Ecological restoration of fly‐ash disposal areas: Challenges and opportunities

Fly‐ash (FA) is a by‐product or residue that is produced during the combustion of coal for energy production in thermal power plants. The huge amount of FA generation is a global problem; and coal power generators still can find no safe and sustainable approach to FA disposal. FA dumps not only crea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Land degradation & development 2021-10, Vol.32 (16), p.4453-4471
Main Authors: Yadav, Swati, Pandey, Vimal Chandra, Singh, Lal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antioxidants
Ash
Ashes
Barren lands
Bioaccumulation
Biological magnification
coal combustion residue
Ecology
Environmental health
Environmental restoration
Essential nutrients
fly‐ash
Food chains
Inoculation
Metals
Microorganisms
Nutrients
Phytoremediation
Plant growth
Power plants
Restoration
Soil microorganisms
Soil pollution
Soil properties
Soil water
Substrates
Thermal power
Thermal power plants
toxic metal(loid)s
Toxins
Vegetation
Vegetation cover
Water pollution
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Summary:Fly‐ash (FA) is a by‐product or residue that is produced during the combustion of coal for energy production in thermal power plants. The huge amount of FA generation is a global problem; and coal power generators still can find no safe and sustainable approach to FA disposal. FA dumps not only create air, water, and soil pollution but also pose a noxious impact on human health by introducing toxins in the food chain through biomagnification. A non‐food vegetation cover can help to mitigate FA dump‐related environmental health issues. However, alkaline pH, toxic metals, lack of soil microbes, and pozzolanic properties of FA limit plant growth. In this regard, ecological restoration of FA dumps through phytoremediation should be a holistic approach. This review focuses on the role of naturally occurring plants, tree plantation, and microbial inoculation in the ecological restoration of FA dumps and their role in the physicochemical changes of FA substrate. Application of organic material has been proved to help establish vegetation cover on FA dumps as they provide essential nutrients for plant and microbial growth. Morphological, physiological, and antioxidant responses of plants grown on FA dumps are also discussed in this study in detail. Overall, this review summarises the different comprehensive approaches of FA dump restoration and compiles ways to convert barren FA dumps into useful sites for deriving bioeconomy with phytoproducts. The outcomes of this study should be beneficial helping identify site‐specific ecorestoration of FA dumps through an integrated approach.
ISSN:1085-3278
1099-145X
DOI:10.1002/ldr.4064