Rio Tinto Kennecott and BYU researchers partner to improve reclamation at mine sites

Rio Tinto Kennecott and Brigham Young University (BYU) researchers are joining forces to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to improve reclamation at the Bingham Canyon Mine.

In June 2020, a group of students and professors from the BYU Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences broke ground on four research projects on land areas surrounding the mine with the goal to increase plant diversity and stability and enhance the aesthetics of areas visible from the Salt Lake Valley.

“This partnership is helping Rio Tinto Kennecott to continue improving the quality of its reclamation efforts and give our students the opportunity to learn skills that will benefit them in their future employment,” said Matt Madsen, BYU associate professor of plant and wildlife sciences. “The restoration we are doing in these areas can benefit Utah’s land and community by bringing back native vegetation, improving the site for wildlife habitat, air quality and the view-shed here in Utah.”

“We are proud of our commitment to the environment, and this partnership is an important step in advancing sustainable outcomes,” said Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director Gaby Poirier. “Joining forces with BYU professors and students to apply the latest environmental research to further improve our effort is extremely rewarding. This joint project is mutually beneficial for Rio Tinto Kennecott, BYU and our surrounding communities,and we hope this project will be a stepping-stone for future collaboration that helps improve reclamation work at other locations in Salt Lake City and more widely.”

The partnership is employing 12 students on six different projects for the next three years, all of which contribute to land reclamation efforts. Study objectives include engineering seed coatings to increase seeding success, understanding the vital role of curlleaf mountain mahogany, more effectively establishing perennial grasses and another to improve the viewshed of waste rock areas. 

Alex Larson is one of two female BYU graduate students leading projects. Her Saints Rest Biodiversity Study is working to increase the diversity of plants on reclamation land by introducing shrubs and forbs that match the surrounding landscape, using a technique inspired by the process of how anti-epileptic medications work.

“When anti-epileptic medications are taken, the compounds that treat the symptoms are embedded in a biodegradable polymer, essentially a biodegradable plastic, which dissolves after ingestion, so it slows the release of the medication and increases its effectiveness,” said Larson. “We are applying this same method to seeds. We have a biodegradable biocompatible polymer coating embedded with a growth hormone wrapping the seeds we are planting. This coating will help increase the germination success on the site compared to what would exist naturally.”

Fellow graduate student Holley Lund is spearheading the Yosemite waterboxx study nearby. Her team is working to grow woody species that match the surrounding hillsides. Waterboxx irrigation technology maintains moisture in the soil during dry periods of the year so that seedlings can establish in the rocky soils. By the end of the project, they will have planted 656 shrubs and trees.

“Restoration has been done on this site before,” said Lund. “It looks great during parts of the year; however, these particular species go dormant, turn brown and stand out from the native hillsides during other seasons. Our goal is to establish a woody species that will match the green textures of the surrounding mountainside, help with erosion and provide food for wildlife.”