Dr Mark Farrell: researching the interactions of biochar and organic wastes with soils

Dr Mark Farrell's primary research areas include interactions between organic wastes, biochars and soils, availability of heavy metals, and the competition in the rhizosphere for key nutrients between plants and soil microbes.

• 17 August 2010 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements
• Professional activities

Current activities

Dr Mark Farrell is a Research Scientist within the Carbon and Nutrient Cycling team, currently researching the effects of biochars and organic wastes on nutrient cycling and heavy metal availability in soils.

His research areas of special interest include:

• the use of biochars and organic wastes to improve soil quality and sequester carbon
• interactions of these 'wastes' with soils and their effects on the mobility of heavy metals
• dissolved organic nitrogen cycling in the rhizosphere, and our understanding of Nitrogen and Carbon competition between plants and microbes.

Background

Dr Farrell studied Environmental Science at Bangor University in the United Kingdom before starting his Doctorate in 2004. His work there focused on the composting of organic wastes and their uses for agriculture, horticulture, and heavy metal remediation.

He worked alongside a large European Union funded project, and assisted with several industrial-scale field trials.

During his postdoctoral work at Bangor and Lancaster Universities, he investigated dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) cycling in grassland soils, and collaborated with research into nutrient cycling in the Antarctic.

Academic qualifications

Dr Farrell was awarded a:

• Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Bangor University, UK, in 2004
• Doctor of Philosophy from Bangor University in 2009.

Achievements

Dr Farrell is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles with more in preparation.

He has spoken at several national and international conferences on topics including waste management, land remediation, soil microbial ecology and nutrient cycling.

Professional activities

Dr Farrell is a member of the British Society of Soil Science.

He has reviewed papers for several international journals, including:

• Ecosystems
• Soil Biology and Biochemistry
• Bioresource Technology
• Environmental Pollution
• Chemosphere
• Waste Management
• Journal of Environmental Quality
• Science of the Total Environment
• Biotechnology Advances.

Read CSIRO's Biochar fact sheet.