I am carrying out doctoral research into the interactions between biochar and earthworms in UK soils and composts.

Biochar is the carbon-rich residue left behind after the pyrolysis of organic materials. It can sequestrate carbon from the atmosphere, captured by plants during photosynthesis, locking it away safely to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide and thereby reduce global warming. Added to soil, it can improve soil fertility through a number of mechanisms, including raising soil pH, absorbing water-soluble nutrients and providing a safe refuge for beneficial soil microbes. The amazing potential of biochar to simultaneously mitigate global warming and improve soil fertility has led to a flurry of research activity. My work attempts to study the ecological effects of biochar additions into UK soils, to ascertain any possible pitfalls before wide-scale applications to the land are made.

Earthworms are recognized as a vital part of the soil’s ecological community. They are sensitive to soil pollutants, which they can detect through their moist skin, and they will preferentially avoid contaminated substrates. This makes them valuable to use in ecotoxicity testing. If adding biochar to the soil causes it to become ecologically unhealthy, negative effects on earthworms will be clearly observed. My experiments will study any effects on earthworms of different concentrations of biochar from various organic feedstock.