specific metals and provide them an economic value.