Assessing Fossil and Recent Carbon Pools in Reclaimed Mine Soils
Project # 42208

Primary Performing Organization
The Ohio State University Research Foundation

Global warming is thought to be intensified by carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions into the atmosphere, often associated with extraction and burning of fossil fuels.  One means to reduce such emissions is by using reclaimed mine lands, which have a great capacity to sequester carbon. Increasing the amount of carbon stored in them could be recognized as offsets or credits to CO₂ emissions that are associated with the burning of coal by public utilities and other industries.  To allow such credits, however, new methodology is required to accurately measure any increased carbon in the soil.  This project addresses the lack of adequate measurement tools, and its success will make a significant contribution to determining the viability and the potential of carbon sequestration in reclaimed mined land to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Organic carbon present in mined lands is a mixture of carbon from coal particles (old carbon) and carbon resulting from decomposition of plant residues (recent carbon).  In these soils, carbon sequestration essentially refers to an increase in the new carbon pool.  Coal particles have high carbon content, and therefore represent a large carbon background.  In this setting, the new carbon levels are difficult to determine when relatively small increases occur in recent carbon, through sequestration.  This is an analytical challenge that needs to be resolved in order to generate credible information on carbon sequestration rates in reclaimed mine lands.  See photographs.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Develop and test a procedure to determine the fraction of coal carbon present in reclaimed soils.
• Evaluate a chemo-thermal procedure, based on the lower reactivity of coal carbon compared to recent carbon.
• Partition organic carbon in reclaimed soils into coal-derived and newly-deposited carbon fractions.
• Establish an optimum sampling protocol (intervals and number of sampling points) to produce an accurate assessment of carbon sequestration in reclaimed lands.

Contact:
Project Manager:  Heino Beckert, heino.beckert@netl.doe.gov

Related Papers and Publications:

• Assessing Fossil and Recent Carbon Pools in Reclaimed Mine Soils Fact Sheet (pdf)