Monica Fongen

Senioringeniør

(+47) 974 81 706
monica.fongen@nibio.no

Sted
Ås - Bygg H8

Besøksadresse
Høgskoleveien 8, 1433 Ås

Sammendrag

In the Nordic countries, ice encasement of golf greens and agricultural grass fields under sunlight heat often leads to grass death due to oxygen depletion and accumulation of carbon dioxide and metabolites from anaerobic respiration under the ice layer. The phenomenon is termed ‘isbrann’ in Norwegian and it is a severe type of winter damage that may also affect germination and growth after reseeding. We have employed soil water metabolome analyses to differentiate and identify small, water-soluble metabolites produced in ice-encased grass for a better understanding of how ice and anoxic soils might affect grass plants.

Sammendrag

After fungal decay experiments chemical characterisation of the wood is often a routine and several methodological approaches are available. In this study, we tested if simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) is a valid alternative to traditional wet chemical methods since STA allows significantly smaller sample size and faster analysis. Three model fungi including the brown rot fungi Rhodonia placenta and Gloeophyllum trabeum and the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor were employed in the study using Norway spruce as substrate. The experiment was harvested after 10, 20 and 52 weeks. At each harvest interval, aliquots of the material were characterized by STA and wet chemical methods. The results validated that STA can be effectively used to estimate cell wall composition of brown rot depolymerised wood. However, STA slightly overestimated cellulose at brown rot decay above 50%. The method was not verified for simultaneous white rot because STA only estimated hemicellulose correctly compared to the wet chemical method. Hence, STA is considered suitable for brown rot fungi below 50% mass loss but not for simultaneous white rot because STA did not estimate cellulose and lignin correctly.

Sammendrag

Tree defense against xylem pathogens involves both constitutive and induced phenylpropanoids and terpenoids. The induced defenses include compartmentalization of compromised wood with a reaction zone (RZ) characterized by polyphenol deposition, whereas the role of terpenoids has remained poorly understood. To further elucidate the tree–pathogen interaction, we profiled spatial patterns in lignan (low-molecular-weight polyphenols) and terpenoid content in Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees showing heartwood colonization by the pathogenic white-rot fungus Heterobasidion parviporum. There was pronounced variation in the amount and composition of lignans between different xylem tissue zones of diseased and healthy trees. Intact RZ at basal stem regions, where colonization is the oldest, showed the highest level and diversity of these compounds. The antioxidant properties of lignans obviously hinder oxidative degradation of wood: RZ with lignans removed by extraction showed significantly higher mass loss than unextracted RZ when subjected to Fenton degradation. The reduced diversity and amount of lignans in pathogen-compromised RZ and decaying heartwood in comparison to intact RZ and healthy heartwood suggest that α-conindendrin isomer is an intermediate metabolite in lignan decomposition by H. parviporum. Diterpenes and diterpene alcohols constituted above 90% of the terpenes detected in sapwood of healthy and diseased trees. A significant finding was that traumatic resin canals, predominated by monoterpenes, were commonly associated with RZ. The findings clarify the roles and fate of lignan during wood decay and raise questions about the potential roles of terpenoids in signal transduction, synthesis, and translocation of defense compounds upon wood compartmentalization against decay fungi.

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Sammendrag

Composting and anaerobic digestion are the most common ways to treat organic residues. Sometimes the organic rest after anaerobic digestion is also composted. In this study we investigated greenhouse gas emissions from composting raw food waste compared to composting solid digestate of food waste. Cumulative methane emissions over 3 weeks were found to be almost 12 times higher from composting digested food waste than from raw food waste suggesting that the microbial community transferred from the anaerobic digestion to the compost process enhanced these emissions. Cumulative nitrous oxide emissions were also higher when composting solid digestate was compared to composting raw food waste, but the global warming potential was mostly driven by the impact of methane emissions. In conclusion, methane production during digestate composting can be high, therefore eliminating methane producing microbes in digestate before composting could be a promising way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Sammendrag

Sør-Varanger kommune i Øst-Finnmark har vært utsatt for luftforurensning fra russisk smelteverksindustri siden 1930-tallet, særlig fra smelteverket i byen Nikel som ligger bare ca. 10 km øst for den norske-russiske grensen ved Svanvik i Pasvikdalen. I tillegg til svoveldioksid inneholder utslippene store mengder tungmetaller, særlig kobber og nikkel. Formålet med denne undersøkelsen var å kartlegge tungmetallinnholdet i multer og blåbær og sammenligne nivået med tidligere studier. Resultatene fra innsamling i 2020 viser et tydelig geografisk mønster i innholdet av nikkel i blåbær og multer med til dels betydelig høyere konsentrasjoner i de delene av grenseområdet som er mest utsatt for forurensing. For kobber var variasjonsmønsteret mindre tydelig. På nær alle flater der vi har gjentak over tid finner vi også høyere konsentrasjoner av kobber og nikkel i 2020 enn i 1992, og 2008. Tidlig i 2020 kunngjorde russiske myndigheter at smelteverket i Nikel ville bli stengt i løpet av året. Bærinnsamlingen i 2020 er den mest fullstendige som er foretatt på norsk side i grenseområdet og er derfor et godt utgangspunkt for å overvåke tungmetallnivåene etter at smelteverket i Nikel er lagt ned.

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Sammendrag

Purpose Biogas residues, digestates, contain valuable nutrients and are therefore suitable as agricultural fertilizers. However, the application of fertilizers, including digestates, can enhance greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study different processes and post-treatments of digestates were analyzed with respect to triggered GHG emissions in soil. Methods In an incubation experiment, GHG emissions from two contrasting soils (chernozem and sandy soil) were compared after the application of digestate products sampled from the process chain of a food waste biogas plant: raw substrate, digestate (with and without bentonite addition), digestates after separation of liquid and solid phase and composted solid digestate. In addition, the solid digestate was sampled at another plant. Results The plant, where the solid digestate originated from, and the soil type influenced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions significantly over the 38-day experiment. Composting lowered N2O emissions after soil application, whereas bentonite addition did not have a significant effect. High peaks of N2O emissions were observed during the first days after application of acidified, liquid fraction of digestate. N2O emissions were strongly correlated to initial ammonium (NH4+) content. Conclusion Fertilization with dewatered digestate (both fractions) increased N2O emission, especially when applied to soils high in nutrients and organic matter.

Sammendrag

Sør-Varanger kommune i Øst-Finnmark har vært utsatt for luftforurensning fra russisk smelteverksindustri siden 1930-tallet, særlig fra smelteverket i byen Nikel som ligger bare ca. 10 km øst for den norske-russiske grensen ved Svanvik i Pasvikdalen. I tillegg til svoveldioksid inneholder utslippene store mengder tungmetaller, særlig kobber og nikkel. Formålet med denne undersøkelsen var å kartlegge tungmetallinnholdet i multer og blåbær og sammenligne nivået med tidligere studier. Resultatene fra innsamling i 2020 viser et tydelig geografisk mønster i innholdet av nikkel i blåbær og multer med til dels betydelig høyere konsentrasjoner i de delene av grenseområdet som er mest utsatt for forurensing. For kobber var variasjonsmønsteret mindre tydelig. På nær alle flater der vi har gjentak over tid finner vi også høyere konsentrasjoner av kobber og nikkel i 2020 enn i 1992, og 2008. Tidlig i 2020 kunngjorde russiske myndigheter at smelteverket i Nikel ville bli stengt i løpet av året. Bærinnsamlingen i 2020 er den mest fullstendige som er foretatt på norsk side i grenseområdet og er derfor et godt utgangspunkt for å overvåke tungmetallnivåene etter at smelteverket i Nikel er lagt ned.

Sammendrag

Organic industrial and household waste is increasingly used in biogas plants to produce bioenergy, generating at the same time extensive amounts of organic residues, called biogas digestates. While agricultural soils can benefit from the organic matter and nutrients, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus, contained in biogas digestates, we need to assess the environmental and health risks associated to the undesirable substances that may come along. Among those, only a few are covered by actual regulations. For instance, the quantity of plastic materials below 4 mm in biogas digestate is currently not limited to any threshold, despite its likely occurrence in organic waste (waste bag remains and wrong waste sorting) and persistence in the environment. The aim of our study was identify and quantify plastic materials in digestates from Norwegian biogas plants, that are using various types of organic waste sources (e.g. sewage sludge, food waste, animal manure). In addition, a lab-scale experiment was set up to assess the physical and chemical transformations undergone during biogas processes by plastic materials commonly found in digestates. The methods used in our study included simultaneous thermal analysis coupled to Fourier transform-Infrared spectroscopy (for analysis of polymer composition), scanning electron microscopy (for assessment of physical transformations), and a range of physical and chemical extractions for recovering plastic materials from biogas digestates. While all digestates complied with current regulations, plastic particles with a size of 0.2-3 mm made up to 1% (on dry mass basis) of the samples analyzed. Analysis of the polymeric composition of the recovered plastic fragments confirmed that they originated both from the waste bags themselves (shredded during the first steps of waste handling) and from wrong waste sorting. In addition, the lab-scale biogas treatment was shown to considerably change the structure of the studied plastic materials, illustrating a pathway for the formation of secondary microplastics. Some analytical challenges linked to the size and aging of the plastic materials, as well as the complex composition of the digestates, will be discussed. From a broader perspective, a few options will be presented to address the presence of plastic materials in biogas digestates, and thereby minimize the risk associated to their use as soil amendment.

Sammendrag

Vi har tatt i bruk nye metoder innen plantemetabolomikk for å påvise og identifisere forsvarsstoff i gran og presenterer her noen resultater fra dette arbeidet. Hvert fjerde tre i skogen er angrepet av råtesopp. Rotråtesopp angriper treet gjennom rota og spiser opp kjerneveden på sin vei oppover i stammen. Den delen av trestokken som er angrepet av rotråte kan ikke lenger brukes til byggematerialer og skognæringen lider store tap. Kan de soppangrepne trestammene brukes til andre formål? Vi vet grana produserer en mengde forsvarsstoffer som en reaksjon på soppangrepet. Kan forsvarsstoffene utnyttes til å lage nye plantevernmidler, trebeskyttelsesmidler eller legemidler?

Sammendrag

Antallet kunstgressbaner har økt kraftig i Norge de siste 15 årene, og det finnes per i dag 1750 kunstgressbaner i Norge. De oppmalte bildekkene og andre typer granulat fra nyprodusert industrigummi som brukes på kunstgressbaner er nå ansett som en av de største landbaserte kildene til mikroplast. Det viser seg at selv en godt driftet bane sprer granulatet i det ytre miljøet, spesielt baner med vinterdrift. I Vannområde Indre Oslofjord Vest tilsvarer dette mer enn 100 tonn granulat per år, som slippes ut i naturen. Vannområdet ba NIBIO om å ta jordprøver rundt tre av disse fotballbanene med vinterdrift for å bekrefte utlekking fra banene. Jordprøver viste at store mengder – opp til flere kg per kvadratmeter – finnes i nærheten av kunstgressbanene, og analysen av granulatet med simultan termisk analyse og Fourier-transformert infrarød spektroskopi ga oss innsyn i den kjemiske sammensetning av disse granulatpartiklene. Dette blir presentert i foredraget, samt tiltak som kan iverksettes for å redusere tap av granulat rundt kunstgressbaner.

Sammendrag

Pathogen challenge of tree sapwood induces the formation of reaction zones with antimicrobial properties such as elevated pH and cation content. Many fungi lower substrate pH by secreting oxalic acid, its conjugate base oxalate being a reductant as well as a chelating agent for cations. To examine the role of oxalic acid in pathogenicity of white-rot fungi, we conducted spatial quantification of oxalate, transcript levels of related fungal genes, and element concentrations in heartwood of Norway spruce challenged naturally by Heterobasidion parviporum. In the pathogen-compromised reaction zone, upregulation of an oxaloacetase gene generating oxalic acid coincided with oxalate and cation accumulation and presence of calcium oxalate crystals. The colonized inner heartwood showed trace amounts of oxalate. Moreover, fungal exposure to the reaction zone under laboratory conditions induced oxaloacetase and oxalate accumulation, whereas heartwood induced a decarboxylase gene involved in degradation of oxalate. The excess level of cations in defense xylem inactivates pathogen-secreted oxalate through precipitation and, presumably, only after cation neutralization can oxalic acid participate in lignocellulose degradation. This necessitates enhanced production of oxalic acid by H. parviporum. This study is the first to determine the true influence of white-rot fungi on oxalate crystal formation in tree xylem.

Sammendrag

A method for quantitative determination of extractives from heartwood of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) using gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection (FID) was developed. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.03mg/g wood and the linear range (r=0.9994) was up to 10mg/g with accuracy within ±10% and precision of 18% relative standard deviation. The identification of the extractives was performed using gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The yields of extraction by Soxhlet were tested for solid wood, small particles and fine powder. Small particles were chosen for further analysis. This treatment gave good yields of the most important extractives: pinosylvin, pinosylvin monomethyl ether, resin acids and free fatty acids. The method is used to demonstrate the variation of these extractives across stems and differences in north–south direction.

Sammendrag

In recent years chitosans have been investigated as a natural chemical for wood preservation against fungal decay, and chitosan in aqueous solutions has been used in impregnation studies. To evaluate the retention of chitosan after an impregnation process and to evaluate the fixation of chitosan in wood a method for determination of chitosan in wood and water samples has been developed based on acidic hydrolysis of chitosan to glucosamine followed by online derivatization by o-phthalaldehyde, chromatographic separation and fluorescent detection. For wood samples the method was linear up to 45mgg−1 chitosan in wood and had a recovery of 86%. The yield of chitosan in water was 87% at 1%(w/v) concentration.

Sammendrag

A method for determination of the climate gases CH4, CO2 and N2O in air samples and soil atmosphere was developed using GC-MS. The method uses straightforward gas chromatography (separation of the gases) with a mass spectrometric detector in single ion mode (specific determination).The gases were determined with high sensitivity and high sample throughput (18 samples h1). The LOD (3) for the gases were 0.10 L L1 for CH4, 20 L L1 for CO2 and 0.02 L L1 for N2O. The linear range (R2 = 0.999) was up to 500 L L1 for CH4, 4000 L L1 for CO2 and 80 L L1 for N2O. The samples were collected in 10 mL vials and a 5 L aliquot was injected on column.The method was tested against certified gas references, the analytical data gave an accuracy within 5% and a precision of 3%. The presence of 10% by volume of C2H2 (often used experimentally to prevent N2 formation from N2O) did not interfere with detection for the targeted trace gases.

Sammendrag

A home designed diffusion chamber was used during the isolation of fluoride from plant material. The chamber contained two beakers, one for the sample (milled plant material) and the other for the trapping solution (0.1M NaOH). Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) in 3.5M perchloric acid was added into the sample beaker through a septum, after the chamber was closed.Fluoride in the sample reacts with HMDS and forms the volatile trimethylfluorosilane (TMFS), which is trapped and hydrolyzed to fluoride. The diffusion time was 2h and 20 samples were handled at the same time. The fluoride concentration was determined by a flow injection analysis (FIA) system using an ion selective electrode (about 50 samples/hour).The results by acid extraction were compared to the results obtained after an ashing/alkaline fusion. Both a certified sample of timothy grass (NIST 2695, high level) and more typical vegetation from forest were analyzed. For the timothy grass, the recovery increased from 48 to 84% when ashing/alkali fusion was used before the diffusion. However, higher recovery was not obtained by using ashing/alkaline fusion for the determination of fluoride in natural vegetation from forest. Acid extraction in combination with addition of HMDS was sufficient as pretreatment in these types of plant materials.The method was routinely used for the determination of fluoride both in research and forest monitoring.

Sammendrag

This article describes in brief the chemical analytical program at The Norwegian Forest Research Institute in 2000. Due to a continuous effort to develop and to improve analytical methods to meet the demands of forest research in Norway, the four earlier summaries of our methods (Ogner et al. 1975, 1977, 1984, 1991) are now outdated. This article replaces the previous ones and describes only those procedures currently being used for the analysis of water, plant and soil samples