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Water Current, Volume 56, No. 1, Spring 2024

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Perennializing Marginal Croplands: Going Back To The Future To Mitigate Climate Change With Resilient Biobased Feedstocks, Salvador Ramirez Ii, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin, Robert B. Mitchell, Catherine E. Stewart, Jay Parsons, Daren D. Redfearn, John J. Quinn, Gary E. Varvel, Kenneth P. Vogel, Ronald F. Follett

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

Managing annual row crops on marginally productive croplands can be environmentally unsustainable and result in variable economic returns. Incorporating perennial bioenergy feedstocks into marginally productive cropland can engender ecosystem services and enhance climate resiliency while also diversifying farm incomes. We use one of the oldest bioenergy-specific field experiments in North America to evaluate economically and environmentally sustainable management practices for growing perennial grasses on marginal cropland. This long-term field trial called 9804 was established in 1998 in eastern Nebraska and compared the productivity and sustainability of corn (Zea mays L.)—both corn grain and corn stover—and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum …

Multi-Factor Optimization Of Bio-Methanol Production Through Gasification Process Via Statistical Methodology Coupled With Genetic Algorithm, Amin Hedayati Moghaddam, Morteza Esfandyari, Dariush Jafari, Hossein Sakhaeinia

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This work innovatively explores the bio-methanol production process, conducts comprehensive analyses, develops statistical models, and optimizes operational conditions, contributing valuable insights to the field of sustainable energy production from biomass. Accordingly, bio-methanol production from biomass through gasification route was investigated and simulated using Aspen Plus software. The effects of operational parameters on energy duty of gasification reactor and the methanol production rate in syngas to methanol reactor were investigated. The parameters affecting the process performance including temperature, pressure, and steam/feed ratio were examined using the response surface methodology (RSM) by central composite design (CCD) technique. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was …

Multi-Factor Optimization Of Bio-Methanol Production Through Gasification Process Via Statistical Methodology Coupled With Genetic Algorithm, Amin Hedayati Moghaddam, Morteza Esfandyari, Dariush Jafari, Hossein Sakhaeinia

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This work innovatively explores the bio-methanol production process, conducts comprehensive analyses, develops statistical models, and optimizes operational conditions, contributing valuable insights to the field of sustainable energy production from biomass. Accordingly, bio-methanol production from biomass through gasification route was investigated and simulated using Aspen Plus software. The effects of operational parameters on energy duty of gasification reactor and the methanol production rate in syngas to methanol reactor were investigated. The parameters affecting the process performance including temperature, pressure, and steam/feed ratio were examined using the response surface methodology (RSM) by central composite design (CCD) technique. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was …

Water Current, Volume 55, No. 3, Fall 2023

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Integrated Nutrient Management Practices On Soil Health And Nitrogen Efficiency In Cropping Systems, María José Oviedo Ventura

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

Groundwater quality in Nebraska is threatened by non-point source contributions of nitrate-nitrogen, primarily by agricultural systems. Intensive crop and livestock production that neglects the value of manure in crop fertility plans can contribute to soil degradation and natural resource impairment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate opportunities to improve agricultural nutrient management throughout Nebraska by quantifying opportunities for manure distribution, evaluating soil health implications of organic and inorganic soil amendments, and assessing nutrient management practices focused on reducing nitrate leaching in agricultural soils.

This study described in Chapter 2 provides a spatial illustration of nitrogen and phosphorus balances …

Water Current, Volume 55, No. 2, Summer 2023

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Tillage, Green Manuring And Crop Residue Management Impacts On Crop Productivity, Potassium Use Efficiency And Potassium Fractions Under Rice-Wheat System, Sandeep Sharma, Pritpal Singh, Hayssam M. Ali, Manzer Hussain Siddiqui, Javed Iqbal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The conventional crop production practices including intensive tillage and open field crop residue burning in world’ largest rice-wheat system (RWS) are adversely affecting crop productivity besides deteriorating natural resources and ecosystems’ sustainability. In order to improve system productivity, potassium (K) use efficiency and apparent K balance, adoption of conservation tillage in a RWS with residue management is considered highly effective. We therefore, studied the effect of wheat straw retention and green manure (GM) in rice (main plot treatment), and tillage and rice residue management in subsequent wheat (sub-plot treatments) on crop productivity, K use efficiency and its transformation amongst different …

Conversion Of Native Grassland To Coniferous Forests Decreased Stocks Of Soil Organic Carbon And Microbial Biomass, Lidong Li, Elnaz Hosseiniaghdam, Rhae A. Drijber, Elizabeth Jeske, Tala Awada, J. Hiller, Michael Kaiser

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Aims Encroachment of woody species into grasslands is a global phenomenon that affects ecosystem services, including soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and microbial community structure. We determined stocks of SOC and soil microbial biomass as affected by conversion of grasslands to coniferous forests.

Methods We examined SOC and soil δ¹³C signatures under three vegetation covers: native grasslands, eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), at six soil depths (0 − 10, 10 − 30, 30 − 100, 100 − 170, 170 − 240, 240 − 300 cm). Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) …

Creeper Legume, In Conjunction With Biochar, Is A Potential Tool To Minimize Soil Erosion, Sujani De Silva, Priyantha Indralal Yapa, Kushani Mahatantila, Saurav Das, Bijesh Maharjan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Accelerated soil erosion and landslides are destructive consequences of road development and intensive agriculture in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Properly designed vegetation covers can play a vital role in erosion control. Identifying a plant that can adapt to eroded land with a low-nutrient supply is critical for natural erosion management. A perennial creeper legume, Vigna marina, adaptable for marginal lands and used to control soil erosion in Australia, was introduced to Sri Lanka via the 2004 tsunami. The objective of this study was to assess V. marina under five different soil substrates, including a reference treatment (RT) …

Methods To Reduce Nitrogen And Carbon Losses From Finishing Beef Cattle, Hanna Cronk

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

A finishing experiment evaluated the effect of incremental supplemental rumen-protected lysine on beef cattle performance. All cattle were fed the same diet of high moisture corn, dried rolled corn, modified distillers grains plus solubles, corn silage, and supplement with inclusion levels of lysine ranging from 0 to 7 grams/day, in 1 g increments. Dry matter intake (P 0.04) and ADG (P ≤ 0.04) decreased linearly as supplemental lysine increased in the diet with no effect on final carcass adjusted feed efficiency (P ≥ 0.34). In the initial 64 days of the experiment, increasing lysine in the diet …

An Analysis Of Factors Affecting Municipal Biochar Implementation In Voluntary Carbon Markets, Jadon Basilevac

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper serves as a review article and incorporates elements of survey research in order to identify and address factors inhibiting biochar availability from municipal sequestration projects in voluntary carbon marketplaces. In determining which barriers exist, and devising strategies for solving them, this study can help to expand the role of biochar in mitigating emissions contributing to climate change, and encourage project developers to support municipal biochar projects that provide various co-benefits. To do so, this study addresses how the pyrolysis production process might be made more efficient, economically viable, and see improved public image, the various urban sectors to …

Water Current, Volume 55, No. 1, Spring 2023

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Systematic Review: Effect Of Cover Crop On Working Farm, Noella A. Bahatsi

Honors Theses

On-farm research is when research techniques such as randomized, replicated treatments strips and large-scale techniques are used on actual farms or ranches. Due to a great deal of interest and curiosity among farmers and researchers who wish to make their farming methods more profitable, efficient, and/or sustainable, this type of research has been conducted more frequently each year. On-farm research has contributed to economic growth and the transfer of knowledge to farmers because of fresh discoveries and upgraded technology (Lacoste et al., 2022). This is also where farmers collaborate with researchers to test new management practices and technologies providing unbiased …

Coupling Nitrate Capture With Ammonia Production Through Bifunctional Redox-Electrodes, Kwiyong Kim, Alexandra Zagalskaya, Jing Lian Ng, Jaeyoung Hong, Vitaly Alexandrov, Tuan Anh Pham, Xiao Su

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitrate is a ubiquitous aqueous pollutant from agricultural and industrial activities. At the same time, conversion of nitrate to ammonia provides an attractive solution for the coupled environmental and energy challenge underlying the nitrogen cycle, by valorizing a pollutant to a carbon-free energy carrier and essential chemical feedstock. Mass transport limitations are a key obstacle to the efficient conversion of nitrate to ammonia from water streams, due to the dilute concentration of nitrate. Here, we develop bifunctional electrodes that couple a nitrate-selective redox-electrosorbent (polyaniline) with an electrocatalyst (cobalt oxide) for nitrate to ammonium conversion. We demonstrate the synergistic reactive separation …

Lps–Unl Science Connector Directory 2023, Worlds Of Connections Sepa

Worlds of Connections Resources

2nd Floor, Morrill Hall

1. Plants Get Sick Too ▪ Clemencia Rojas

2. Energy and Nanoscience ▪ Shudipto Dishari

3. ChatGPT and the Limits of AI ▪ M. R. Hasan

4. Polymer Science & Engineering ▪ Mona Bavarian

5. Nebraska Nanoscale Energy Engineering ▪ Mohammad Ghashami

6. Astronomy Curriculum Tools ▪ Kevin Lee

7. You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours: Microbial Interactions in Extreme Environments! ▪ Wayne Riekhof

8. Nanotechnology and Biological Sensors ▪ Nicole Iverson

9. Origins of Magma ▪ Lynne Elkins

10. Funsize Physics ▪ Shireen Adenwalla

11. Cell Collective: Integrate Cutting Edge Technology Into Your Classroom …

Interdisciplinary Design Studio: Programming Document Visioning For A Robotic Demonstration, Research, And Engagement Dairy, Steve(N) Hardy, Nate Bicak, Sarah Alduaylij, Noor Al-Maamari, Devyn Beekman, Kelsey Belgum, Lauren Chubb, Nicholas Forte, Mitchell Hill, Joshua Holstein, Dylan Lambe, Phuong Le, Mia Leriger, Elizabeth Loftus, Josh Lorenzen, Megan Lovci, Alex Martino, Zade Miller, Hannah Morgan, Annabelle Nichols, Collin Shearman, Rebecca Sowl, Nalin Theplikhith, Angela Vu, Shaylee Wagner, Ethan Watermeier, Trever Zelenka

Student Creative Activity, Architecture Program

The 2022 COLLABORATE Design Studio brought together students from various disciplines to address a complex, real-world project which required collaborative input from different perspectives. The studio worked to advance the co-creation of knowledge between external stakeholders, students, and instructors. The course was co-taught by faculty from different disciplines, and areas of expertise. During the semester, Nate Bicak and Steven Hardy worked with students from Architecture and Interior Design in collaboration with students in Dr. Tami Brown-Brandl’s students in Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science to explore the values, spatial qualities, and area requirements of a Robotic Demonstration, Research, and Engagement …

Impacts Of Feeding Biochar To Beef Cattle On Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Performance And Characterizing Yearling Steers Grazing Smooth Bromegrass Pasture Using Gps, Holly Heil

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

As global warming continues to rise, the pressure and growing demand for sustainable animal production is increasing. Livestock naturally produce greenhouse gas emissions through enteric fermentation. Dietary manipulation strategies have been sought out to decrease emissions in ruminants using feed additives.

Two independent finishing feedlot experiments evaluated two types of biochar and its effects on animal performance, carcass characteristics and greenhouse gas emissions. Experiment 1 utilized pistachio shell biochar and experiment 2 utilized biochar sourced from ponderosa pine wood waste, both types included at 1% of the diet DM. The addition of biochar to the diet did not impact animal …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Pine-Sourced Biochar On Cattle Performance And Methane And Carbon Dioxide Production From Growing And Finishing Steers, J. L. Sperber, B. C. Troyer, Galen E. Erickson, Andrea K. Watson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

A feedlot growing (77-d) and finishing (111-d) experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding biochar on steer performance, methane and carbon dioxide emissions, and carcass characteristics. Two treatments were evaluated, a control diet without biochar and the same diet with biochar included at 0.8% of dietary DM (growing) or 1.0% of dietary DM (finishing). The growing diet consisted of 40% corn silage, 40% wheat straw, 15% modified distillers grains plus solubles, and 5% supplement, with 0.8% biochar replacing fine ground corn in supplement. The finishing diet consisted of 55% high-moisture corn (HMC), 35% Sweet Bran, 5% wheat straw, …

Enhanced Photo-Fenton Activity Using Magnetic Cu0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4 Nanoparticles As A Recoverable Catalyst For Degrading Organic Contaminants, Athaphon Angkaew, Chainarong Sakulthaew, Matura Nimtim, Saksit Imman, Tunlawit Satapanajaru, Nopparat Suriyachai, Torpong Kreetachat, Steven Comfort, Chanat Chokejaroenrat

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Interest in using various nanoparticle catalysts to activate H₂O₂ with light for organic contaminant and wastewater treatment is steadily increasing. We successfully synthesized magnetically recoverable Cu_0.5Mn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles using a simple co-precipitation method followed by melamine-assisted calcination. Material characterization revealed that melamine acted as a coordinating agent during the calcination process that promoted a ferrite structure. Copper (Cu)-substitution effectively decreased material aggregation and promoted catalytic activities. Cu_0.5Mn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles showed outstanding catalytic performance on several organic contaminants (87.6–100.0% removal within 2 h). Using oxytetracycline (OTC) …

Enrofloxacin And Sulfamethoxazole Sorption On Carbonized Leonardite: Kinetics, Isotherms, Influential Effects, And Antibacterial Activity Toward S. Aureus Atcc 25923, Chanat Chokejaroenrat, Chainarong Sakulthaew, Khomson Satchasataporn, Daniel D. Snow, Tarik E. Ali, Mohammed A. Assiri, Apichon Watcharenwong, Saksit Imman, Nopparat Suriyachai, Torpong Kreetachat

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Excessive antibiotic use in veterinary applications has resulted in water contamination and potentially poses a serious threat to aquatic environments and human health. The objective of the current study was to quantify carbonized leonardite (cLND) adsorption capabilities to remove sulfamethoxazole (SMX)- and enrofloxacin (ENR)-contaminated water and to determine the microbial activity of ENR residuals on cLND following adsorption. The cLND samples prepared at 450^oC and 850^oC (cLND450 and cLND550, respectively) were evaluated for structural and physical characteristics and adsorption capabilities based on adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies. The low pyrolysis temperature of cLND resulted in a …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Wood-Sourced Biochar As A Feedlot Pen Surface Amendment On Manure Nutrient Capture, Jessica L. Sperber, Galen E. Erickson, Andrea K. Watson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Feedstuffs utilized in U.S. feedlot finishing rations incorporate high concentrations of N and P, with less than 15% of fed N and P retained by the animal. The remaining N and P are excreted in the manure, where the opportunity for manure N loss via ammonia (NH3) volatilization from the feedlot pen surface is a risk to the environment and lowers the value of manure as a fertilizer. Two nutrient mass balance experiments were conducted during the winter and summer seasons to evaluate the effects of spreading unprocessed Eastern red cedar biochar onto the feedlot pen surface on manure nutrient …

Studies On Air Injection In A Wastewater-Fed Subsurface Drip Irrigation System, Henry A. Gonzalez Hernandez

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

In 2020, the Ogallala High Plains Aquifer supplied irrigation water for approximately 3.6 million hectares in Nebraska, making it the most irrigated state in the United States. Although Nebraska is highly dependent in groundwater, locations included in the Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation District (border of Nebraska and Wyoming) rely on surface water resources. In addition to these conventional water sources, using non-conventional alternatives for crop production can be just as important during water shortage times such as the one that e occurred in 2019 with the collapse of the Goshen/Gering-Fort Laramie Canal. Feedlot runoff presents a great opportunity in Nebraska, but …

Non-Destructive Classification And Quality Evaluation Of Proso Millet Cultivars Using Nir Hyperspectral Imaging With Machine Learning, Laruen E. Doyle, Julia R. Loeb, Nader Ekramirad, Dipak K. Santra, Akinbode A. Adedeji

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Millet is a small-seeded cereal crop with big potential and remarkable characteristics such as high drought resistance, short growing time, low water footprint, and the ability to grow in acidic soil. There is a need to develop nondestructive methods for differentiation and evaluation of the quality attributes of different of proso millet cultivars grown in the U.S. Current methods of cultivar classification are either subjective or destructive, time consuming, not allowing for the whole population to be tested, and requiring trained operators and special equipment. In this study, the feasibility of using near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging (900-1700 nm) to predict …

Climate Change And Management Impacts On Soybean N Fixation, Soil N Mineralization, N2O Emissions, And Seed Yield, Elvis F. Elli, Ignacio A. Ciampitti, Michael J. Castellano, Larry C. Purcell, Seth Naeve, Patricio Grassini, Nicolas C. La Menza, Luiz Moro Rosso, André F. De Borja Reis, Péter Kovács, Sotirios V. Archontoulis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Limited knowledge about how nitrogen (N) dynamics are affected by climate change, weather variability, and crop management is a major barrier to improving the productivity and environmental performance of soybean-based cropping systems. To fill this knowledge gap, we created a systems understanding of agroecosystem N dynamics and quantified the impact of controllable (management) and uncontrollable (weather, climate) factors on N fluxes and soybean yields. We performed a simulation experiment across 10 soybean production environments in the United States using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model and future climate projections from five global circulation models. Climate change (2020–2080) increased N …

Microbiome Variation Across Populations Of Desert Halophyte Zygophyllum Qatarensis, Abdul Latif Khan, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Saqib Bilal, Sajjad Asaf, Kerri M. Crawford, Venkatesh Balan, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial symbionts play a significant role in plant health and stress tolerance. However, few studies exist that address rare species of core-microbiome function during abiotic stress. In the current study, we compared the microbiome composition of succulent dwarf shrub halophyte Zygophyllum qatarensis Hadidi across desert populations. The results showed that rhizospheric and endosphere microbiome greatly varied due to soil texture (sandy and gravel). No specific bacterial amplicon sequence variants were observed in the core-microbiome of bulk soil and rhizosphere, however, bacterial genus Alcaligenes and fungal genus Acidea were abundantly distributed across root and shoot endospheres. We also analyzed major nutrients …

Microbiome Variation Across Populations Of Desert Halophyte Zygophyllum Qatarensis, Abdul Latif Khan, Lucas Dantas Lopes, Saqib Bilal, Sajjad Asaf, Kerri M. Crawford, Venkatesh Balan, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial symbionts play a significant role in plant health and stress tolerance. However, few studies exist that address rare species of core-microbiome function during abiotic stress. In the current study, we compared the microbiome composition of succulent dwarf shrub halophyte Zygophyllum qatarensis Hadidi across desert populations. The results showed that rhizospheric and endosphere microbiome greatly varied due to soil texture (sandy and gravel). No specific bacterial amplicon sequence variants were observed in the core-microbiome of bulk soil and rhizosphere, however, bacterial genus Alcaligenes and fungal genus Acidea were abundantly distributed across root and shoot endospheres. We also analyzed major nutrients …

Enhanced Photo-Fenton Activity Using Magnetic Cu0.5mn0.5fe2o4 Nanoparticles As A Recoverable Catalyst For Degrading Organic Contaminants, A. Angkaew, C. Sakulthaew, M. Nimtim, S. Imman, T. Satapanajaru, N. Suriyachai, T. Kreetachat, S. Comfort, C. Chokejaroenrat

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Legacy And Emerging Contaminants In Water And Wastewater, P. Chakraborty, Daniel D. Snow

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Carbon Indicators Of Soil Health In Long-Term Agricultural Experiments, D. Liptzin, C. E. Norris, S. B. Cappellazzi, G. Macbean, Andrew E. Suyker Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.