Effect of the rehabilitation of bauxite mining areas on the infiltration and repellency of the soil to water

Henrique de Andrade Cenachi; Herly Carlos Teixeira Dias; Bernardo Fontes Grossi Lino; Bruna Queiroz de Souza; Paulo Cesar Marques Cordeiro; Juliana Marcela de Paiva; Rodolfo Soares de Almeida; Mônica de Abreu Azevedo; Hélio Garcia Leite

doi:10.53661/1806-9088202650263951

Authors

Henrique de Andrade Cenachi Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Florestal, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9422-7155
Herly Carlos Teixeira Dias Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6893-0920
Bernardo Fontes Grossi Lino Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Graduando em Engenharia Florestal, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3140-7890
Bruna Queiroz de Souza JR Consultoria Ambiental, São João Evangelista, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4235-5471
Paulo Cesar Marques Cordeiro Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio - CBA, Miraí, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1708-3870
Juliana Marcela de Paiva Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio - CBA, Miraí, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1118-3613
Rodolfo Soares de Almeida Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1952-2266
Mônica de Abreu Azevedo Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2115-3300
Hélio Garcia Leite Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6357-9174

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53661/1806-9088202650263951

Keywords:

Soil water repellency, Hydrological restoration, Land reclamation

Abstract

Brazil, the fourth-largest holder of bauxite reserves worldwide, plays a prominent role in global mineral production. However, open-pit mining can alter soil hydrological attributes due to vegetation removal and intensive soil disturbance. This study evaluated the effects of rehabilitation practices implemented by Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio (CBA) on water infiltration, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, and soil water repellency. Six study areas were selected in the municipality of São Sebastião da Vargem Alegre, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, comprising three rehabilitated areas (0610, 0630, and 0123) and three reference areas. Assessments were conducted using a MiniDisk infiltrometer, and the results were compared using the Mann–Whitney test. The rehabilitated areas exhibited significantly higher values of infiltration rate (293.88 mm h⁻¹), infiltration capacity (308.78 mm h⁻¹), and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (48.44 mm h⁻¹) than the reference areas, which showed mean values of 129.38 mm h⁻¹, 147.53 mm h⁻¹, and 9.19 mm h⁻¹, respectively (p ≤ 0.05). Soil water repellency was significantly lower in the rehabilitated areas (1.48%) than in the reference areas (6.22%) (p ≤ 0.05). These findings demonstrate that rehabilitation practices promoted the recovery of soil hydrological functionality by enhancing water infiltration, increasing the soil’s capacity to transmit water through the profile, and reducing the expression of soil hydrophobicity.

Keywords: Soil water repellency, Hydrological restoration, Land reclamation