A Literature Review Of Wetland Treatment Systems Used To Treat Runoff Mixtures Containing Antibiotics And Pesticides From Urban And Agricultural Landscapes, Emily R. Nottingham, Tiffany L. Messer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Wetland treatment systems are used extensively across the world to mitigate surface runoff. While wetland treatment for nitrogen mitigation has been comprehensively reviewed, the implications of common-use pesticides and antibiotics on nitrogen reduction remain relatively unreviewed. Therefore, this review seeks to comprehensively assess the removal of commonly used pesticides and antibiotics and their implications for nitrogen removal in wetland treatment systems receiving non-point source runoff from urban and agricultural landscapes. A total of 181 primary studies were identified spanning 37 countries. Most of the reviewed publications studied pesticides (n = 153) entering wetlands systems, while antibiotics (n = 29) had …

Attenuating Effect Of Vitamin E Against Silver Nano Particles Toxicity In Submandibular Salivary Glands, Mahmoud Bakr, Mahmoud Al Ankily, Sara M. Shogaa, Mohamed Shamel

Dentistry

Open AccessArticle

Attenuating Effect of Vitamin E against Silver Nano Particles Toxicity in Submandibular Salivary Glands

A Review Of Transformative Strategies For Climate Mitigation By Grasslands, Nuria Gomez-Casanovas, Elena Blanc-Betes, Caitlin E. Moore, Carl J. Bernacchi, Ilsa Kantola, Evan H. Delucia

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Grasslands can significantly contribute to climate mitigation. However, recent trends indicate that human activities have switched their net cooling effect to a warming effect due to management intensification and land conversion. This indicates an urgent need for strategies directed to mitigate climate warming while enhancing productivity and efficiency in the use of land and natural (nutrients, water) resources. Here, we examine the potential of four innovative strategies to slow climate change including: 1) Adaptive multi-paddock grazing that consists of mimicking how ancestral herds roamed the Earth; 2) Agrivoltaics that consists of simultaneously producing food and energy from solar panels on …

Hospital Effluents And Wastewaters Treatment Plants: A Source Of Oxytetracycline And Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria In Seafood, Bozena Mccarthy, Samuel Obeng Apori, Michelle Giltrap, Abhijnan Bhat, James Curtin, Furong Tian

Articles

The present study employs a data review on the presence and aggregation of oxytetracycline (OTC) and resistance (AMR) bacteria in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and distribution of the contaminated effluent with the aid of shallow and deep ocean currents. The study aims to determine the fate of OTC, AMR bacteria in seafood, and demonstrate a relationship between AMR levels and human health. This review includes (1) OTC, (2) AMR bacteria, (3) heavy metals in aquatic environments, and their relationship. Few publications describe OCT in surface waters. Although, OTC and other tetracyclines were found in 10 countries in relatively low concentrations, …

Impact Of Wood-Sourced Biochar On Carbon And Nitrogen Capture In Beef Feedlot Systems, Jessica L. Sperber

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A feedlot growing and finishing experiment evaluated the effect of including pine-sourced biochar at 0.8 (growing) and 1.0% (finishing) of dietary DM on steer performance, carcass characteristics, and greenhouse gas (GHG) production (Exp 1). Two nutrient mass balance experiments were conducted during winter and summer seasons to evaluate the effect of spreading unprocessed red cedar biochar on the feedlot pen surface on manure nutrient capture and cattle performance (Exp 2). In Exp. 1, the inclusion of biochar in the growing diet did not impact steer performance. The inclusion of biochar in the finishing diet significantly reduced intake and gain, resulting …

Utilization Of The Uae Date Palm Leaf Biochar In Carbon Dioxide Capture And Sequestration Processes, Imen Ben Salem, Maisa El Gamal, Manish Sharma, Suhaib Hameedi, Fares M. Howari

All Works

This paper evaluates the potential use of date palm leaf biochar as a climate change solution through CO2 capture and sequestration. The pyrolysis of date palm leaf was performed at different temperatures 300°, 400°, 500°, and 600 °C. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized biochar were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Direct gas-solid interaction was carried out in an integrated Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR), connected with a gas analyzer for maximum and effective mixing between the biochar and CO2. LabView …

Application Of Biochar As Beneficial Additive In Concrete, Temirlan Barissov

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biochar is a high-carbon solid material produced via thermal decomposition of organic biomass in a low-oxygen environment. Characterized with high water retention properties and high alkalinity, biochar is generally used for soil amendment and fertilization purposes. This study is intended to explore the feasibility of using biochar as a beneficial additive of the most used manmade material, concrete. Literature review revealed several studies where biochar was successfully implemented as an additive in concrete. The beneficial influence of biochar on the mechanical characteristics of concrete is based on nucleation and densification effects. However, the internal microstructure, porosity and chemical composition of …

Evaluation Of A Novel Approach For Assessing Biological Activity In Agricultural Soils, Karla Melgar

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil health is a key factor impacting soil resilience and fertility in crop production systems. Favorable soil physical and biological conditions facilitate plant nutrient absorption and nutrient cycling. Demonstrating to farmers the impacts and changes in soil biological activity under different soil management practices has been a challenge due to the limited availability of inexpensive tools for quantifying this component of soil health. The primary goal of this study was to present a simple and readily accessible tool for evaluating soil biological activity to promote the use of organic amendments in crop fields. Research plots were established in two studies …

Feasibility Discussion Of Potential Carbon Offsetting Options For Nebraska, Andrew Mwape

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of carbon offsetting options in the context of the state of Nebraska, this discussion shows that the choice and decisions about which option is better than the other depends on the interests at play and expected outcomes of the participation in carbon markets. However, irrespective of the motive to engage in emission reduction projects for carbon marketing, factors such as cost, and project efficiency can never be overlooked. Given the options discussed in this report, Nebraska has a lot of potential for carbon offsetting or emission reduction projects that would not only reduce and …

Enhancement Of Power Generation And Organic Removal In Double Anode Chamber Designed Dual-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cell (Dac-Dcmfc), Ganjar Samudro, Tsuyoshi Imai, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the important factors in enhancing the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is reactor design and configuration. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the regressors and their operating parameters affecting the double anode chamber–designed dual-chamber microbial fuel cell (DAC-DCMFC) performance. Its primary design consists of two anode chamber compartments equipped with a separator and cathode chamber. The DAC-DCMFCs were parallelly operated over 8 days (60 days after the acclimation period). They were intermittently pump-fed with the different organic loading rates (OLRs), using chemically enriched sucrose as artificial wastewater. The applied OLRs were adjusted at low, medium, and …

Large-Scale Electrochemical Degradation Of Poly-And Perfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) By Magnéli Ti4o7 Electrodes, Laura Siddon

Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Masters Projects

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that are extremely persistent in the environment. They classified as emerging contaminants and have been linked to impacts on the developmental, liver, immune, and thyroid systems, and are possible carcinogens. PFAS’ resistance to biodegradation and conventional oxidation processes make them one of the hardest chemicals to remove from water. With the discovery of PFAS in public water supplies, existing technologies are not capable of removing these recalcitrant contaminants to levels expected for the health of the public. Even in cases when conventional technologies can remove PFAS compounds, removal is …

Example Ordinance For Compost Amending Soil In Urban Landscaping, Jovana Radovanovic, James D. Mcguire, Jana Caracciolo

UF Law Faculty Publications

Urban landscapes are commonly installed on a final grade consisting of fill material brought on-site during construction to elevate the land surface. This material is typically inert, lacking organic matter and nutrients, and becomes compacted during the construction process. UF/IFAS research and other studies have shown that incorporating compost into these soil conditions can increase water retention in the root zone and decrease the need for supplemental irrigation for turfgrass. As a result of this benefit, local governments may consider requiring amending of new landscapes. This publication describes an example ordinance that can be used by local governments as a …

Dr. Adam Daigneault Testimony To The House Committee On Small Business Subcommittee On Underserved, Agricultural, And Rural Development Hearing On “Sustainable Forestry’S Role In Climate Solutions”, Adam Daigneault

General University of Maine Publications

Adam Daigneault, University of Maine E.L. Giddings Associate Professor of Forest Policy and Economics, testified Sept. 29 before a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Underserved, Agricultural, and Rural Development, chaired by Maine Rep. Jared Golden.

A focus of the hearing was the role of sustainable forestry and how small businesses across this sector are helping to address climate change. Daigneault, whose research focuses on modelling economic impacts of environmental policy on the forestry and agricultural sectors, spoke about how we can manage U.S. forests for carbon, timber and other ecosystem services, and how we can …

Date Palm Waste Pyrolysis Into Biochar For Carbon Dioxide Adsorption, Imen Ben Salem, Mariam Badawi Saleh, Jibran Iqbal, Maisa El Gamal, Suhaib Hameed

All Works

Mitigation of CO2 is a very popular research currently, it is ultimately beneficial to find new ways that are sustainable, low cost and gas emission friendly. Therefore, with biochar’s characteristics and properties it has great potential to be used as a CO2 capture and storage media. The objectives of reducing palm waste by using the low-cost, sustainable method for reducing and storing CO2, characterize the DPL biochar through FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, and then evaluate the efficiency of the date palm leaf waste biochar in adsorbing CO2 through the Gas–Solid analyzer technology. Date palm leaf was set in pyrolysis process …

Incorporation Of Biochar To Improve Mechanical, Thermal And Electrical Properties Of Polymer Composites, Chinmoyee Das, Sandeep Tamrakar, Alper Kiziltas, Xinfeng Xie

Michigan Tech Publications

The strive for utilization of green fillers in polymer composite has increased focus on application of natural biomass-based fillers. Biochar has garnered a lot of attention as a filler material and has the potential to replace conventionally used inorganic mineral fillers. Biochar is a carbon rich product obtained from thermochemical conversion of biomass in nitrogen environment. In this review, current studies dealing with incorporation of biochar in polymer matrices as a reinforcement and conductive filler were addressed. Each study mentioned here is nuanced, while addressing the same goal of utilization of biochar as a filler. In this review paper, an …

Impact Of Cover Crop Monocultures And Mixtures On Organic Carbon Contents Of Soil Aggregates, Daphne Topps, Imam Ul Khabir, Hagir Abdelmagid, Todd Jackson, Javed Iqbal, Boakai K. Robertson, Zahida Hassan Pervaiz, Muhammad Saleem

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Cover crops are considered an integral component of agroecosystems because of their positive impacts on biotic and abiotic indicators of soil health. At present, we know little about the impact of cover crop types and diversity on the organic carbon (OC) contents of different soil aggregate-size classes. In this study, we investigated the effect of cover plant diversity on OC contents of different soil aggregates, such as macro- (<2000–500 µm), meso- (<500–250 µm), and micro-aggregates (<250 µm). Our experiment included a total of 12 experimental treatments in triplicate; six different monoculture treatments such as chickling vetch (Vicia villosa), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), field peas (Pisum sativum), oilseed radish (Raphanus sativus), and mighty mustard (Brassica juncea), and their three- and six-species mixture treatments, including one unplanted control treatment. We performed this experiment usingdeep pots that contained soil collected from a corn-soybean rotation field. At vegetative maturity of cover plants (about 70 days), we took soil samples, and the soil aggregate-size classes were separated by the dry sieving. We hypothesized that cover crop type and diversity will improve OC contents of different soil aggregate-size classes. We found that cover plant species richness weakly positively increased OC contents of soil macro-aggregates (p = 0.056), whereas other aggregate-size classes did not respond to cover crop diversity gradient. Similarly, the OC contents of macroaggregates varied significantly (p = 0.013) under cover crop treatments, though neither monoculture nor mixture treatments showed significantly higher OC contents than the control treatment in this short-term experiment. Interestingly, the inclusion of hairy vetch and oilseed radish increased and decreased the OC contents of macro- and micro-aggregates, respectively. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between shoot biomass and OC contents of macroaggregates. Overall, our results suggest that species-rich rather than -poor communities may improve OC contents of soil macroaggregates, which constitute a major portion of soil systems, and are also considered as important indicators of soil functions.

Pilot-Scale H2S And Swine Odor Removal System Using Commercially Available Biochar, Kyoung S. Ro, Brian Woodbury, Mindy Spiehs, Ariel A. Szogi, Philip J. Silva, Okhwa Hwang, Sungback Cho

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Although biochars made in laboratory seem to remove H2S and odorous compounds effectively, very few studies are available for commercial biochars. This study evaluated the efficacy of a commercial biochar (CBC) for removing H2S and odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We found that the well-known Ergun equation may not be adequate in predicting pressure drop for properly sizing a ventilation system. The H2S breakthrough adsorption capacity of the CBC was 2.51 mg/g under humid conditions, which was much higher than that for dry conditions. The breakthrough capacity increased with the influent concentration of H2S. The efficacy of a pilot-scale biochar …

Composting Processes For Food Processing Wastes: A Review, Yung-Tse Hung, Kevin P. Holloman, Howard Paul, Christopher Huhnke

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Composting of food processing waste was analyzed as a biological process and an engineered system. The goal is to establish fundamental principles and design criteria that would aid its adoption as waste management practice. Characteristics of the inflow, reactor, and outflow were evaluated. Success of the bioreactor was found to be largely dependent on microbial community structure, physical properties of biodegradable waste (BW), aeration, heat transfer, and time required for maturation. Static piles were the primary focus of this article for cost and energy efficiency.

What Is Biochar And How Is It Used?, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

Biochar is a charcoal-like product that contains no petroleum. It is made by heating biomass such as herbaceous or woody crop residues, non-salvageable timber, and slash, or animal manure, in a contained system. There are many potential uses for biochar including water treatment, land reclamation, and carbon sequestration. Biochar may also be used as a soil amendment for two purposes – to improve plant health and to store carbon.

Soil Health Beneath Amended Switchgrass: Effects Of Biochar And Nitrogen On Active Carbon And Wet Aggregate Stability, Priya Saini, Jason P. De Koff, Richard Link, Chris Robbins

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Perennial crops, like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), are important for bioenergy production and long-term carbon sequestration. Biochar, a byproduct of certain bioenergy production processes, is also identified as a potential tool for carbon sequestration and soil quality improvements, especially in marginal soils. Despite the focus on switchgrass, soil health characteristics under switchgrass production for biomass are unclear. This study focused on identifying the effects of four N rates (0, 17, 34, and 67 kg N ha−1) and biochar application (0 and 9 Mg ha−1) in a 3-year switchgrass field study on a silt loam soil. Soil active carbon (AC) and …

Sources Of Variation In Bourbon Whiskey Barrels: A Review, Jarrad Gollihue, Victoria G. Pook, Seth Debolt

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Oak barrels serve two purposes in the production of distilled spirits: storage containers and reaction vessels. It is the latter function which bestows barrel aged spirits with their unique and highly sought after flavour profiles. However, achieving consistent flavour profiles between barrels is notoriously difficult as no two barrels are comprised of the same source of oak. Source variation is due to a range of factors, beginning with the genetic and topographical background of the oak tree from which the barrel staves originate, the spatial region of the tree from which the stave was taken and continuing through each step …

Biotransformation Of Doxycycline By Brevundimonas Naejangsanensis And Sphingobacterium Mizutaii Strains, Ting He, Jianguo Bao, Yifei Leng, Daniel D. Snow, Shuqiong Kong, Tong Wang, Xu Li

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The fate of doxycycline (DC), a second generation tetracycline antibiotic, in the environment has drawn increasing attention in recent years due to its wide usage. Little is known about the biodegradability of DC in the environment. The objective of this study was to characterize the biotransformation of DC by pure bacterial strains with respect to reaction kinetics under different environmental conditions and biotransformation products. Two bacterial strains, Brevundimonas naejangsanensis DD1 and Sphingobacterium mizutaii DD2, were isolated from chicken litter and characterized for their biotransformation capability of DC. Results show both strains rely on cometabolism to biotransform DC with tryptone as …

A Research Road Map For Responsible Use Of Agricultural Nitrogen, Michael Udvardi, Frederick E. Below, Michael J. Castellano, Alison J. Eagle, Ken E. Giller, Jagdish Kumar Ladha, Xuejun Liu, Tai Mcclellan Maaz, Barbara Nova-Franco, Nandula Raghuram, G. Philip Robertson, Sonali Roy, Malay Saha, Susanne Schmidt, Mechthild Tegeder, Larry M. York, John W. Peters

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Nitrogen (N) is an essential but generally limiting nutrient for biological systems. Development of the Haber-Bosch industrial process for ammonia synthesis helped to relieve N limitation of agricultural production, fueling the Green Revolution and reducing hunger. However, the massive use of industrial N fertilizer has doubled the N moving through the global N cycle with dramatic environmental consequences that threaten planetary health. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce losses of reactive N from agriculture, while ensuring sufficient N inputs for food security. Here we review current knowledge related to N use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture and identify research …

Uavs For Vegetation Monitoring: Overview And Recent Scientific Contributions, Ana I. De Castro, Yeyin Shi, Joe Mari Maja, Jose M. Pena

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

This paper reviewed a set of twenty-one original and innovative papers included in a special issue on UAVs for vegetation monitoring, which proposed new methods and techniques applied to diverse agricultural and forestry scenarios. Three general categories were considered: (1) sensors and vegetation indices used, (2) technological goals pursued, and (3) agroforestry applications. Some investigations focused on issues related to UAV flight operations, spatial resolution requirements, and computation and data analytics, while others studied the ability of UAVs for characterizing relevant vegetation features (mainly canopy cover and crop height) or for detecting different plant/crop stressors, such as nutrient content/deficiencies, water …

Uavs For Vegetation Monitoring: Overview And Recent Scientific Contributions, Ana I. De Castro, Yeyin Shi, Joe Mari Maja, Jose M. Peña

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

This paper reviewed a set of twenty-one original and innovative papers included in a special issue on UAVs for vegetation monitoring, which proposed new methods and techniques applied to diverse agricultural and forestry scenarios. Three general categories were considered: (1) sensors and vegetation indices used, (2) technological goals pursued, and (3) agroforestry applications. Some investigations focused on issues related to UAV flight operations, spatial resolution requirements, and computation and data analytics, while others studied the ability of UAVs for characterizing relevant vegetation features (mainly canopy cover and crop height) or for detecting different plant/crop stressors, such as nutrient content/deficiencies, water …

Special Issue: Feature Papers 2020, Douglas D. Archbold

Horticulture Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Wastewater Remediation Technologies Using Macroscopic Graphene-Based Materials: A Perspective, Rajan Arjan Kalyan Hirani, Abdul Hannan Asif, Nasir Rafique, Lei Shi, Shu Zhang, Hong Wu, Hongqi Sun

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene-based macrostructures are being developed to combat the issues associated with two-dimensional (2D) graphene materials in practical applications. The 3D macrostructures (3DMs), for example, membranes, fibres, sponges, beads, and mats, can be formed by the self-assembly of 2D graphene-based precursors with exceptional surface area and unique chemistry. With rational design, the 3D macrostructures can then possess outstanding properties and exclusive structures. Thanks to various advantages, these macrostructures are competing in a variety of applications with promising performances unlike the traditional activated carbons, biochars and hydrochars, which have less flexibilities for modifications towards versatile applications. However, despite having such …

Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals As Sources Of Pops, Eric P. Vejerano, Jeonghyeon Ahn, Junaid Latif, Mustafa Mamun

Faculty Publications

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are a new class organic pollutant sharing some of the attributes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This opinion/short review aims to describe the properties of EPFRs that merit their recognition as an additional and potentially significant source of POPs. EPFRs are ubiquitous in diverse environments because of multiple factors: (1) organic precursors from anthropogenic, biogenic, and other natural emission sources are abundant; multiple mechanisms in PM and soils form (2) EPFRs; and (3) EPFRs are stable and persist for a long time, thereby, accumulate in the environment and potentially transported long range. The hazards of …

Effects Of Residue Removal And Tillage On Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Continuous Corn Systems As Simulated With Rzwqm2, Haomiao Cheng, Kexin Shu, Zhiming Qi, Liwang Ma, Virginia L. Jin, Youjia Li, Marty R. Schmer, Brian J. Wienhold, Shaoyuan Feng

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Agricultural production is a major source of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) globally. The effects of conservation practices on soil CO2 and N2O emissions remain a high degree of uncertainty. In this study, soil CO2 and N2O emissions under different residue and tillage practices in an irrigated, continuous corn system, were investigated using the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2). Combinations of no/high stover removal (NR and HR, respectively) and no-till/conventional tillage (NT and CT, respectively) field experiments were tested over the four crop-years (Apr. 2011–Apr. 2015). The model was calibrated using the NRCT, and validated with other …

Assessment And Improvement Of Performance Of Septic Systems In Cold Climates (Year 1), Stu Geza, Todd Menkhaus, Lianping Li, Galen Hoogestraat

SDWRI Publications and Reports

Onsite septic systems are used for wastewater treatment for households not connected to sewers. There is a concern about surface and groundwater pollution when effectiveness becomes limited due to soil texture, soil temperature, neighborhood density, and distance to water resources. The goal of this study was to assess treatment performance of local soils and selected treatment media. Lab-scale column experiments were conducted using wastewater from Wastewater Reclamation Facility in Rapid City. The experiments were conducted inside and outside the lab to evaluate the effect of temperature. The columns outside the lab were subject to seasonal variation in temperature. Moisture content, …