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Soil pyrogenic organic matter characterisation by spectroscopic analysis: a study on combustion and pyrolysis residues

  • Impact of Natural and Anthropogenic Pyrogenic Carbon in Soils and Sediments
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Pyrogenic organic matter (PyOM) in the soil of a maritime pine forest in Central Italy, formed during a fire of high severity, was characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Furthermore, soil samples from burnt and unburnt sampling sites and natural charcoal collected from the ground were characterised after progressive heating under air and nitrogen atmosphere. The aim was to better understand the role fire plays on PyOM formation and oxidation.

Materials and methods

The top 10 cm of mineral soil and the above-lying charcoal particles were collected soon after the fire. Sampling was also performed on an adjacent unburnt portion of the forest. The bulk soil organic matter (SOM), its extractable fraction and charcoal particles were investigated by FT-IR and 13C NMR spectroscopies. They also underwent thermogravimetric analysis under air or N2, stop** the thermal reactions at the end of the first exothermic reaction in the range 350–500 °C.

Results and discussion

The NMR investigation clearly revealed a significant enrichment in aromatic and alkyl C in the burnt soil compared to the unburnt one. Several clues led to hypothesise that SOM was not exposed to extreme heating during the fire, notwithstanding the high fire severity estimated by a vegetation-based visual scale. In the thermal treatment mimicking fire, charcoal lost much of its mass and carbon content. However, at 500 °C, it still maintained a significant recalcitrant fraction. Nitrogen concentration in the bulk soil increased after heating, particularly under air condition. This phenomenon could be due to the formation of heterocyclic nitrogen compounds in the charred material.

Conclusions

In the study area, PyOM is rich in aliphatic compounds presumably because of the understory sclerophyllous vegetation typically found in Mediterranean environments. A large fraction of the charcoal released to the soil during the fire is sensitive to oxidation by subsequent fires. On the other hand, charcoal preserves a significant fraction of C, the most recalcitrant one, with expected long residence time in soil. PyOM formed under high oxygen availability is richer in N than that formed in inert atmosphere, which might make PyOM more susceptible to biochemical degradation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Agroalimentari e dell’Ambiente (DISPAA), Università degli Studi di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 28, 50144, Florence, Italy

    Giovanni Mastrolonardo & Giacomo Certini

  2. CNR IVALSA, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

    Giovanni Mastrolonardo

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Università degli Studi di Bologna, V.le Fanin 40, 40127, Bologna, Italy

    Ornella Francioso & Michele Di Foggia

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8/2, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    Michele Di Foggia & Sergio Bonora

  5. Istituto di Chimica dei Composti OrganoMetallici, CNR, via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Claudia Forte

Authors
  1. Giovanni Mastrolonardo
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  2. Ornella Francioso
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  3. Michele Di Foggia
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  4. Sergio Bonora
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  5. Claudia Forte
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  6. Giacomo Certini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni Mastrolonardo.

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Responsible editor: José M. De la Rosa

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Mastrolonardo, G., Francioso, O., Di Foggia, M. et al. Soil pyrogenic organic matter characterisation by spectroscopic analysis: a study on combustion and pyrolysis residues. J Soils Sediments 15, 769–780 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-1034-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-1034-x

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