Modern concerns about global warming have focused new attention on aspects of the importance of Soil Organic Matter (SOM). Since 2004 Corinna Byrne has been involved in research of structures of SOM and the processes that lead to the conservation of carbon in the soil environment. She holds an honours degree in Environmental Science from the University of Limerick. She received a Walsh Fellowship and is pursuing her PhD at the University of Limerick in conjunction with the Teagasc Environmental Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Ireland.
Her PhD work involves investigations into the nature & the associations of the organic matter (OM) in selected representative Irish agricultural soil types. In addition compositions, aspects of the structures, and properties of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the drainage water from the selected soils are being studied. This involves careful extraction and fractionation of the humic substances (HS) from the soil and advanced analysis of these fractions (NMR, FT-IR, FT-ICR-MS, GC, HPLC). In February 2006 she was awarded an EPA Fulbright Award and spent from October 2006 until June 2007 at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA, under the supervision of Dr. Patrick G. Hatcher, a leading expert in SOM research. There she worked on characterisation of her humic fractions using FT-ICR-MS, TMAH Thermochemolysis GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy. In addition she has received an International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) Training Bursary in 2008. With this she plans to carry out SOM research at the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Andre Simpson, a leading expert on SOM research and NMR spectroscopy. A more detailed description of her current PhD work can be downloaded.
She has presented twice internationally at the International Humic Substances Society Conference and nationally at the Agricultural Research Forum and the Walsh Fellowship Seminar. She is a member of the Soil Science Society of Ireland and Shannonside Macra na Feirme.
In November 2008 Corinna joined Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, and took up the part-time role as Co-ordinator/Lead researcher on the Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network, a project funded by Department of the Environment. The purpose of this project is to develop policies which will enable the Irish land mass to become a carbon sink rather than a source of greenhouse emissions.
Byrne, C.M., Hayes, M., Clapp, C.E. 2004. ‘Transformations of Plants to Humic Substances. Proc. 12th Meeting, International Humic Substances Society (Sao Pedro). P. 247-250.
Byrne, C.M., Fay, D., Ferreria J.A., Hayes, M.H.B, C 2005. ‘The nature of sequestered carbon in different Irish mineral soils’. Proceedings of the XX International Grassland Congress. P. 597.
Byrne, C.M., Novotny, E.H., Fay, D. and Hayes, M.H.B. 2006. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy studies of Humic Substances isolated from an Irish grassland soil. Proceedings of the Agricultural Research Forum 2006.
Byrne, C.M., Novotny, E.H., Bonagamba, T.J., Fay, D. and Hayes, M.H.B. 2006 The nature of sequestered carbon in an Irish grassland soil. Proc. 13th Meeting, International Humic Substances Society (Karlsruhe), P. 153-156.
Corinna Byrne is mostly involved in the following projects:
Carbolea is co-ordinating a large FP7 project that involves close collaboration between 13 partners, 7 from Latin America and 6 from Europe. The focus of this project is on the sustainable production of diesel miscible biofuels from the residues and wastes of both regions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daniel Hayes and Corinna Byrne attended the 5th Annual Enviornment Ireland Conference (2009), at Croke Park, Dublin. There were several topics of interest at this conference, particularly the presentations relating to future strategies to deal with wastes. Carbolea research projects consider waste feedstocks as a priority and we are continually looking at advanced processes for getting maximal value from this resource while minimising greenhouse gas emissions.
|
|
Daniel Hayes has taken up a new position in DIBANET, the FP7 project being co-ordinated by Carbolea that involves research collaboration between the European Union and Latin America. Daniel will be primarily involved in Work Package 2 which concerns the analysis of the lignocellulosic residues and wastes of both regions, the development of near infrared spectrscopy (NIRS) as a primary analytical tool, and the incorporation of NIRS for online analysis at a Brazilian sugarmill. Daniel leaves his current position in the Carbolea waste project funded by the EPA STRIVE program and this position will be filled by Raymond McInerney.
Corinna Byrne has taken the position of Project Manager for DIBANET. She will be responsible for the co-ordination of the project and management of budgets, staff and deliverables.
It is expected that further recruitments to DIBANET will be announced on Carbolea in the coming weeks. |
|
Corinna Byrne gave a presentation at the Feasta "Emergency Conference: Managing Risk and Building Resilience in a Resource Constrained World" (10-12 June, 2009). She examined the policies needed to get Irish land to absorb CO2 rather than release it. She reviewed the role that biochar could play in reducing nitrous oxide and methane emissions and building up the fertility and carbon content of the soil. A video of it the presentation be watched here or below.
|
|
Corinna presented at the annual Irish Bioenergy Association (Irbea) conference on the 22nd of January. She introduced the Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network and spoke about the development of a sustainable, carbon-sequestering bioenergy industry in Ireland through the on –going research at Carbolea on biorefining and biochar. The presentation can be downloaded here. |
Here are some material by Corinna Byrne that can be downloaded. For more downloads please visit the appropriate webpage.
"DIBANET - Development of Integrated Biomass Approaches Network" - A poster on the DIBANET project, which is being co-ordinated by Carbolea. The poster was prepared by Corinna Byrne for the IRCSET 2009 Symposium "Innovation Fuelling the Smart Society" (25th September 2009).
Download
|
This is a video of a presentation by Corinna Byrne at the Feasta "Emergency Conference: Managing Risk and Building Resilience in a Resource Constrained World" (10-12 June, 2009). She examined the policies needed to get Irish land to absorb CO2 rather than release it. She reviewed the role that biochar could play in reducing nitrous oxide and methane emissions and building up the fertility and carbon content of the soil. A video of it the presentation be watched here or below.
|
