Constructed Technosols as a Soil Rebuilding Technique to Reclaim Abandoned Limestone Quarries in the Mediterranean Region: A Field Study

Eleonora Grilli, Renata Concetta Vigliotti, Antonio Fiorentino, Monica Scognamiglio, Luigi Rossetti, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Ludmila Ribeiro Roder, Antonio Ganga () and Gian Franco Capra
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Eleonora Grilli: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi n° 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Renata Concetta Vigliotti: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi n° 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Antonio Fiorentino: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi n° 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Monica Scognamiglio: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi n° 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Luigi Rossetti: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi n° 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira: Department of Agricultural Sciences, School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil
Arun Dilipkumar Jani: Department of Biology and Chemistry, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA 93955, USA
Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior: Center of Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Centenário n° 303, Piracicaba 13416-000, SP, Brazil
Ludmila Ribeiro Roder: Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna No 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Antonio Ganga: Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna No 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Gian Franco Capra: Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università Degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna No 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: Soil rebuilding represents a major challenge in the recovery of abandoned quarries. In this study, we explored the possibility of using reconstructed Technosols, to achieve soil rebuilding goals at an abandoned quarry site. We first investigated the use of a mixture containing commercial manure and limestone debris (LD) as pedotechnomaterials for an “ ad hoc ” (re)constructed Technosol (CT), for the recovery of an opencast limestone quarry in one of most concentrated quarry areas in the world. In a field experiment, we tested and monitored different pedotechnosystems (PTSs) made up of constructed Technosol + pasture species + different Mediterranean plant species. Specifically, a control (CT, without any additional treatments) was compared to treatments with organic amendment (CTOA) and conventional fertilizers (CTCF). Data were collected over a 12-month period and included crop performance, plant nutritional state, soil physical-chemical parameters, and metabolites. Analysis of variance compared differences among treatments, while factor analysis (FA) interpreted multiple relationships while explaining observed variability. Results showed that CTOA had better soil physical-chemical properties, greater plant growth, and overall superior agronomic performances compared to all other treatments due to the improved substrate conditions. According to FA, these results appear related to the creation of fertile soil conditions, with most of the investigated metabolites ( i ) playing a pivotal role in observed outcomes, together with ( ii ) a clear potential in being considered as a reliable fingerprint for investigating plant responses in constructed PTSs. The proposed pedotechniques in CTOA development show a great potential for the full recovery of abandoned limestone quarries in degraded Mediterranean areas by providing an excellent medium for plant growth, facilitating environmental reclamation.

Keywords: environmental restoration; pedotechnologies; organic amendment; debris limestone; metabolomic profile (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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