Iron minerals and bacteria can be the main agents of carbon dioxide emissions from the soil. A soil scientist from RUDN University made this conclusion after studying the process of organic plant waste decomposition of the micro-level.
Iron minerals and bacteria can be the main agents of carbon dioxide emissions from the soil. A soil scientist from RUDN University made this conclusion after studying the process of organic plant waste decomposition of the micro-level. Iron and hydrogen peroxide enter into a reaction, as a result of which active oxygen forms (oxygen radicals) are formed. The radicals destroy plant waste in the soil and promote carbon dioxide emissions.
Carbon dioxide is considered one of the main reasons for global warming, and almost half of it is released to the atmosphere from the soil. The most active ‘soil breathing’ areas usually contain decomposing plant waste. Such areas tend to have hotspots: local zones up to 1 cm3 in volume where the decomposition process is almost 100 times faster. Due to a combination of high moisture and good aeration, these hotspots offer perfect living conditions to soil microorganisms. Previously, microbial activity had been considered the reason for active CO2 emissions. However, a soil scientist from RUDN University confirmed that it was in fact oxidation-reduction transitions of soil iron that caused them.
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Biologists from RUDN University described the role of tropical rainforests in the production of methane, the second most harmful greenhouse gas after CO2. It turned out that some areas of rainforests not only consumed methane but also emitted it. (Photo Credit: RUDN University)
