Download Dr. Viktória Feigl e-mail: Title of the research

Dr. Viktória Feigl
e-mail:[email protected]
Title of the research topic:
Development of soil microbiological and ecotoxicological test methods for monitoring the
effects of amendments on degraded soils
Description of the research topic:
Soil amendments can be applied for the improvement of degraded soils with nutrient or
organic matter deficiency, acidic or alkaline pH, inappropriate mechanical properties etc. For
example red mud (the by-product of the alumina industry) or biochar (made from organic
wastes by pyrolysis) can be used for the improvement of acidic and sandy soils. However,
there is a knowledge gap on the detailed effect of these amendments in soils, so further
studies on the microbiological and ecotoxicological effects are needed. Due to some special
properties of these amendments, such as small particle size for red mud or high adsorption
capacity for biochar, the adaptation and development of new soil microbiological methods
(e.g. enzyme activities, substrate induced respiration, RNA techniques) and ecotoxicological
tests (with more sensitive and/or different measurement endpoints, such as avoidance tests
with animals or with new testorganisms) are planned to be carried out during this PhD work.
These tests are applied as part of a complex methodology for the follow-up of the treatment
of degraded soils, which includes physical (e.g. surface properties, soil mechanical
properties), chemical (e.g. nutrient and micronutrient content, toxic element
determination), biological and ecotoxicological monitoring methods. The results are
evaluated in an integrated way by statistical methods and the verification of the
technologies is carried out.