To delve deeper into and address one of the key elements in mining restoration, the Spanish Mine and Quarry Restoration Network held a course last week focused on «Soil as a Key Element in Mining Restoration: Management and Treatment» at the Mieres Campus of the University of Oviedo.
The event was inaugurated by María Belarmina Díaz Aguado, Director General of Energy and Mines for the Government of Asturias, who opened a series of sessions that proved pivotal for the mining restoration sector.
The first session began with a lecture by Emilio Trigueros, lead researcher of the Geotechnics and Mining Methods Group at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, who addressed identifying and correcting instability issues in mining lands.
Miguel Angel Rodríguez Díaz, a PhD mining engineer from the University of Oviedo, discussed the Stability and Geotechnical Control of Mining Slopes, offering strategies to ensure stability in mining operations. Meanwhile, José Luis Rodríguez Gallego, Professor of the Area of Mining Prospecting and Research at INDUROT, University of Oviedo, presented on the Strategies and Challenges in Sustainable Recovery of Mining Areas, providing practical examples and innovative solutions. Diego Arán Ferreiro, co-founder of INPROYEN and researcher at the Higher Institute of Agronomy of the University of Lisbon, addressed the use of Technosols in Metal Mining.
To conclude the first day, a roundtable discussion on the Future of Mining in Spain was held, featuring Santiago Berjano Serrano (Head of the Mines Service of the Principality of Asturias), Josu González Alday (Professor at the University of Lleida and Member of the Society for Ecological Restoration – SER Europe), and Beatriz Gordo (Environmental Coordinator at the National Association of Aggregate Manufacturers – ANEFA and member of the Mining and Life Foundation). Additionally, Beatriz Gordo also took the opportunity to introduce attendees to the European projects led by ANEFA and funded by the European Commission: DigiEcoQuarry, ROTATE, as well as the newly launched SCIMIN – CRM, which will commence operations in the coming weeks.
During the second day, the topic of quarry soil restoration using technosols in semi-arid Mediterranean areas was presented by Albert Solé Benet (CSIC), while Carolina Martínez-Ruiz (University of Valladolid) discussed the changes in mining soils following re-vegetation for grazing purposes. To conclude the theoretical part, Asunción Cámara Obregón (University of Oviedo) addressed forest management following mining restoration. Finally, attendees visited the Life Carbon2Mine reverse mining project, where carbon sequestration strategies in mining areas were explored.
