Monitoring cyanide in burnt tree residues and soil in areas affected by forest fires

Forest biomass combustion deposits various chemical compounds onto the soil.Understanding these chemicals is crucial for effective post-fire management.This research investigated cyanide content through a forest fire simulation using leaves at different temperatures, as well as by analyzing combustion residues and soil collected from forest fire sites, in accordance with the Korean standard for the determination of cyanide in soil.The simulation burned leaves from seven common tree species in Korea at temperature of 400 C, 600 C, and 800 C using a muffle furnace.Cyanide content in the leaves from the simulation ranged from 2.55 to 16.60 mg kg -1 .At three forest fire sites, cyanide contents ranged from 0.45 to 1.69 mg kg -1 in residues and from not detectable to 1.38 mg kg -1 in soils.Although the cyanide contents in the soil did not exceed the worrisome level (2 mg kg -1 ) for Region 2 of the Soil Environment Conservation Act, they were increased compared to control soil contents.These findings suggest that pollutants in fire residues may impact soil and water through runoff, emphasizing the need for environmental impact assessments and strategies to prevent residue transfer to water bodies.