Package
Overview
This project
was an EPSRC funded PhD studentship that was undertaken in the School
of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences (University of Surrey) and the
Land Regeneration and Urban Greening Team (Forest Research) to study
the use of charcoal to remediate soils that are polluted with organic
and/or inorganic contaminants. The studentship evaluated the potential
of charcoal to:
(1) Reduce leaching of water-soluble contaminants and stabilisation
of hydrophobic organic contaminants
(2) Improve soil qualities that enhance the microbial degradation
of pollutants
(3) Enhance establishment and growth of vegetation that could lead
to enhanced land remediation
The use
of charcoal for soil remediation represents a promising approach that
is completely different from techniques that seek to mobilise contaminants
as it would keep contaminants immobile and treat them in situ. The
studentship evaluated the technology and its application in contained
environments that allow the study of a number of variables that are
likely to affect the efficacy of the technology. The research has
the following objectives:
1. Quantify the effect of charcoal properties on the adsorbtion of
a range of organic and inorganic contaminants
2. Quantify how effective organic contaminants that are adsorbed onto
charcoal are degraded
3. Establish how source material, particle size and charring conditions
affect the physical properties of charcoal that are associated with
effective bioremediation.
4. Quantify the interaction between charcoal and soil conditions and
how this might affect effective land remediation
Package
organisation:
