Beesley, L (2010) Carbon in urban, brownfield and heavy metal contaminated soils. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

This thesis is comprised of a collection of work on urban, brownfield and heavy metal contaminated soils carried out within the North West of England from March 2007 to December 2009. Field and laboratory based experiments were used to determine the amount of carbon stored in urban soils and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon and soil respiration. The effects of added organic amendments on carbon storage and mobility as well as the onward implications to heavy metals and arsenic mobility and the impact of earthworms on these processes were also investigated. A city-wide topsoil survey of parkland and road verges in Liverpool showed that carbon storage ranged from < 3 to> 10 kg total organic carbon m-2 whilst physico-chemical characteristics and heavy metal and arsenic concentrations also varied considerably. The abundance oftechnogenic material restricted organic carbon storage and flux to the upper 30 cm of an inner city lawn soil studied in greater detail. Brownfield soil carbon storage and fluxes were enhanced by adding a small amount of green waste compost to these soils but large applications did not greatly increase carbon storage further. Enhanced losses of carbon by dissolved organic carbon leaching and increased soil respiration rates were consequences of greenwaste compost additions, although these effects were highly seasonal, occurring in greatest magnitude at the warmest periods of the year. Proportionately, the annual losses of carbon to soil respiration were far greater than those to dissolved organic carbon. An amendment consisting predominantly of woody material and a biochar amendment had a lower impact than composted greenwaste on dissolved organic carbon mobility, and the co-mobilisation of heavy metals and arsenic in a soil from a previously heavily industrialised centre of population. Earthworms reduced dissolved organic carbon when inoculated with compost and biochar amended soil, but increased this soluble fraction of carbon in woody amended soils, with attendant consequence to trace metal and arsenic mobility. Zinc and cadmium mobility were largely independent of changes in soluble carbon, but arsenic, copper and lead were heavily influenced by added carbon. Biochar amendment proved very effective in reducing concentrations of soluble cadmium and zinc in a heavy metal contaminated soil by adsorption, as well as having the added benefit of reducing total and bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations. It is concluded that carbon storage in urban soils can potentially be increased by applying organic amendments, although longer-term carbon storage may only be substantially enhanced with repeated applications of amendments. However, in urban soils with significant residual pollution, it can be questioned whether this practice is environmentally sound, regarding mobilisation of potentially harmful trace elements. Biochar and larger woody fraction amendments to soils may be more efficacious.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor Q Science > QD Chemistry
Divisions:	Natural Sciences & Psychology (closed 31 Aug 19)
Date Deposited:	15 Mar 2017 11:37
Last Modified:	03 Sep 2021 23:30
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00005957
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/5957

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