Legacy coal mine lands in the United States contain extensive areas of soils contaminated with potentially toxic elements (PTEs), posing persistent risks to human health, ecosystems, and local economies. This review synthesizes global evidence on sustainable approaches for reclaiming these legacy mine lands, with a particular focus on energy crops as pathways for soil remediation and biomass production. Using the Web of Science Core Collection and Google Scholar, we conducted a structured literature search for the period 1990–2023 and combined bibliometric analysis with qualitative synthesis to examine mine land reclamation processes, soil remediation strategies, energy-crop development with a particular focus on heavy metal-contaminated sites and sustainability enhancement. In total, 386 publications were screened, and findings were organized into five thematic sections covering bibliometric analysis, case studies of mine reclamation, remediation technologies, candidate energy crops for the USA, and sustainability assessment frameworks. The review highlights promising energy crops and phytoremediation strategies, summarizes conventional and green remediation options, and discusses how life cycle assessment, multi-criteria analysis, and sustainable remediation concepts can support decision-making for legacy coal mine lands. Evidence for energy-crop-based reclamation and hybrid remediation is drawn largely from laboratory, greenhouse, and pilot-scale studies, underscoring the need for long-term field trials and integrated evaluation of environmental, social, and economic performance. Overall, this narrative review and bibliometric synthesis aim to inform the development of context-appropriate, energy-crop-based reclamation strategies for legacy coal mine soils in the USA.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Mandal et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: