Chromium (Cr) is introduced into the environment by several anthropogenic activities. A striking ex-ample is the area around Kanpur in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where large amounts of Cr-containing wastes have been recently illegally deposited. Hexavalent Cr, a highly toxic and mobile contaminant, is present in significant amounts in these wastes, severely affecting the quality of sur-roundings soils, sediments, and ground waters. The first major goal of this study is to clarify the solid phase speciation of Cr in these wastes and to examine its leaching behavior. X-ray diffraction and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques will be employed for quantitative solid phase speciation of Cr. Its leaching behavior will be studied in column experiments performed at un-saturated moisture conditions with flow interruptions simulating monsoon rain events. Combined with geochemical modeling, the results will allow the evaluation of the leaching potential and release kinetics of Cr from the waste materials. The second major goal is to investigate the spatial distribution, speciation, and solubility of Cr in the rooting zone of chromate-contaminated soils surrounding the landfills, and to study the suitability of biochar as novel soil amendment for mitigating the deleterious effects of chromate pollution. Detailed field samplings and laboratory soil incubation studies will be carried out with two agricultural soils and biochar from the Kanpur region.
Recently, the application of biochar to soils has been discussed as a win-win-win strategy to improve soil fertility, sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and to enable CO2-negative energy production from renewable feedstock. First results suggest that biochar application affects the N transformations in the soil - The interactions between biochar and soil N transformations are still poorly understood. The aim of this project is to quantify the simultaneously occurring gross N transformations and sources of N2O fluxes in soils after biochar application. The methodology developed by C. Müller and established at the Department of Plant Ecology (15N labeling-tracing-modeling) (2-5) will be used to investigate the effect of biochar on soil N dynamics. Three 15N-tracing studies will be conducted to evaluate the short-term, intermediate and longer-term effects of biochar on N dynamics: (1) a study using 15N-labelled biochars (adapt technique for biochar); (2) a study examining intermediateterm effects in a biochar-hydrochar field study that started in April 2011 at the Dept. of Plant Ecology, and (3) a study in an European field experiment where fully randomized biochar plots were installed in 2009. The study is designed in such a way that Bachelor- and Master studies will address certain aspects in support of the main study. A process-based understanding of the soil N dynamics is key to evaluate if biochar may be a suitable global-change mitigation tool.