Degradation, chemical alteration and stabilisation of pyrogenic plant residues in soil

Abstract

Incomplete combustion of vegetation results in pyrogenic organic material (PyOM) which occurs ubiquitously in soils and sediments. Because of the potential refractory nature of such thermally altered products, they are expected to represent an important carbon (C) sink. However the recalcitrance of this material in soils is still heavily debated most probably due to the fact that up to now, no commonly accepted method is available for its identification and quantification and the processes involved in their degradation and humification are still not very well understood.