Soil & Rehabilitation
Agricultural Research on Rehabilitated Coal Mined Land (1994-2001) Conducted in Terms of the Kraai Van Niekerk Report
2001
Consolidated review of six field studies on highveld opencast rehabilitation, covering soil profiles, pasture performance, crop potential and soil water, for mine environmental staff and regulators.
What this report foundRehabilitated opencast soils carried pastures and cash crops, but compaction and cover soil depth set the ceiling on what they could produce.
Assessing the Ecosystem Processes of Ecological Infrastructure on Post-coal Mined Land
2017
Physical, chemical and biological sampling at two points on each of four Mpumalanga watercourses, with wetland functionality assessment and mitigation recommendations, for mine environmental and water managers.
What this report foundWatercourses on post mined land near Kriel showed deterioration in manganese, calcium, magnesium, sodium, total dissolved salts and sulphate, while other...
Benefits of an Apiary at a Rehabilitation Site
2019
Desktop study based on literature, a stakeholder workshop and specialist consultation, assessing whether keeping bees on rehabilitating mine land pays, for closure teams weighing aftercare options.
What this report foundThe financial benefit of bees to a rehabilitating site could not be modelled with confidence, and a field trial to show direct benefit is hard to configure...
Causes, Symptoms, Prevention and Alleviation of Soil Compaction on Mined Land
2006
A review of South African opencast coal experience, written for environmental officers and mine management who must correct legacy compaction and plan operations that avoid creating more.
What this report foundCompaction on rehabilitated opencast land restricts effective rooting depth so severely that only a small proportion of arable and grazing areas reach their...
Evaluation of Three Native Grass Species and a Tree Species for Coal Mine Rehabilitation
2009
Field trials established on prepared topsoil at three Mpumalanga Highveld collieries and measured to 2007, covering survival, cover, biomass and tree growth, for rehabilitation planners.
What this report foundCynodon dactylon outperformed Themeda triandra and Hyparrhenia hirta, reaching 100 per cent survival and cover at all three trial sites by 2007 with or without...
Final Report – A feasibility study on a regenerative integrated cropping & livestock business case model as a mine closure tool and post-closure land use for differently rehabilitated land capability classes
2025
Feasibility study on a regenerative integrated cropping & livestock business case model as a mine closure tool and post-closure land use for differently rehabilitated land capability classes Enterprises University of Pretoria
Growth Potential of Kenaf on Coal Tailings in South Africa
2025
This research investigates the physiological performance of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) when grown in coal tailings—an area where limited studies exist, especially within the South African context. North West University
Project 12.2 – Land Rehabilitation Guideline for Surface Coal Mines
Four part reference covering planning, in-field implementation, monitoring and post-closure land management, written for mine planners, rehabilitation practitioners and regulators rather than as a site specification.
What this report foundSets out good practice for planning, implementing, monitoring and adaptively managing land rehabilitation at surface coal mines, with generic rehabilitation...
Project 8.3.3 – Framework to Guide Mine-related Land Use Planning Towards Optimisation of the Coal Mining Rehabilitated Landscape
2018
Masters research combining a review of rehabilitation guidance with South African industry interviews, for mine planners and regulators deciding what post mining land should become after closure.
What this report foundA framework for planning land use on rehabilitated coal mining land, built from a review of international and national regulatory and corporate guidance and...
Rehabilitation of Mined Land – Soil Compaction Alleviation
2011
Final report on mined land rehabilitation trials comparing pasture species and organic amendments on compacted mine soil against normal agricultural soil, for rehabilitation and pasture planning.
What this report foundExperimental studies tested ways to alleviate compaction on mine soils by combining mechanical treatment with organic material.
Soil Rehabilitation: Can Dung Beetles Improve Post-mining Land-use Options?
2018
Final report of a three year study on rehabilitated South African coal mine soils, testing an invertebrate based addition to conventional rehabilitation, for environmental managers and land use planners.
What this report foundAnts, termites, dung beetles and earthworms are known to improve soil health, but none had been deliberately applied as part of a mine reclamation strategy.