The tender energy is usually referred to a photon energy range of 1.7-5 keV, which is not accessible by grating based soft X-ray beamlines, nor usually covered by the crystal based hard X-ray beamlines. This energy range covers the K-, and L-edges of many environmentally important main group elements, such as Si, P, S and Cl, together with the 3d and 4d transition metals. SXRMB beamline at the Canadian Light Source is optimized for the tender X-ray range (1.7-10 keV), equipped with both the micro- and macroscopic XAS capabilities. In the recent years, the bulk and micro-XANES and EXAFS and XRF mapping at the SXRMB have been extensively applied in environmental and related fields. In this presentation, a technical summary of the SXRMB and other tender X-ray beamlines will be given. In order to highlight the importance of the tender X-ray in the biogeochemical study of trace elements, a survey of wide range applications, focusing on the nutrient cycling (binding of P, Si and Al with metal oxides); phosphorus (biochar, biocrest, soil, agricultural and environmental applications); sulfur (coal, mine tailing and biological tissues) and calcium, combined with the speciation of transition metals in these systems.