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Michele Mahoney Office of Superfund Remediation & Technology Innovation 

The Truth about Ecological Revitalization - Case Studies and Tools to Improve your Cleanups. Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Study. Michele Mahoney Office of Superfund Remediation & Technology Innovation . Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration. Introduction. Purpose of Study Three sites

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Michele Mahoney Office of Superfund Remediation & Technology Innovation 

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  1. The Truth about Ecological Revitalization - Case Studies and Tools to Improve your Cleanups Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Study Michele Mahoney Office of Superfund Remediation & Technology Innovation 

  2. Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration Introduction • Purpose of Study • Three sites • Stafford Airport Site, Virginia • Sharon Steel Site, Pennsylvania • Leadville Site, Colorado

  3. Timeline EPA, TIFSD produces a draft field protocol for sampling Common practice to apply biosolids to lands began and continues until today Sharon Steel field demonstration plots to evaluate soil amendments EPA published cross-program Ecological Revitalization paper EPA produces a white paper on soil amendments Leadville, CO, starts restoration with soil amendments EPA, TIFSD conducts sampling at 3 field sites to evaluate Carbon seq potential EPA finalizes field sampling protocol EPA launches Ecotools website Stafford, VA restores land with soil amendments Evaluate additional partners and field sites EPA, TIFSD analyzes soil carbon data from field sites EPA TIFSD hosts a workshop on soil amendments Create a database of info, range of C seq rates for various sites

  4. What is terrestrial carbon sequestration? CO2 microbial respiration Uses CO2 to store carbon in biomass Transformation of carbon in organic materials, such as soil amendments, into humus, a stable organic material that builds healthy soils. Translocation O HORIZON Soil organic matter and stable organo-mineral complexes form, which bind and store carbon. A HORIZON B HORIZON Downward movement of humus and stable aggregates making them more stable. C HORIZON Bedrock - Soil-forming parent material. R HORIZON

  5. Field Guide for Sampling & Analysis • Consistent sampling approach • Drafted and tested at three sites • Living document • http://www.cluin.org/ecotools

  6. Data Collection Approach • Document Site-Specific Information • Plan for Data Collection • Collect and Analyze Data • Manage and Interpret Data

  7. Document Site Specifics • Required for carbon sequestration calculations • Used for calculating other aspects of carbon sequestration potential and results • Provides useful background information and data to compare results across sites over time • Suggested format in Appendix 1

  8. Plan for Data Collection • Input from all stakeholders • Identify data needs for accurate carbon accounting • Identify statistical data reduction methods • Identify carbon accounting tools • QAPP documentation

  9. Analytical Measurements for Soil Amendments, Cores, Gases and Plants

  10. Sampling Events

  11. Manage & Interpret Data %C x BD x AD x 10,000 m2 = Mg C per ha 100 ha Where: % C = Mean percent carbon content of amended soil BD = Mean bulk density (in Mg/m3) AD = Amended soil depth interval of interest (in m) m = meters Mg = megagrams (metric tons) ha = hectare Conversion to CO2 equivalents in Mg (metric tons) per hectare: Mg C x 44 g/mole CO2 = Mg CO2 ha 12 g/mole C ha

  12. Field Guide Appendices • Suggested Format for Site Information • Example Sampling Approach • Standard Operating Procedure for Carbon/Nitrogen Elemental Analysis • Methods for Inorganic/Organic Carbon Fractionation • Method for Bulk Density Measurement • Standard Operating Procedures for Above and Below Grade Biomass Characterization • Protocol for Gas Flux Measurement

  13. Site Description Stafford • Located 35 miles from Washington D.C. • Site history: • 1997 – Contraction began for an airport • 2001 – Airport completed • 550-acre facility with paved aircraft parking and a runway • Sandy loam soil • Rolling hills geography Photograph of Stafford Regional Airport provided by Lee Daniels, Virginia Tech

  14. Site Description Sharon Steel • Located Mercer County, Pennsylvania • Site history: • 1900 – Steel product manufacturing facility • 1992 – Sharon Steel declared bankruptcy • Waste byproducts were disposed of on site • 1998 – Sharon Steel was listed on the NPL • Topography consists of hilly uplands and broad deep valleys • Silty loam soil • Contamination in soil consists of metals, PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides Photograph courtesy of Libby Dayton, Ohio State University

  15. Site Description Leadville • Located 100 miles southwest of Denver, CO • Site History: • 120 years – Mined and milled for silver, gold, lead and zinc • 1983 – Leadville site listed on the NPL • Sandy loam soil • Elevation at site is 8,200 – 10,000 feet • Sulfide mine tailings washed down the Arkansas River impacting an 11-mile stretch of the river causing acidic conditions and metal contamination. Leadville Site (Before and After)

  16. Results

  17. What do the results mean? Stafford • Amended 275 acres with a gain of 15 metric tons of CO2 per acre. • Equivalent to the amount of CO2 emissions associated with 281 gallons of gasoline consumed per year. • Was carbon sequestered at this site - YES!

  18. What do the results mean? • 57 – 99 metric tons of CO2 per acre as compared to the control of 32 metric tons of CO2 per acre. • Potential of 9,200 metric tons of CO2 at the site. • Was carbon sequestered in the soil at this site – YES! Sharon Steel

  19. What do the results mean? Leadville • 80 acres amended • 146-218 metric tons of CO2 per acre • 87 metric tons of CO2 per acre more than the control over 10 years; or 9.1 metric tons of CO2/ acre year • Equivalent to the amount of carbon sequestered annually by 134 acres of pine or fir forests, or the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling 212 tons of waste per year instead of sending it to a landfill. • Was carbon sequestered in the soil at this site – YES!

  20. Carbon Accounting at Soil Amendment Sites

  21. Conclusions Recycling of industrial by-products SOIL AMENDMENTS Reduces exposure of contaminant Restores soil quality • Benefits of Soil amendments • Remediation & revitalization • More cost-effective cleanups • Recycling by-products • Jump-starts ecosystem • Terrestrial carbon sequestration

  22. Next Steps • Build database of carbon sequestration rates • More field studies • Scope carbon accounting with OAR • Collaboration with other researchers • Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration on EcoTools web site www.cluin.org/ecotools/seq.cfm

  23. Michele Mahoney US EPA OSWER Technology Innovation & Field Services Division Phone: (703) 603-9057 Email: Mahoney.Michele@epamail.epa.gov

  24. Results - Stafford

  25. Results – Sharon Steel C-lock modeling predicted 1.3 metric tons of CO2 e/ acre per year

  26. Results - Leadville

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