Fly-ash (FA) is a by-product or residue that is produced during the combustion of coal for energy production in thermal power plants. The huge amount of FA generation is a global problem; and coal power generators still can find no safe and sustainable approach to FA disposal. FA dumps not only create air, water, and soil pollution but also pose a noxious impact on human health by introducing toxins in the food chain through biomagnification. A non-food vegetation cover can help to mitigate FA dump-related environmental health issues. However, alkaline pH, toxic metals, lack of soil microbes, and pozzolanic properties of FA limit plant growth. In this regard, ecological restoration of FA dumps through phytoremediation should be a holistic approach. This review focuses on the role of naturally occurring plants, tree plantation, and microbial inoculation in the ecological restoration of FA dumps and their role in the physicochemical changes of FA substrate. Application of organic material has been proved to help establish vegetation cover on FA dumps as they provide essential nutrients for plant and microbial growth. Morphological, physiological, and antioxidant responses of plants grown on FA dumps are also discussed in this study in detail. Overall, this review summarises the different comprehensive approaches of FA dump restoration and compiles ways to convert barren FA dumps into useful sites for deriving bioeconomy with phytoproducts. The outcomes of this study should be beneficial helping identify site-specific ecorestoration of FA dumps through an integrated approach.

中文翻译：

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粉煤灰处置区生态恢复：挑战与机遇

粉煤灰 (FA) 是一种副产品或残渣，它是在火力发电厂燃烧煤炭以生产能源的过程中产生的。大量 FA 生成是一个全球性问题；煤电厂仍然找不到安全和可持续的 FA 处置方法。FA 垃圾场不仅会造成空气、水和土壤污染，还会通过生物放大作用在食物链中引入毒素，对人类健康造成有害影响。非食物植被覆盖可以帮助减轻与 FA 垃圾场相关的环境健康问题。然而，碱性 pH 值、有毒金属、缺乏土壤微生物和 FA 的火山灰特性限制了植物的生长。在这方面，通过植物修复对 FA 垃圾场进行生态恢复应该是一种整体方法。本综述侧重于天然植物、树木种植、和微生物接种在FA垃圾场生态恢复中的作用及其在FA底物理化变化中的作用。有机材料的应用已被证明有助于在 FA 垃圾场上建立植被覆盖，因为它们为植物和微生物的生长提供必需的营养。本研究还详细讨论了在 FA 垃圾场上生长的植物的形态、生理和抗氧化反应。总体而言，本综述总结了 FA 垃圾场恢复的不同综合方法，并汇编了将贫瘠的 FA 垃圾场转化为利用植物产品获得生物经济的有用场所的方法。这项研究的结果应该有助于通过综合方法确定 FA 垃圾场特定地点的生态恢复。