Unveiling a Technosol-based remediation approach for enhancing plant growth in an iron-rich acidic mine soil from the Rio Tinto Mars analog site.

This paper explores the potential of Technosols made from non-hazardous industrial wastes as a sustainable solution for highly acidic iron-rich soils at the Rio Tinto mining site (Spain), a terrestrial Mars analog. These mine soils exhibit extreme acidity (pH = 2.1-3.

Oral bioaccessibility and human health risk assessment of trace elements in agricultural soils impacted by acid mine drainage.

Cultivated soils around the historic mine site of Tharsis (Spain) contain elevated concentrations of As (up to 621 mg kg), Cu (752 mg kg) and Pb (2395 mg kg), exceeding the regional background levels and the statutory limits set for agricultural use. A site-specific health risk assessment of occupational and environmental exposures was conducted using an approach based on guidelines from regulatory agencies, refined by combining bioaccessibility and bioavailability data. Oral bioaccessibility, as determined by simulating the human digestion process in vitro (Unified BARGE Method), was largely related to total trace element concentrations in soil.