Université de Lorraine
Laboratoire Sols et Environnement
2, avenue de la Forêt de Haye
BP 20163
F-54505 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex
My research activities focus on studying the dynamics of organic matter and organo-mineral microstructures in soils at different scales, as indicators of their biofunctioning and evolution. The approach is based on the morphological and analytical characterisation of organo-mineral associations at different scales and the monitoring of their evolution in situ, with a particular focus on microstructures (0-20 µm). Organo-mineral microstructures can be considered as biophysical and chemical indicators that help to clarify the relationships between soil structure dynamics and soil functioning, particularly under the impact of biological factors.
This monitoring of aggregation within soils is carried out from the soil profile to macro- and micro-aggregates, using specific methods to preserve the initial structures. These methods include granulometric-densimetric fractionation, litholamination and transmission electron microscopy, methodologies developed by staff at ANATELO's ‘Friable Materials’ platform hosted at the LSE.
I use this approach in studying soil aggregation dynamics, from aggregate formation to changes in soil structure due to various impacts such as biological activity, farming practices or soil rehabilitation. In the context of the study of Technosols, the microstructure approach is placed in the perspective of functional pedology, with the dual objective of specifying the agro-environmental quality of environments and contributing to a representation of the functioning of Technosols, particularly under the impact of the activity of living organisms: plants, fauna and microflora. In recent years, my work has focused mainly on monitoring microplastics in soils, particularly agricultural soils, the rehabilitation of mining and industrial sites, and the development of new analytical methods using thin soil sections.
2013: HDR "The dynamics of organo-mineral microstructures in the knowledge of soil biofunctioning".
2004–present: Commercialisation of research through the creation in 2007 of Microhumus, a company whose initial core business was expertise in organic fertilisers and composts.
1995 - present: Recruitment at the CNRS and assignment in 2002 to the LSE
1990-1994: professional experience in an environmental and industrial risk engineering office
1990: Doctorate in Pedology from the University of Nancy "Production of siderophors in acid and calcimagnesic soils and alteration of minerals (oxyhydroxides, silicates) by ectomycorrhizal fungi".
Watteau, F., Villemin, G., 2001. Ultrastructural study of the biogeochemical cycle of silicon in the soil and litter of a temperate forest. Eu. J. Soil Sci. 52, 3, 385-396.
Monsérié, MFM., Watteau, F., Villemin, G., Ouvrard, S., Morel, J.L., 2009. Technosol genesis: Identification of organo-mineral associations in a young Technosol derived from coking plant waste materials. JSS 9, 6, 537-546.
Watteau, F., Villemin, G., 2011. Characterization of organic matter microstructure dynamics during co-composting of sewage sludge, barks and green waste. Bioresource Techn. 102, 9313-9317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.07.022
Watteau, F., Villemin, G., Bartoli, F., Schwartz, C., Morel, J.L., 2012. 0-20 µm aggregate typology based on the nature of aggregative organic materials in a cultivated silty topsoil. Soil Biol. Biochem. 4, 103-114.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.11.021
Pey, B., Cortet, J., Watteau, F., Cheynier, K., Schwartz, C., 2013. Structure of earthworm burrows related to organic matter of a constructed Technosol. Geoderma 202, 203, 103-111.
Jangorzo, N.S., Schwartz, C., Watteau, F., 2014. Image analysis of soil thin sections for a non-destructive quantification of aggregation in the early stages of pedogenesis. Eu. J. Soil Sci. 65, 485-498.
Motte, J.C., Watteau, F., Escudié, R., Steyer, J.P., Bernet, N., Delgenes, J.P., Dumas, C., 2015. Dynamic observation of the biodegradation of lignocellulosic tissue under solid state anaerobic conditions. Bioresource Techn. 191, 322-326. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.04.130
Vidal, A., Remusat, L., Watteau, F., Derenne, S., Quenea, K., 2016. Incorporation of 13 C labelled shoot residues in Lumbricus terrestris casts: A combination of transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry. Soil Biol. Biochem. 93, 8-16. doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2015.10.018
Rees, F., Watteau, F., Mathieu, S., Turpault, M.P., Le Brech, Y., Qiu, R., Morel, J.L., 2017. Metal immobilization on wood-derived biochars: distribution and reactivity of carbonate phases. J. Environm. Qual. 46, 845-854. doi: 10.2134/jeq2017.04.0152
Huot, H., Cortet, J., Watteau, F., Milano, J., Nahmani,, J., Sirguey C., Schwartz, C., Morel, JL., 2018. Diversity and activity of soil fauna in an industrial settling pond managed by natural attenuation. Appl. Soil Ecol. 132, 34-44. doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.08.020
Jangorzo, N.S., Watteau, F., Schwartz, C, 2018. Ranking of wetting–drying, plant, and fauna factors involved in the structure dynamics of a young constructed Technosol. J. Soils Sediments 18, 9, 2995–3004. doi:10.1007/s11368-018-1968-5.
Watteau, F., Villemin, G., 2018. Soil Microstructures Examined Through Transmission Electron Microscopy Reveal Soil-Microorganisms Interactions. Front. Environ. Sci 6, 106.
Watteau, F., Huot, H., Séré, G., Begin, J.C., Rees, F., Schwartz, C., Morel, JL., 2018. Micropedology to reveal pedogenetic processes in Technosols. Span. J. Soil Sci. 8, 2, 148-163.
Watteau, F., Dignac, M.F., Bouchard, A., Revallier, A., Houot, S., 2018. Microplastic detection in soil amended with municipal solid waste composts as revealed by transmission electronic microscopy and pyrolysis/GC/MS. Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 2, 81. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2018.00081
Watteau F., Huot H., Séré G., Begin JC., Rees F., Schwartz C., Morel JL., 2018. Micropedology to reveal pedogenetic processes in Technosols. SJSS, 8, 2, 148-163.
Watteau F., Huot H., Séré G., Begin JC., Rees F., Schwartz C.,Qiu R., Morel JL, 2018. Micropedology in SUITMA’s. Soils within cities. Ed. Levin MJ et al., IUSS Working Group SUITMA, 84-92.
Vidal, A., Watteau, F., Remusat, L., Mueller, C.W., Nguyen Tu, T.T., Buegger, F., Derenne, S., Quenea, K., 2019. Earthworm Cast Formation and Development: A Shift From Plant Litter to Mineral Associated Organic Matter. Front. Environ. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00055
Watteau F, Jangorzo NS, Schwartz C., 2019. A micromorphological analysis for quantifying structure descriptors in a young constructed Technosol. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, 71 (1), 11-20.
Colombini G., Auclerc A., Watteau F., 2020. Techno-moder: A proposal for a new morpho-functional humus form developing on Technosols revealed by micromorphology
Geoderma 375, 114526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114526
Colombini, G., Watteau F. and Auclerc, A., 2022. "Technosol rehabilitation strategies drive soil physico-chemical properties and fauna diversity on a former coking plant area." Applied Soil Ecology 177: 104542.
Colombini, G., Auclerc, A., Watteau, F., 2023. Technogenic parent materials drive Technosols humus system formation on an industrial brownfield. CATENA 233: 107469.
Ducasse, V., Watteau, F., Kowaleski, I., Ravelojoana, H., Capowiez, Y., Peigné, J. (2023) The amending potential of vermicompost, compost and digestate from urban biowaste: Evaluation using biochemical, Rock-Eval® thermal analyses and transmission electronic microscopy. Bioresource Technology Reports 22: 101405.
Ilunga Ngoy, S., Thieblemont, D., Callec , Y., Kampata, D., Mupande, J. F., Auclerc, A., Watteau, F. (2023) Macrotermes falciger termite mounds as indicators of lithogeochemical anomalies of metals of interest. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 248: 107197.
Watteau, F., Lopez, J., Soria, R., Bouchard, A., Ortega, R., Miralles, I. 2025. Technosol’s aggregation patterns according restoration treatments in limestone cement quarry in a semi-arid environment. IOP Conf. Ser. : Earth and Environmental Sciences, 1455, 012001. Doi :10.1088/1755-1315/1455/1/012001.
Watteau, F., Morel, Jean-Louis, Liu, C., Tang, Y., Huot, H. 2025. Technosol micromorphology reveals the early pedogenesis of abandoned rare earth element mining sites undergoing reclamation in south China. Minerals, 15, 514. https://doi.org/10.3390/min15050514.
Janot N, Huot H., Rivard C., Perrin M, Noirault A., Tang YT., Watteau F., Montargès-Pelletier E., 2025. Localization and speciation of rare earth elements in mine tailings from ion-adsorption clay deposits, Southern China: Insights from microfocused X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 2025, 17, pp.100609. ⟨10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100609⟩
Noel C., Huot H., Alvarez-Llamas C., Offroy M., Watteau F, Duponchel L. and Motto-Ros V., 2025. Ultrafast LIBS elemental imaging: a new tool for pedogenesis studies in highly polluted anthropogenic soils. J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 40, 3023-3030.
Morvan, T., Watteau, F., Robin, P, 2025. Unraveling Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Cattle Manure: New Insights from Litterbag Incubation. Nitrogen 2025, 6, 56. https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen6030056.
Durand, A, Colombini G., Watteau F., Wolff A.F., and Henry S., 2025. "Properties of the Techno-Humus Systems at a Former Cooking Plant Site Drives the Diversity of Fungal and Bacterial Soil Communities." Applied Soil Ecology 216, 106509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106509 .