ABSTRACT
Phytocapping involves placing a layer of soil material and growing dense vegetation on top of a landfill. Phytocapping encompasses phytoremediation technology that includes phytoextraction, rhizoextraction, phytovolatilization, and phytostabilization, and is gaining social acceptance as a green and environment-friendly technology. Unlike municipal landfills, which are often located near urban zones, capping of materials at derelict mine sites are often located in isolated areas. The growing recognition of the role that plants and other biota can potentially play in sustainable management of waste disposal has resulted in an increased interest in phytocapping technology. To date, this has largely focused around municipal sites. This chapter reviews the issues associated with derelict mine sites, details two examples of current capping at sites in Australia, briefly reviews available remediation techniques for metal(loid)s, and finally reviews the literature on phytocaps and their potential applications at derelict mine sites.
