News

2008 news releases

OAQDA Approves Grant to Study Carbon Sequestration in Reclaimed Mine Lands
Project to focus on soil compaction, tree growth, carbon accumulation

(Columbus) The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA), at its August meeting, approved a grant of $398,406 in Ohio Coal Development Office funds to support a three-year study to demonstrate management systems for mine lands that will result in terrestrial sequestration of CO2, i.e., sequestration as soil humus and/or sequestration of carbon in trees.

The study, to be conducted by The Ohio State University, will build on similar, earlier studies that were performed on small test plots of land, moving the experiments to full-field testing. Additional funding from several other sources will result in a total project cost of $630,278.

In the first of four projects involved in the study, 500 acres of mine land in Harrison County provided by CONSOL Energy will be planted with trees in soil that is much less compacted than is typical for reclaimed mine land. The goal is to demonstrate improved tree and root growth on the plot. Two additional ten-acre plots will be planted in trees to evaluate the effectiveness of using FGD (flue gas desulfurization) gypsum, produced as a byproduct in coal-based power plants, in promoting tree growth and carbon accumulation in soils, and in improving soil structure. The ten-acre plots will be on land mined by Oxford Mining. Their locations are yet to be determined.

An additional 20 acres of land in The Wilds will be planted with conventional reclamation grass mixtures and compared with plant growth of tall grasses on other plots within The Wilds. The project plots will be chisel-plowed to 45-centimeter depth to break up heavily compacted subsoil. Soil organic carbon accumulation will also be evaluated.

“The chief goal of this important study is to demonstrate management systems for mine lands that combine land reclamation and carbon sequestration. We believe accelerated reforestation and terrestrial carbon sequestration can be a key process in helping offset CO2 emissions from coal-based power plants,” said Mark R. Shanahan, OAQDA executive director.

Shanahan said the study also will be used to develop a protocol for accruing carbon credits at the Chicago Climate Exchange.

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The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority is a non-regulatory government agency created to help Ohio businesses comply with clean air regulations. Through its Ohio Coal Development Office, OAQDA also oversees the State of Ohio’s coal research, development, and technology deployment efforts. Since its creation in 1970, the Authority has provided technical and financial help to hundreds of large and small Ohio businesses, awarding more than $4 billion to finance air quality projects. For more information about OAQDA and its services, please visit its web site, at www.ohioairquality.org.