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Alyssa Reinhardt Thesis Final.pdf (952.09 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

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Seasonal and Environmental Influences on Soil O2 and CO2 Concentrations in Abandoned Mine Tailings

Reinhardt, Alyssa
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1689934699185908

Abstract Details

2023, MS, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences.
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is an environmental issue commonly associated with abandoned coal mines and is caused by the weathering of sulfide minerals. Pyrite oxidation is a common contributor to AMD that consumes oxygen and releases Fe and sulfate into surrounding ground and surface water. The temporal and environmental controls on soil gas processes at abandoned mine spoils, where pyrite oxidation and soil respiration occur simultaneously, are not well understood. Studying soil O2 in pore spaces is a potential way to better understand and disentangle these two processes. I collected paired soil O2 and CO2 measurements from an abandoned coal mine site and conducted laboratory incubations to investigate how signals of soil respiration and pyrite oxidation become entangled and whether it is possible to isolate a pyrite oxidation signal. While gas data from laboratory incubations are not directly analogous to field data, there are consistent oxygen consumption signals from pyrite oxidation, but the size of these signals are relatively small. Therefore, it is difficult to detect strong pyrite oxidation signals in the field due to the overpowering influence of soil respiration. Most of the field data was consistent with typical soil respiration. However, I measured a clear pyrite oxidation signal during December 2021, which was characterized by low ARQ values that could not be accounted for by theoretical shifts in substrate consumption. The main finding from this research is that the oxidation of pyrite and sulfide minerals in the Huff Run mine spoils is detectable via gas signals only under certain environmental conditions. This work highlights that many environmental factors can influence the complex soil system of abandoned mine spoils and that soil gasses can provide an important perspective.
Timothy Gallagher (Advisor)
David Singer (Committee Member)
Allyson Tessin (Committee Member)
47 p.
Earth; Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geochemistry; Geology
soil science; soil gas; acid mine drainage; AMD; Apparent Respiratory Quotient; ARQ

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Reinhardt, A. (2023). Seasonal and Environmental Influences on Soil O2 and CO2 Concentrations in Abandoned Mine Tailings [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1689934699185908

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Reinhardt, Alyssa. Seasonal and Environmental Influences on Soil O2 and CO2 Concentrations in Abandoned Mine Tailings. 2023. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1689934699185908.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Reinhardt, Alyssa. "Seasonal and Environmental Influences on Soil O2 and CO2 Concentrations in Abandoned Mine Tailings." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1689934699185908

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1689934699185908
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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.