Dynamics of organic and inorganic carbon in carbonate soils

The Rock-Eval® (RE) thermal analysis was developed at IFPEN during the 1970’s as a standard benchmark tool in oil exploration, and became more and more frequently used during the last 20 years in soil science in order to characterize soil organic matter and its thermal stability. While soil organic carbon (C) is a well-established research topic in agriculture and climate concerns, inorganic C remains disregarded. However, the precipitation of secondary carbonate contributes to increase C stocks by trapping organic C into inorganic forms, promoting its sequestration in soils. Emissions of CO2 derived from inorganic C were also observed. We propose an integrated approach to characterize and quantify the organic and inorganic forms of C in different soil types using RE technology. This approach will consist of combining (1) analyses of different RE signals, to precisely characterize and quantify the organic C pools according to their cracking temperatures, with (2) complementary geochemical approaches (petrographic and isotopic) aiming at characterizing and quantifying primary and secondary carbonates in diverse carbonate soils. Co-advised by Dr. T. Chevallier (IRD) and Prof. Eric P. Verrecchia (UNIL), the PhD project will benefit from the support of teams and technical platforms available at IFPEN (Rueil-Malmaison-France), UMR Eco&Sols (Montpellier-France) and UNIL (Lausanne- Switzerland).

Keywords: Soil Science, Thermal analysis, C sequestration, Carbonate precipitation, Measuring Reporting and Verification

• Academic supervisor    Dr, CHEVALLIER Tiphaine, UMR Eco&Sols, Montpellier, tiphaine.chevallier@ird.fr, orcid.org/0000-0001-8285-3856
• Doctoral School    Ecole Doctorale 584, Gaïa, Université de Montpellier, https://www.adum.fr/as/ed/gaia/index.pl 
• IFPEN supervisor    Dr, KOWALEWSKI Isabelle, Sciences Sols et Sous-Sols,  isabelle.kowalewski@ifpen.fr, orcid.org/0000-0003-4165-2999
• PhD location    IFP Energies Nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France (2/3 of the working time); Eco&Sols, Montpellier, France; Biogéosciences, Univ. Lausanne, Suisse
• Duration and start date    3 years, starting in December 2021
• Employer    IFP Energies Nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France
• Academic requirements    University Master’s degree in Soil Science, Earth Sciences, Organic Chemistry, or Agronomy
• Language requirements    Fluency in French or English, willingness to learn French
• Other requirements    Skills in mineral and organic chemistry and laboratory activities; Interest for metrology; Adaptability; Autonomy; Teamwork