We worked collaboratively with the USEPA (Ken Pantuck and Bob Bastian), USAID (Francesca DiCosmo), USDA-ARS (Rufus Chaney) and the Polish Institute of Soil and Plant Cultivation (Tom Stuczynski) between 1994 and 2002 to develop strategies for the in situ remediation of Pb/Zn smelter slags and tailings in southern Poland. Using local waste limes and biosolids, we successfully and permanently (15+ years) revegetated a wide range of previously phytotoxic wastes.

The pictures to the right show the effects of the combined treatments on Welz process smelter slag (top) and Pb/Zn tailings (bottom), 15 years after biosolids and waste lime application. The areas to the right of the vegetated boundary received lime, fertilizer, mulch and seed while the areas to the left also received biosolids at higher than agronomic rates.