Unlocking the Science behind the Soil Phytolith Extraction: New Insights on Terrestrial Carbon Reservoirs
Nivaethaa C.
Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (641 046), India
L. Arul Pragasan*
Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (641 046), India
Sreekanth K.H.
Dept. of Environmental Sciences, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (641 046), India
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54083/BRT/7.8.2025/234-236
Keywords: Carbon sequestration, Heavy liquid flotation method, Soil phytolith, Terrestrial ecosystem
Abstract
Climate change is accelerating carbon cycle disruptions that necessitate exploration of stable terrestrial carbon pools. Phytoliths, silica-based microstructures bring a resilient mechanism for long-term carbon stabilization. These structures encapsulate organic carbon, producing PhytOC, which remains chemically protected within the phytoliths. Unlike volatile soil organic carbon, PhytOC resists microbial decomposition and environmental leaching, contributing to persistent carbon storage in soils and sediments. Phytoliths extraction from soil involves the removal of carbonates and organics through oxidative digestion then to heavy liquid flotation using zinc bromide. Further, centrifugation enables density-based separation, allowing phytoliths to float and be decanted for morphotype characterization. Recent advancement in high-resolution imaging and stable isotopic tracing techniques have improved the characterization of phytolith spatial distribution, carbon occlusion and ecosystem level sequestration potential. Incorporating phytolith dynamics into terrestrial carbon evaluations can improve the estimation of phytolith contributions to global carbon budgets and support nature based climate mitigation strategies.
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Reference
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