AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MINING AND USE OF SAPROPEL
Abstract
World freshwater reserves make up 2.5% of the world's total water supply. Ukraine ranks one of the last in Europe in terms of fresh water reserves per capita. For the normal functioning of the ecological system, the population should not use all water supplies, but only the annually renewed runoff. Lakes are the most accessible sources of water for economic needs. Due to the processes of eutrophy, lakes turn into swamps. These processes have been particularly intense in recent decades due to human economic activity. In world practice, the use of a wide range of methods for the restoration of freshwater lakes is known. The most radical and effective is the removal of accumulated deposits. But this method is at the same time the most expensive. You can increase the efficiency of this method by using the mining deposits in various industries. The most valuable type of freshwater lake sediment is organic sapropel. Research on the effect of sapropel fertilizers on soil fertility has been conducted for many years. Analysis of such studies shows that the effect of sapropel on soil fertility is significant and complex. It is manifested in the impact on all components of soil fertility. Especially bright effect is observed on sandy and loamy soils where its powerful influence on structure and mechanical structure of soil is shown. Therefore, sapropel is generally an environmentally friendly organic and mineral raw material that improves and enhances soil structure, as well as is a quality source of humus replenishment. These factors together ensure the preservation and improvement of soil fertility. Thus, the restoration of «dead» and silted lakes should be carried out by removing sediments. Further use of sapropel deposits for soil fertilization provides the formation of a closed ecological cycle with the support of a rational cycle of substances within a specific ecological system. This approach creates the conditions for the transition to a more advanced biogeocenotic basis of nature management.
