Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C514731/1
Intercalation of long-chain alkyl carbon compounds by soil smectites.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr W Dubbin, The Natural History Museum, Mineralogy
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor ME Hodson, University of York, Environment
- Grant held at:
- The Natural History Museum, Mineralogy
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Biogeochemical Cycles
- Soil science
- Climate & Climate Change
- Abstract:
- By some estimates, soil contains nearly three times as much organic carbon as there is in all terrestrial plants and animals. Despite the enormous size of the organic carbon reservoir in soil, there is potential for the soil to hold much more organic carbon. This is important because scientists are searching for ways to reduce or limit the amount of greenhouse gas (e.g. CO2, CH4) in the atmosphere. Soils may be an important, long-term sink for this carbon. Organic carbon in soil occurs within many different types of molecules. Some molecules, such as sugars, are degraded quickly to release their carbon as CO2 while other molecules, such as humus, are highly resistant to decomposition. Organic molecules may be further protected from degradation if they are bound to mineral surfaces. This research project aims to discover how one particularly hydrophobic (water-insoluble) group of organic molecules in soil, known as long-chain alkyl carbon compounds, become bound to mineral surfaces. This group of molecules is of interest because they are resistant to decomposition, and therefore may serve as a long-term store of carbon in soil. However, because these long-chain alkyl carbon molecules are so insoluble in water, it is unclear how they become dissolved in the soil solution, and then subsequently become attached to mineral surfaces. It is important to elucidate these adsorption mechanisms because scientists are developing models that predict organic carbon behaviour in soil, and the reliability of these models depends on an accurate and detailed description of mineral-organic carbon interactions. This research will test the hypothesis that another group of organic compounds, known as fulvic acid molecules, facilitates the attachment of the alkyl carbon to the soil minerals.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C514731/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Small Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Small Grants
This grant award has a total value of £29,574
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £826 | £18,503 | £1,735 | £8,511 |
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