Training Course for Regulators and Practitioners –
Phytoremediation & Bioremediation of Sites

A four day course addressing evapotranspiration (ET) covers and sinks, and remediation of waste, groundwater & soil – theory, regulatory framework, design and practice.

With Alan Baker (United Kingdom and University of Melbourne, Australia), Steve Rock (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), David McMillan (Natresco & Assoc. Ltd, U.S.), David Tongway (Fellow, CSIRO & Australian National University), Peter Dye and Isabel Weiersbye (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg)

Introduction:
Planning for site closure tends to focus on short-term mitigation of visible on-site environmental impacts. This has historically involved costly and energy-intensive techniques – for example excavation and relocation of contaminated soils, physical constructions on and around waste deposits, and mechanical pumping of groundwater for treatment. However, the environmental impacts of mining and industrial activities may extend well beyond the visible surface `footprint’ of the operations, persist for centuries, and present significant liabilities for site closure. Widespread emissions and impacts may include acid mine drainage or other seepages from waste deposits; groundwater and soil contamination by a range of organics and inorganics – from hydrocarbons and solvents to explosives residues, cyanide, metals and radioactive materials; dysfunctional landscape hydrology and dust; land fragmentation and disturbance; the loss of soil carbon and biodiversity, and desertification.

Various technologies are available for point-source control, and for the remediation of groundwater, soils and waste. However, only biological technologies offer simultaneous remediation and rehabilitation, and provide opportunities for a wide range of sustainable development benefits at relatively low risk and low cost.

The course focuses on the practical implementation, regulation and cost of biological mechanisms for point source control and rehabilitation; in particular evapotranspiration (ET) covers on waste and ET sinks to mitigate pollution of groundwater; decontamination and rehabilitation of tailings, waste and soil; conservation and use of metal, salt and acid tolerant flora, and the ecological principles underpinning self-sustaining landscapes - how these can be used in restoration of disturbed lands and mine tailings facilities. Specialised biological processes for pollutant treatment will be discussed, including organics, acid mine drainage, salts and metals, and the management of biological materials and live topsoil. The course is illustrated with examples from a range of environments.

The course participants will be trained in a step-by-step fashion - from the site assessment and
decision-making process, through the regulatory frameworks and the technical aspects of design, implementation, safety and monitoring of evapotranspiration covers and sinks; the use of other natural (plant and microorganism) processes for the remediation of organics and inorganics in soils and water; and regulatory assessment to site sign-off.

The landscape ecology section of the course will address how natural landscapes work as
ecosystems, and describe the principles that underpin self-sustaining landscapes. These principles can be put to work in the design of restoration or rehabilitation to transform landscapes and tailings storage facilities into stable, self-sustaining, non-polluting ecosystems. The conversion of tailings into suitable growing media and `soils’ will be addressed, and the endowment of tailings with biological activity. Topics include the setting of ecological success criteria for mine site restoration and closure, and the monitoring of progress. Examples will be described in the context of stages for regulatory approvals.

The evapotranspiration (ET) cover section of the course (2 ½ days) will include a practical component. The goal is to give the participants the tools they need to design and evaluate ET cover applications. The course should answer each participant’s site-specific question: “How well will this cover work on this site?” The format of the course intends to reproduce the ET cover assessment process – from initial concept, design and construction to regulatory approval. A case study will be analyzed sequentially to demonstrate the process. A series of questions is asked, and then answered in general terms, followed by specifically for the case study. Participants will learn the hydraulic properties of ET covers, how to optimize designs with models, and how to ensure that the final installation is environmentally protective. The most current research on field performance, monitoring, economics and construction techniques will be presented. Topics include alternative cover design, construction, operation and monitoring; and discussions of regulatory issues, soil physics, plant-soil-water relations, hydraulic balance, saturated/unsaturated water movement, and computer modelling. Regional case studies will be emphasized, lessons from the USEPA Alternative Covers Assessment Program (ACAP).

The use of metallophyte, halophyte and acidophile flora – plants and microorganisms that can
tolerate unusually high levels of metals, salinity or acidity respectively – forms the basis of the
phytoremediation industry worldwide. Appropriate use of such plants can minimise mine and
industrial site liabilities. A prerequisite is the timely conservation of their biodiversity on metal
mine properties and an understanding of their attributes. This section of the course will describe
the traits that tolerant plants possess, why they are essential to phytoremediation of lands and
tailings, and their conservation and use. The use of metal and salt-tolerant trees and shrubs to
mitigate shallow groundwater pollution; salt and metal hyper-accumulating plants to abstract and
`clean’ polluted lands, and the potential for the biomining of metals will be discussed. Topics
include the evaluation of tolerant flora, use of topsoil, seed and cuttings, types of plant growth
promoting microorganisms, planting strategies to encourage the development of self-sustaining
ecosystems, and monitoring of performance.

Professor Alan J.M. Baker is a plant scientist with over 30 years of experience in the biology of metallophyte flora on five continents. Alan mentors researchers, practitioners and graduate students, and consults to the metals and mining industry. In addition to extensive experience in Europe, Australasia and the USA, he has worked in The Philippines, Thailand, New Caledonia, Sri Lanka, PR China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Chile and Mexico. Alan recently retired as Professor of Botany at the University of Melbourne, Australia, prior to which he was based at the University of Sheffield, U.K. Alan specialises in the biology of metallophytes – plants that grow in metal-rich substrata; and their conservation and use by the metals and mining industry. This ranges from phytoremediation to geobotanical techniques for mineral exploration, biomining using metal hyperaccumulator plants, and strategies for the conservation of biodiversity at mining sites. Major themes are the development of metallophyte floras, and the ecology and physiology of metal-hyperaccumulating species. Alan is the author of 173 scientific publications, including 23 book chapters, ~200 conference presentations and has 5 shared patents in addition to serving as an expert scientist on international advisory committees, panels and working groups. He currently serves on the Advisory Panel of the IUCN-ICMM Post-Mining Alliance, based at the Eden Project (UK) and is Editor-in-Chief (Inorganic Contaminants) of the International Journal of Phytoremediation, and Member of the Editorial Advisory Boards of the journals Land Contamination and Reclamation, Environment International, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Environmental Pollution, Agrochimica and the Journal of Environmental Sciences (China). Alan is an Elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS), a Fellow of the Institute of Biology (FIBiol, CBiol), and a Founder Member and Elected Fellow of the UK Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (FIEEM).

Dr Steve Rock is an environmental engineer based at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and has over 20 years of experience in applied science. Steve specialises in the implementation and testing of emerging phytotechnologies, and the development of training courses for regulators, scientists and engineers. He has a special interest in the development of soil covers from waste materials, and leads the Alternative Covers Assessment Programme (ACAP) for the design and testing of evapotranspiration (ET) covers on waste deposits. Steve has authored numerous scientific reports, and provides expert support to advisory committees and panels. He is the host of the web-based PHYTOREM user-group – a USEPA initiative that facilitates free global information sharing on phytotechnologies in order to foster environmentally and economically-sound methods of land and waste remediation.

David Tongway is a fellow of the Australian National University and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems in Australia, and has over 30 years of experience in the ecology of disturbed lands in a range of climates and environments. David is a landscape and soil ecologist who specialises in the determinant principles of how natural landscapes work as ecosystems. These principles can be put to work to design restoration or rehabilitation for degraded lands, mined lands and tailings. David currently works on the criteria for rehabilitating mined lands and tailings for bond return. Together with colleagues in Australia, David developed the landscape function analysis (LFA) and ecosystem function analysis (EFA) approaches to monitoring of landscape condition. He currently provides mentoring and training in LFA and EFA worldwide, and has authored 67 scientific publications, including 16 book chapters; is the Editor of two books, and
author of numerous consultant reports to industry. David received the CSIRO award for a lifetime contribution to science, and is currently an advisor to the United Nations on the restoration of a war devastated environment and a consulting scientist to the mining industry. He is working on a new book on ecological restoration for practitioners.

Isabel Weiersbye is a plant scientist with the Restoration and Conservation Biology Research Group at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Isabel has 14 years of experience in the mitigation of impacts for the metals and mining industry, and leads the Ecological Engineering and Phytoremediation research programme, established in 1995. This cross- disciplinary programme undertakes R & D projects in partnership with mining and metals industries, and involves a number of scientists and post-graduates. Isabel works on the remediation of tailings and waste, and contaminated soils and water using native flora in partnership with community-based businesses. She is a consulting scientist to the metals industry and Government, where she focuses on biogeochemistry and risk minimisation (inorganic contaminants), mine closure planning and the design, implementation and evaluation of bio- and phytotechnologies to convert hazardous wastes to resources for the gold, uranium, platinum, base and other metals industries. Isabel has authored 30 scientific papers and proceedings, ~100 scientific conference abstracts and numerous reports, and received an international award and four national awards for applied scientific research, including a THRIP Excellence award for science and sustainable development from the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Isabel is the Chairman (South Africa) and co-Editor of Mine Closure 2008.

David McMillan is Principal of Natresco & Associates, Ltd, a United States-based natural resource and environmental consulting firm established in 2000. David focuses on the design of bioremediation technologies for land-filled waste and contaminated sites, and natural landscaping. He has authored three scientific papers on soil science and numerous reports on bioremediation approaches, including the use of fungi to treat organic contaminants. Projects have included the design of vegetative covers for industrial and fly-ash landfills, and remediation strategies for organics (TCE-PCE, PAH, PCB, BTEX), hydrocarbons and chlorides in soils or shallow groundwater using plant or fungal-based technologies. David has a special interest in the implementation of evapotranspiration (ET) covers, and Natresco is partnered with the USEPA for the development of training courses for regulators, scientists and engineers.

Peter Dye is a soil scientist and land-use hydrologist with the Restoration and Conservation Biology Research Group at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, prior to which he was based at the CSIR South Africa. Peter has 25 years of experience in soils, land-use hydrology, vegetation water-use and evapotranspiration, and hydrological modelling from the site to catchment scale for industries ranging from forestry to mining. He currently works on the assessment of evapotranspiration from waste and tailings, and remediation of shallow groundwater plumes using native and alien trees. Peter has authored ~45 scientific papers and proceedings, and ~80 scientific conference presentations and reports to industry and government institutions, and is a consulting scientist to the forestry, land management and mining and waste industries. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the journals Tree Physiology, Land Use and Water Resources Research and the Southern African Forestry Journal. Peter is a co-Editor of Mine Closure 2008.

Day 1 – Tuesday 7th October 2008

Functional landscapes and mine closure - David Tongway, CSIRO and Australian National University

Evapotranspiration covers – theory, design and practice

I  Concept

• Goals
  1. Physical / Environmental Goals
  2. Regulatory / Legal Requirements
  3. Economics

– Steve Rock / David McMillan

Evapotranspiration covers – Concept (continued)

B  Conceptual Design based on location and climate

1. Design
   

   Rough Thickness of sponge needed
   Local Ecosystem - Vegetation available
   

– Steve Rock / David McMillan

Evapotranspiration covers – Practical & Discussion
– Steve Rock / David McMillan

II  Evapotranspiration covers - Design Details

A  Input

Exact Climate
Slope

B  Sponge

Finding, assessing, and making soil
Optimising the design with modelling

C  Squeeze

E of ET
T of ET plant selection and evolution

Tea and Coffee Break

III  Evapotranspiration covers - Build and Maintain

A  Construction

Appropriate technology
ET cover techniques

B  Operation, Maintenance, Inspection, and Repair

Erosion
Intrusive animals and vegetation

Lunch – Chiefs Boma

Tea and Coffee Break

End of Day 2

IV  Evapotranspiration covers - Everything Else

Ecosystem restoration / Habitat creation

Gas issues

– Steve Rock / David McMillan

V  V Evapotranspiration covers - Approval

Regulatory, Corporate, Neighbors

– Steve Rock / David McMillan

Landscape Hydrology, Vegetation Water Use and
Evapotranspiration sinks
- Peter Dye