The use of Technosols for the restoration of limestone quarries overcomes the usual "in situ" scarcity of soil and/or its poor quality. The use of mine spoils, improved with mineral and/or organic amendments, could be an efficient and environmentally friendly option. Properly treated sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants could be a suitable organic amendment and fertilizer (rich in N and P) whenever its pollutant burden is low (heavy metals and/or organic pollutants). Its appropriate use could improve essential soil physical and chemical properties and, therefore, promote key ecosystem services of restored areas, such as biomass production and carbon sequestration, as well as biodiversity and landscape recovery. However, the mid-term impacts of these restoration practices on soil functioning and their services have rarely been reported in the available literature. In this study we assess the mid-term effects (10 years) of the use of sewage sludge as a Technosol amendment on soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrient status, and plant development in several restored quarries. Soils restored using sewage sludge showed a threefold increase in SOC compared to the corresponding unamended ones, despite the moderate sludge dosage applied (below 50 tonnes/ha). Plant cover was also higher in amended soils, and recruitment was not affected by sludge amendment at these doses. This study demonstrates that, used at an appropriate rate, sewage sludge is a good alternative for the valorization of mine spoils in quarry restoration, improving some important regulatory ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, without compromising woody plant encroachment.

中文翻译：

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地中海条件下采石场恢复对生态系统服务的中期影响：对土壤有机碳和植被发展的 10 年影响

使用 Technosols 修复石灰石采石场克服了通常的“原位”土壤稀缺和/或其质量差的问题。使用矿物和/或有机添加物改进的矿渣可能是一种高效且环保的选择。只要城市污水处理厂的污水污泥（重金属和/或有机污染物）含量低，经过适当处理的城市污水处理厂的污水污泥就可以成为合适的有机改良剂和肥料（富含氮和磷）。它的适当使用可以改善土壤的基本物理和化学特性，从而促进恢复地区的关键生态系统服务，如生物量生产和碳固存，以及生物多样性和景观恢复。然而，这些恢复实践对土壤功能及其服务的中期影响在现有文献中鲜有报道。在这项研究中，我们评估了使用污水污泥作为 Technosol 改良剂对几个恢复采石场的土壤有机碳 (SOC)、营养状况和植物发育的中期影响（10 年）。尽管应用了适度的污泥剂量（低于 50 吨/公顷），但使用污水污泥恢复的土壤的 SOC 与相应的未修正土壤相比增加了三倍。改良土壤中的植物覆盖率也更高，在这些剂量下，补充不受污泥改良剂的影响。本研究表明，以适当的比例使用污水污泥是在采石场恢复中使矿渣增值的良好替代品，