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Environmental Biogeochemistry Research Group | Research Themes

Behaviour of boron in soil profiles treated with sewage sludge
As disposal of sewage sludge onto agricultural land is a common practice that will see increased application, this project is investigating the fate of sewage-boron in the soil profile and the concomitant impacts on agricultural land quality.

Iron and manganese oxide minerals in soils and bog deposits
Oxide mineral play an important role in the transportation of species though the soil profile. Manganese oxides accumulate metals and other cationic species, while iron oxides accumulate anionic species such as phosphate and arsenate. Several studies have investigated the mineralogy of individual profiles and the associated geochemistry of the oxides.

NICHOLSON, K. (1987). Ironstone-Gossan discrimination: Pitfalls of a simple geochemical approach - A case study from NE Scotland. J. Geochem. Explor., 27, 239-257.

NICHOLSON, K. (1988). Manganese cemented Quaternary gravels: birnessite, lithiophorite and quenselite from an example in Wigtownshire. Scott. J. Geol., 24, 194-200.

NICHOLSON, K. (1992). Contrasting mineralogical-geochemical signatures of manganese oxides: guides to metallogenesis. Econ. Geol., 87, 1253-1264.

ELEY, M. and NICHOLSON, K. (1992). The role of manganese oxides in controlling the mobility of metals in the freshwater and soil environments. Proc. Research '92, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, 34-37.

Soil mineralogy and chemistry over renewable
energy systems
In both the exploration for geothermal energy resources and in evaluating the environmental impacts of a resource, a knowledge of the soil chemistry and changes induced over a geothermal system are significant. Vapour-borne and water-borne species both interact with the mineral and organic-rich horizons to produce distinct mineralogical and geochemical anomalies over permeable and upflow zones. The behaviour of boron and ammonia over geothermal systems was given particular attention in the development of novel soil geochemical exploration methods.

These techniques have also been found to be applicable to identification of leachate and gas plumes emanating from landfill gas systems.

NICHOLSON, K. and AREDES, S. (1989). Soil ammonia as a pathfinder to geothermal resources. In: Proc. New Zealand Geochemical Group Conference, Wairakei, 11.

NICHOLSON, K., FRANKLYN, A.K. and AREDES, S. (1989). Geochemical soil surveys as an exploration technique for low-enthalpy geothermal resources. In: Browne, P.R.L. and Nicholson, K. (eds), Proc. 11th NZ Geothermal Workshop, Auckland University Press, Auckland, ISBN 0-86869-071-6, 189-193.

AREDES, S. and NICHOLSON, K. (1990). Ammonia in soils: A new technique in geothermal exploration. Geoth. Res. Council Trans., 14, 1371-1376.

CONG, S., VARGAS, E.P., BROWNE, P.R.L., HARVEY, C.C. and NICHOLSON, K. (1990). Spatial distribution of surface alteration and ground temperature at Wairakei Thermal (Geyser) Valley, New Zealand. In: Harvey C.C., Browne, P.R.L., Freestone, D.H. and Scott, G.L. (eds), Proc. 12th NZ Geothermal Workshop, Auckland University Press, Auckland, ISBN 0-86869-012-0, 267-271.

LIU WEI and NICHOLSON, K. (1990). Boron in soils over Naike and Whitford low-enthalpy geothermal fields, New Zealand. In: Harvey C.C., Browne, P.R.L., Freestone, D.H. and Scott, G.L. (eds), Proc. 12th NZ Geothermal Workshop, Auckland University Press, Auckland, ISBN 0-86869-012-0, 177-182.

NICHOLSON, K. (1994). Soil geochemistry in exploration for low-enthalpy geothermal resources: ammonia and boron surveys. Geothermics in Europe, BRGM, 230, 75-81.