Research progress on soilification techniques for graphite tailings

With the large-scale exploitation of graphite resources, the output of graphite tailings in China has been continuously increasing. Long-term accumulation of these tailings has led to serious issues, including land occupation, ecological degradation, and potential environmental risks, making their resource utilization increasingly urgent. Influenced by the geological conditions of mineralization and beneficiation processes, graphite tailings are generally characterized by fine particle size, loose structure, low organic matter and nutrient content, pH imbalance, and potential heavy metal contamination. These characteristics limit their direct application in ecological restoration and engineering substrates. Based on the distribution and mineral composition of graphite tailings, this study systematically analyzes their chemical composition and physicochemical properties. Furthermore, differences in mineral composition and chemical characteristics among tailings from different regions are compared to evaluate their suitability for soilification improvement and the effectiveness of improvement measures. The development of physical, chemical, biological, and combined improvement technologies is reviewed. Finally, the future research directions for graphite tailings soilification improvement technology are presented.