Catherine Martinez

Green Carbon Sequestration: Using plants to fix C(O2) deep under ground

More than half the soil carbon is stored in the subsoils and yet understanding of soil organic carbon dynamics in topsoils have been far better researched. The role of plant roots in carbon storage is still disputed in the literature, therefore, this project will investigate the impact of organic acid exudated from plant roots on soil mineral availability and carbon sequestration potential of subsoils. This will be investigated using micro-dialysis equipment to construct an artificial rhizosphere and partnered with Diamond Light Source for Dual Imaging And Diffraction and further analysis of the model. This project is funded by SCENARIO DTP and CASE funded by Diamond Light Source. 

Supervisors:

Professor Tom Sizmur (University of Reading) 

Sharif Ahmed (Diamond Light Source)  

Luis Carlos Colocho Hurtarte (Diamond Light Source)  

Daniel Evans (Cranfield University)