Editing Leblanc process (section)

== Biodiversity ==

There is a strong case for arguing that Leblanc process waste is the most endangered habitat in the UK, since the waste weathers down to [[calcium carbonate]] and produces a haven for plants that thrive in lime-rich soils, known as [[calcicole]]s. Only four such sites have survived the new millennium; three are protected as local nature reserves of which the largest, at [[Nob End]] near [[Bolton]], is an [[SSSI]] and [[Local Nature Reserve]] - largely for its sparse orchid-calcicole flora, most unusual in an area with acid soils.  This alkaline island contains within it an acid island, where acid boiler slag was deposited, which now shows up as a zone dominated by heather, ''[[Calluna vulgaris]]''.<ref name="shawhalton">Shaw, PJA & Halton W. (1998). Classic sites: Nob End, Bolton. ''British Wildlife'' 10, 13-17.</ref>