Pedosphere 36(3): 738--748, 2026
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2026 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Reclamation and vegetation effects on labile and stable soil organic carbon fractions in a spoil heap of coal mining waste |
Amisalu Milkias MISEBO1,2 , Bartłomiej WOŚ1, Piotr GRUBA3, Marcin PIETRZYKOWSKI1 |
1Department of Ecological Engineering and Forest Hydrology, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Krakow 31-425 (Poland);
2 Department of Environmental Science, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo 138 (Ethiopia);
3 Department of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Krakow 31-425 (Poland) |
| Corresponding Author:Amisalu Milkias MISEBO |
| ABSTRACT |
| Restoration of post-mining sites is essential to address soil degradation while providing critical insights into soil development, nutrient storage, and carbon (C) sequestration potential. However, field data remain inadequate to evaluate the combined effects of reclamation methods and vegetation types on soil organic C (SOC) fractions under specific site conditions. This study investigates the effects of reclamation methods and vegetation types on SOC fractions, free light fraction (CfLF), occluded light fraction (CoLF), and highly stable mineral-associated fraction (CMAF), with a focus on strategies that promote SOC stabilization and improve ecological dynamics in post-mining soils on a hard coal mine spoil heap. Soil samples (0-10 and 10-20 cm) were collected for physicochemical analyses from active restoration treatments (topsoiling and cultivation) and passive restoration treatments (succession on bare rock). The results showed that SOC fractions are significantly related to both vegetation type and reclamation method. Succession on bare rock (SBR) resulted in higher content of CfLF at a depth of 0-10 cm, whereas reclaimed sites with topsoil (RTS) exhibited significantly higher content of CoLF at both depths. Furthermore, CMAF showed variation with reclamation method and depth, with the RTS site displaying a higher CMAF in the top layer but a lower CMAF in the sublayer than the SBR site. Grasslands exhibited significantly higher CfLF (77% higher) at 10-20 cm, CoLF at 0-10 cm (40.5%) and 10-20 cm (56%), and CMAF (46.5%) at 10-20 cm, compared to woodlands. Forblands also exhibited significantly higher CoLF (53% higher) at 10-20 cm than woodlands. In summary, the use of grassland vegetation and topsoiling effectively increases accumulation of all SOC fractions at both soil depths, making it a beneficial approach for post-mining restoration strategies. |
| Key Words: hard coal|natural succession|post-mining|restoration|tiosoiling |
| Citation: Misebo A M, Woś B, Gruba P, Pietrzykowski M. 2026. Reclamation and vegetation effects on labile and stable soil organic carbon fractions in a spoil heap of coal mining waste. Pedosphere. 36(3): 738-748. |
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