Land Rehabilitation and Restorations

ICL Rotem adheres to a long-term strategy for planning and managing its mining of phosphate deposits in the Negev. This policy includes conducting comprehensive geological surveys, while defining long-term goals for mining and sustainable mining. These goals include comprehensive planning for the restoration of mining areas prior to mining execution. \

ICL Rotem uses a multidisciplinary approach involving, among others, mining engineers and landscape architects, as well as ecological consultants to ensure optimal conduct of its mining processes. This includes meticulous planning before mining commences. Multiple environmental factors are taken into consideration including visibility, watersheds, and the general contours of the land.

The process also includes site tours of the area with key stakeholders such as the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Israel’s Ministry for Environmental Protection, Ministry of Energy, local officials, and other government agencies.

Reclamation of Phosphate Mines During Mining

Mine reclamation is the practice of maintaining the similar landscape of mined areas and restoring functionality, or preparing such for other beneficial social, environmental, or economic uses, while minimizing interference with sensitive land. Reclamation, although performed after mining is completed, is best suited when planned prior to mining and conducted throughout the mining process.

Initially, ICL Rotem removes the topsoil of the block to be mined, either spreading it over a reclaimed area or temporarily storing it. The overburden layer is then removed from the mined block’s surface and placed in another block of which mining has been completed and the topography has been fixed.

When the mining of a block is completed, it undergoes topographical shaping with overburden from the new block and is then covered with topsoil. The reclaimed block surface is shaped similarly to its original topography. It is purposely designed to slow runoff, create microclimate conditions for local flora and fauna, and allow rapid renewal of vegetation.

Since 2016, ICL Rotem has also been participating in academic cooperative research with Ben Gurion University of the Negev, which examines the effectiveness on the ecology and biodiversity of mine reclamation. ICL Rotem values the continuation of this research to better understand long-term changes and impacts of rehabilitated mining areas, as well as to identify best methods for conducting ecological rehabilitation.

The research was originally planned for a four-year period, but ICL Rotem recently extended it for an additional four years to further study long-term changes following reclamation. The research is led by Prof. Yaron Ziv and Dr. Guy Rotem from the Spatial Ecology Lab at the Department of Life Sciences at Ben Gurion University. Participating in this pioneering research is unique in its broad scope, as it is scientifically examining the efficacy of open mine reclamation in arid and hyper-arid lands in multiple dimensions, using methodologies ranging from soil analysis to remote sensing.

In the study, reclaimed areas are compared to adjacent undisturbed land cells. The parameters being researched include soil chemistry, soil microbiology, vegetation growth potential, abundance, arthropod animals, and remote sensing land analysis.

So far, the research indicates that there are differences in reclaimed areas and undisturbed areas with regards to diversity. As for soil characteristics, it appears that the soil in reclaimed areas has a higher electrical conductance which inhibits vegetation growth. There is also a lack of organic material, especially in reclaimed areas. The richness and diversity of microorganisms is lower in rehabilitated areas than in natural, undisturbed areas.

Regarding vegetation, the results point to the lack of seed banks in the rehabilitated soil as one of the main causes for less vegetation.

It was found that there is a high variance between the plots and within the plots themselves in natural and restored ones. At this stage, ICL Rotem is conducting experiments for implementation of the researchers’ recommendations.

The research is also investigating various ways to speed up the regeneration of ecosystems on reclaimed areas. This is a significant challenge because a solution needs to be applicable for use over large areas of restored mines.