Geology topics

Jakub Papik

Publications and source records attributed to Jakub Papik.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

A combined compost, dolomite, and endophyte addition is more effective than single amendments for improving phytorestoration of metal contaminated mine tailings

Background and aims Re-vegetation of mining-impacted landscapes reduces transport of toxic elements while improving soil fertility. This study evaluated whether the planting of a native perennial grass with a consortium of diazotrophic microbial endophytes and municipal waste compost—alone and in combination—enhanced plant growth while stabilizing metal(loids) in dolomite-amended tailings from a historically mined polymetallic mineral deposit. Methods We grew Bouteloua curtipendula seedlings in tailings with hazardous concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Mn, and Zn. We evaluated how plant growth, organic matter accumulation, and major, minor, and trace element mobilization and phytostabilization responded to microbial endophyte and/or compost amendments after the 45-day growth experiment. Results Although most of the added endophytes were not uniquely identified, the best plant growth and fertility outcomes were achieved with a combination of amendments: dolomite to reduce acidity, compost to increase nitrogen, and a mixed consortium endophyte seed coating to synergistically increase organic carbon and grass biomass yields. Compost reduced shoot and root concentrations—but not yields—of contaminant metals. Endophytes increased foliar Cd, Co, Mn, and Pb yields but mobilized Pb and Zn from the tailings. Root stabilization of Cd, Co, Mn did not require amendments. Conclusion The most effective means of revegetating these acidic, polymetallic tailings with the native B. curtipendula is with a simultaneous dolomite, compost, and endophyte seed treatment. Due to potential phosphate solubilization and siderophore production by this consortium of endophytes, strategies to capture solubilized metal(loids) may be needed for sulfidic tailings with metal(loids) associated with mobile mineral phases.

Plant and Soil↗

USGS2023

Compost, plants and endophytes versus metal contamination: Choice of a restoration strategy steers the microbiome in polymetallic mine waste

Finding solutions for the remediation and restoration of abandoned mining areas is of great environmental importance as they pose a risk to ecosystem health. In this study, our aim was to determine how remediation strategies with (i) compost amendment, (ii) planting a metal-tolerant grass Bouteloua curtipendula , and (iii) its inoculation with beneficial endophytes influenced the microbiome of metal-contaminated tailings originating from the abandoned Blue Nose Mine, SE Arizona, near Patagonia (USA). We conducted an indoor microcosm experiment followed by a metataxonomic analysis of the mine tailings, compost, and root samples. Our results showed that each remediation strategy promoted a distinct pattern of microbial community structure in the mine tailings, which correlated with changes in their chemical properties. The combination of compost amendment and endophyte inoculation led to the highest prokaryotic diversity and total nitrogen and organic carbon, but also induced shifts in microbial community structure that significantly correlated with an enhanced potential for mobilization of Cu and Sb. Our findings show that soil health metrics (total nitrogen, organic carbon and pH) improved, and microbial community changed, due to organic matter input and endophyte inoculation, which enhanced metal leaching from the mine waste and potentially increased environmental risks posed by Cu and Sb. We further emphasize that because the initial choice of remediation strategy can significantly impact trace element mobility via modulation of both soil chemistry and microbial communities, site specific, bench-scale preliminary tests, as reported here, can help determine the potential risk of a chosen strategy.

Environmental Microbiome↗