Method for mining and reclaiming land
First Claim
1. A method for mining and reclaiming land comprising:
- (a) installing subterranean drain pipe to collect subterranean water;
(b) periodically measuring the salinity of the soil at the site of the installation of said subterranean drain pipe to ascertain the feasibility of simultaneous crop production with the collection and purification of said subterranean water at said site and to determine the purity of the water to be returned to said site;
(c) periodically comparing the measurement of salinity of said collected subterranean water with a measurement of said salinity of said soil at said site to determine if the primary source of said salinity in said collected subterranean water is the result of said salinity of said soil or the salinity of underground water received from a recharge area;
(d) purifying said water by removing calcium and magnesium salts from said subterranean water; and
(e) recycling said water back to the surface of the land at either said site of the installation of said subterranean drain pipe or to a recharge area or a combination thereof as a result of said determination of salinity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A combined method for mining and reclaiming land is provided for non arable saline and saline seep lands by utilizing subterranean drain pipe along with normal precipitation and irrigation waters to dissolve water soluble salts and minerals for collection in subterranean drain pipe and subsequently removing minerals and salts and thereafter purifying the water before discharging the water into rivers or returning the water back to the land for further circulation and percolation through the land to be mined and reclaimed. The combined land mining and reclamation method contemplates preventing saline seeps and returning land destroyed by saline seeps to arable conditions by mining collected subterranean water and the conversion of alkaline soils or salt flats to productive lands by the combination method of mining and reclaiming land to remove soluble salts that interfere with normal plant growth and the selection and utilization of salt resistant crops in various stages of the land mining and reclamation process of the invention.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method for mining and reclaiming land comprising:
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(a) installing subterranean drain pipe to collect subterranean water; (b) periodically measuring the salinity of the soil at the site of the installation of said subterranean drain pipe to ascertain the feasibility of simultaneous crop production with the collection and purification of said subterranean water at said site and to determine the purity of the water to be returned to said site; (c) periodically comparing the measurement of salinity of said collected subterranean water with a measurement of said salinity of said soil at said site to determine if the primary source of said salinity in said collected subterranean water is the result of said salinity of said soil or the salinity of underground water received from a recharge area; (d) purifying said water by removing calcium and magnesium salts from said subterranean water; and (e) recycling said water back to the surface of the land at either said site of the installation of said subterranean drain pipe or to a recharge area or a combination thereof as a result of said determination of salinity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A process for simultaneously mining and reclaiming land comprising:
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(a) disposing subterranean drain pipe in a swale area to collect subterranean waters flowing from a recharge area of land disposed at an elevation higher than said swale and percolating waters topically applied and flowing down from the surface of said swale; (b) periodically measuring the salinity of the soil in the swale area; (c) periodically comparing the salinity of the collected waters with measurements of salinity of the soil in said swale area to determine if the source of salinity in said collected subterranean waters is the result of said salinity of the soil or the salinity of underground water received from said recharge area; (d) mining ssid collected waters by removing dissolved minerals; and (e) recycling said collected waters back to the surface of said land at said swale or said recharge area or a combination thereof in response to said determination of said source of said salinity in said collected waters. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 30)
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24. A method of mining salt laden glacial till while reclaiming a swale for agricultural purposes comprising:
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(a) installing drain pipe in a saline seep area for collecting subterranean water flowing from an upland recharge area relative to said saline seep area and terranean water deposited at the surface and percolating down from the surface of said saline seep area; (b) collecting said subterranean and said terranean water and mining said water by removing its dissolved minerals; (c) purifying said subterranean and terranean collected water after mining; and (d) growing a crop on the surface of said saline seep area while collecting and mining said collected water. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification