Main subject area: Soil science, soil chemistry
Liming is a common field activity to increase soil pH and secure crop yields. For greenhouse gas accounting, IPCC Tier 1 guidelines assume an emission factor of 0.12 Mg CO2-C per Mg CaCO3, i.e., complete emission of lime-C as CO2. This simplification ignores C sink processes, such as CaCO3 dissolution via gaseous CO2. This can also represent a barrier for implementing liming as a management strategy to reduce N2O emissions. This project aims to quantify inorganic C sequestration potential of added lime to different types of agricultural soils under controlled lab conditions, to provide evidence for adjusting emission factors of lime.
Autumn 2025
AU Viborg
45 ECTS: Experimental theses in which the student is responsible for collection and analysis of his/her own original data
60 ECTS: Experimental theses in which the student is responsible for planning, trial design and collection and analysis of his/her own original data
The master project is linked to ongoing projects “KlimaKalk”, and will be conducted under supervision of Senior Scientist, Lars Elsgaard, with co-supervision from assistant professor Zhi Liang.
Zhang HM, Liang Z, Li Y (…) and Abalos D (2022) Liming modifies greenhouse gas fluxes from soils: A meta-analysis of biological drivers. Agric Ecosyst Environ 340, 108182.
Cho SR, Jeong ST, Kim GY (…) and Kim GW (2019). Evaluation of the CO2 emission factor from lime applied in temperate upland soil. Geoderma 337, 742-748.
