Recuperación Ambiental Con Vetiver

VETIVER SYSTEM FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF OPEN CUT BAUXITE MINING AT “LOS PIJIGUAOS” –VENEZUELA. R. Luque M.
Vetiver Antierosión, C. A: Av. Circunvalación Nº 129 Piñonal Maracay ZP: 2103 Venezuela vetiver_vzla@yahoo.com
M. Lisena CVG Bauxilum, C. A: Campamento Bauxilum Los Pijiguaos Edo. Bolívar, Venezuela Mario.lisena@gmail.com O. Luque M. Fundacion Empresas Polar Vetiver Project, andVetiver Antierosion C.A. Consultant oluque1@cantv.net
Keywords: Bauxite, phyto-technology, bioengineering, Slope stabilization, erosion control, galleys

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the experience accumulated during three years of environmental recovery of bauxite mine located in Los Pijiguaos, Bolivar State, Venezuela; through the application of the Vetiver System Technologies (VST). Itdescribes the different phases of analysis, design and installation of provisional barriers such as sandy bags, stone rows or wooden fence before planting vetiver to protect vetiver tillers, especially in very high slope areas In this context, the company has incorporated the VS into its general policy to mitigate the impact of mining activities on the local community with the aim of providing socialassistance, and economic development of the region. The operation of BAUXILUM Mining must meet all the following environmental and social objectives: • To re-establish the native forest affected by open cut bauxite mining • To build sedimentation lagoons • To protect the mining infrastructures • To provide assistance to their neighboring communities. Vetiver system has been used in this project, forstabilization of various slope gradients, on the soil-concrete interface to protect infrastructures on the mine site, stabilization of gullies and border drains, reinforcement of lagoon dikes, bio-filter in gullies and around lagoons. For erosion control a total of 26.300m of vetiver barriers have been planting, from 2003 to June 2006. Now CVG BAUXILUM is planning to plant another 7.400m ofVetiver barriers. This activity is carried out during the rainy season from June to October. The experience is documented with photos, which show the graphic transition from the natural state of the land, during the process of vetiver barrier planting and after the Vetiver barriers fully established. It is also presented a study on the aluminum absorption of Vetiver leaves, with their correspondingcharts and graphs. Based on the above results, during the past three years, CVG Bauxilum has successfully developed a Vetiver System for land rehabilitation and environmental protection to restore the open cut bauxite mining site Venezuela, to a desirable environmentally friendly level.

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1. INTRODUCCIÓN: Localización y problemática: En la región de la amazonía venezolana, la empresa CVGBAUXILUM, C.A. opera una mina de bauxita a cielo abierto ubicada en Los Pijiguaos, Estado Bolívar, (6°31´05”N, 66°44’52”W). Durante el proceso de extracción el terreno queda desprotegido y sometido a la acción de las fuertes lluvias que caen en la zona, lo cual origina importantes procesos de erosión hídrica, que a su vez genera un volumen de sedimentos que contamina los cursos de aguas. Por otraparte, este tipo de minería requiere de obras de servicios que conlleva a la construcción de vialidades con sus taludes, cunetas, etc, que deja a la bauxita expuesta a la erosión y al arrastre de sedimentos. La ausencia de suelo en esas áreas intervenidas dificulta el establecimiento de plantas o gramíneas comúnmente usadas para cubrirlas. 1.2 Políticas ambientales En aras de la protección del medioambiente, la empresa aplica como un proceso sistematizado, la remoción de la vegetación existente en los espacios previstos para la extracción de la bauxita y acopia la capa vegetal para su posterior uso. Concluida la fase de explotación del mineral, se realiza la recuperación del área colocando el material previamente reservado mediante el uso de maquinarias que lo distribuye, a la vez que...