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SUMMARY:Oxygen Availability Controls Abiotic Transformation of Soil Organic
  Matter
LOCATION:Chemistry A101
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20221012T160000
UID:2026-03-16-00-29-05@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260316T002905
Description:About the Seminar:\n\nThe study of soil organic matter (SOM) de
 gradation remains difficult to understand due to the heterogeneity and pol
 ydispersity of soils which lead to complex transformation pathways during 
 decomposition. Wetland ecosystems act as a vital global carbon (C) sink\, 
 making the understanding of organic matter transformation under anoxic con
 ditions necessary to understanding the global C-cycle. Many studies focus 
 on the role microorganisms play in mineralizing SOM\; however\, mineral-co
 ntrolled SOM oxidation has recently become a focus of understanding C-mine
 ralization\, a process which greatly affects our predictions of climate ch
 ange. Birnessite (δ-MnO2)\, a manganese oxide naturally abundant in soils
 \, has been proven to be an important mineral in C-cycling as it is highly
  redox active (E°=+1.23)\, significantly higher than other inorganic soil
  oxides. The study Oxygen Limitation Accelerates Regeneration of Active Si
 tes on a MnO2 Surface: Promoting Transformation of Organic Matter and Carb
 on Preservation by Wang et al. 2022 investigated how complex mixtures of S
 OM components react over time with birnessite in oxic versus anoxic system
 s and reported a higher degree of SOM transformation within the anoxic sys
 tem (79.8% SOM reduction) versus oxic conditions (69.8% SOM reduction). Th
 e authors proposed unprecedented mechanisms of the generation of reactive 
 oxygen species (ROS) from the birnessite surface which can induce addition
 al SOM transformations. However\, within the anoxic systems\, the authors 
 theorized that the ROS were generated from lattice-bound oxygen within the
  birnessite structure itself. This can decay the structure of birnessite\,
  suggesting a temporal limitation of this highly reactive system\, but onl
 y in oxygen limiting environments. These findings provide novel insights o
 f birnessite-mediated SOM mineralization rates and longevity into anoxic e
 nvironmental systems such as wetlands. 4:00 pm
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