Specialist Subjects: Chemical Process Principles, Particulate Systems, Material & Energy Transport
I am semi-retired and on a teaching only contract, but remain available for informal discussions with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
My present research interests concern the chemical, physical and biological properties of soil with particular focus on soil hydrophobicity (or water repellency) and the factors which influence its measurement, expression, abatement, destruction and recurrence. This phenomenon influences the delayed onset of water infiltration into affected soils reducing storage capacity and promoting surface run-off and/or evaporation. Recently atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to examine the distribution of surface mechanical properties on soil mineral particle surfaces and this has been used to infer the distribution and strength of adhesion of adsorbed organic material on particle specimens drawn from both hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils. It is hoped to extend the range of investigations to examine the extent to which micro-organisms (and their by-products) within soils influence hydrophobicity.
The heating of surface soils as a result of wild fire, or the use of fire as a land management tool, has a variety of interesting effects on soil chemistry leading to a redistribution of hydrophobicity (and changes in its persistence) within the soil column and a potential wide variety of outcomes dependent on subsequent weather conditions.
2nd International Conference on Biohydrology, Bratislava, Slovakia: 2009
Bryant, R, Cheng, S, Doerr, SH, Wright, CJ, Bayer, JV, Williams, PR: Nano-scale investigation of soil particles and model material surfaces with biofilms and contrasting hydrophobicity using atomic force microscopy (AFM)
Bouyoucos Conference 2007 on the origin of water repellency in soils, Florida: 29/04/07 - 03/05/07
Shuying: S. Cheng, J.V. Bayer, R. Bryant, S.H. Doerr, C. Wright, AFM study on physico-chemical features of soil organic matter on natural soil particles
Julia: Julia V. Bayer, R. Bryant, Shuying Cheng, Stefan H. Doerr, "Soil pH and soil particle fluorescence"
Biohydrology 2006 Prague: 19/09/06 - 22/09/06
Shuying: Cheng S, Bryant R, Wright C, Doerr SH, "Investigation of natural organic coatings affecting soil particle wettability using Atomic Force Microscopy"
Julia: Bayer J, Cheng S, Bryant R, Doerr SH, "Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) study of surface properties of biological coated sand particles"
14th International conference Marrakech, Morocco: 14/05/06 - 19/05/06
Bryant R, Doerr SH and Morgenstern P (2006)
Laboratory simulations of the effect of various fire residence times on hydrophobicity within soil profiles. International Soil Conservation Organisation (ISCO 2006)
Geosciences Union, Vienna 2004
Doerr, S.H., Shakesby, R.A., Blake, W.H., Bryant, R., Vuurens, S.H., Stagnitti, F., Humphreys, G.S. & Wallbrink, P. (2004) Effects of different wildfire severities on soil wettability: evidence from field observations and controlled laboratory experiments on Australian eucalypt soils. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 6, #04713.
Bryant, R. Helbig M, and Doerr SH (2004) Heating effects on soil wettability under oxygen-deprived conditions: Results from a controlled laboratory study. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 6, #04724, SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU04-A-04724

BSc,PhD
College of Engineering
Swansea
TEL: +44 (0) 1792 295201
FAX: +44 (0) 1792 295676
E-MAIL: r.bryant@swansea.ac.uk