Articles | Volume 8, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-451-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-8-451-2022
Original research article
 | 
08 Jul 2022
Original research article |  | 08 Jul 2022

Identification of thermal signature and quantification of charcoal in soil using differential scanning calorimetry and benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) markers

Brieuc Hardy, Nils Borchard, and Jens Leifeld

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Cited articles

Antal, M. J. and Grønli, M.: The Art, Science, and Technology of Charcoal Production, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 42, 1619–1640, https://doi.org/10.1021/ie0207919, 2003. 
Ascough, P. L., Bird, M. I., Francis, S. M., Thornton, B., Midwood, A. J., Scott, A. C., and Apperley, D.: Variability in oxidative degradation of charcoal: Influence of production conditions and environmental exposure, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 75, 2361–2378, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2011.02.002, 2011. 
Bird, M. I., Wynn, J. G., Saiz, G., Wurster, C. M., and McBeath, A.: The Pyrogenic Carbon Cycle, Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 43, 273–298, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-060614-105038, 2015. 
Borchard, N., Ladd, B., Eschemann, S., Hegenberg, D., Möseler, B. M., and Amelung, W.: Black carbon and soil properties at historical charcoal production sites in Germany, Geoderma, 232, 236–242, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.05.007, 2014. 
Brodowski, S., Rodionov, A., Haumaier, L., Glaser, B., and Amelung, W.: Revised black carbon assessment using benzene polycarboxylic acids, Org. Geochem., 36, 1299–1310, 2005. 
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Short summary
Soil amendment with artificial black carbon (BC; biomass transformed by incomplete combustion) has the potential to mitigate climate change. Nevertheless, the accurate quantification of BC in soil remains a critical issue. Here, we successfully used dynamic thermal analysis (DTA) to quantify centennial BC in soil. We demonstrate that DTA is largely under-exploited despite providing rapid and low-cost quantitative information over the range of soil organic matter.
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