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Nitrogen status and transformations in coal mine spoil
Author(s) -
Shah S. S. H.,
Flowers T. H.,
Pulford I. D.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.3400020305
Subject(s) - nitrification , ammonium , nitrogen , environmental chemistry , chemistry , mineralization (soil science) , population , nitrifying bacteria , nitrogen cycle , nitrogen fixation , environmental science , demography , organic chemistry , sociology
Abstract A detailed study was undertaken to measure mineral nitrogen status, mineralization rate of carbon and nitrogen, nitrification rate and fixation of added ammonium on 90 samples of coal mine spoils collected throughout Central Scotland. The inorganic nitrogen status of the spoils was very low (mean 3.4 mg N kg −1 ). The rate of carbon dioxide evolution was high compared to the low rate of nitrogen mineralized, resulting in a mean mineralized C:N ratio of 178. Nitrification of added ammonium was measurable on only half of the samples studied. Spoil with pH < 4.8 showed no nitrification of added ammonium. However, on some sites above this pH no net nitrification was measured, which suggested the absence of nitrifying bacteria. A considerable amount of applied ammonium nitrogen was lost either as a result of ammonium fixation by clay minerals, or assimilation by the heterotrophic population due to the wide mineralizable C:N ratio.