Mineral processing wastes as soil amendments: circular economy inputs into sustainable agriculture
Supervisors:
Dr Katherine Dobson, Civil and Environmental Engineering (University of Strathclyde)
Dr Mark Stillings, Civil and Environmental Engineering (University of Strathclyde)
Prof Chris Creevey, School of Biological Sciences (Queen's University Belfast)
Jim English, Kays Curling Ltd.
Summary:
Amendment of soils through the addition of inorganic and organic material has been a standard agricultural practice for decades, but we need to develop innovative, and efficient use of byproducts and waste streams to reverse the damage caused by intensive farming while maintaining high production levels. This project will develop the use of waste streams from mineral processing to improve soil structure, water retention, nutrient availability, and support healthy, resilient and high yield crops. While the use of lime to manage soil pH is well established, the potential use of other minerals is under exploited. This project take a holistic approach, and will quantify the impact of using such mineral waste products on the physical structure, on chemical, nutrient and water availability, and on the soil microbial populations in order to understand the impact on crop resilience and yield.
The student will use a unique set of innovative technical skills including x-ray tomography, soil and groundwater chemistry, and analysis of the microbial populations to quantify the impacts of the amendments, and the breadth of skills will equip them for a work at the biological-geological-engineering interface, so critical in the drive to NetZero and addressing the impacts of climate change.