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Sustainable Fertilizer Management Practices For Container Nursery Production, Saroj Burlakoti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Growing nursery plants in containers requires a timely supply of mineral nutrients for optimum growth. However, there is a misconception among growers that the application of higher doses of fertilizers hastens plant growth; instead, it can lead to runoff and leaching loss of nutrients. Reducing fertilizer application while sustaining healthy plants can not only negate environmental consequences but also save fertilizer costs. For example, two ground covers, Lysimachia nummularia (creeping jenny, moneywort) and Vinca minor 'Bowles' (periwinkle), can be grown for three months by applying 6 mg/L of phosphorus (P) as reduction of P to single application of 6 mg/L …

Comparing Phosphorus Removal Efficiencies And Mechanisms Via Two Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents In A Cascade Upflow Filtration System, Sydney Kilgus-Vesely

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Finding solutions to treat water that contains phosphorus is an important effort due to the harmful impacts it presents to both human health and the environment. Phosphorus is considered a limiting factor in water oftentimes and therefore controls the growth of algal bloom in a water body. The increase of algal populations due to wastewater effluent, stormwater runoff, and agricultural discharge in Florida waters has a direct link to the event of harmful algal blooms such as red tide in coastal regions, eutrophication of waterbodies, and fish kills. Finding low cost, energy efficient, and low maintenance green sorption media (GSM) …

Improved Management Of Recalcitrant Nutrient Species: Transformation And Adsorption, Synthia Parveen Mallick

Dissertations (1934 -)

Soluble non-reactive nutrient species, i.e., dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and soluble non-reactive phosphorus (sNRP), are not effectively removed and recovered. Unfortunately, the non-reactive species can cause eutrophication in receiving waterbodies. Thus, removal and recovery of soluble non-reactive nutrients is critical for reducing nutrient discharge and advancing the national goal of enhanced nutrient recovery. Transformation of non-reactive nutrients to more readily removable/recoverable species using ozonation and UV/H2O2 for enhanced nutrient recovery has been reported in literature. Electrooxidation (EO) may outperform these processes in transforming nutrients as EO can utilize multiple oxidation pathways, e.g., in-situ generated oxidants or direct electron transfer (DET). …

Upcycling Dairy Manure Fine Solids Captured By Dissolved Air Flotation As Part Of A Phosphorus Recovery And Reuse Strategy, Katherine Keith Porterfield

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Dissolved air flotation (DAF) has shown potential to substantially improve phosphorus (P) mass balance on dairy farms by capturing P associated with fine solids from liquid manure, enabling new management options. However, at < 25% total solids, further dewatering and other upcycling is necessary to facilitate export of recovered fine solids off farm for use in bagged or bulk products. I generated plant foods using DAF-captured dairy manure fine solids thermally dried to 45% total solids blended with other organic residuals. Dry biomass of tomato and marigold seedlings amended with 6% v/v plant food was six-times greater than the unamended control and not significantly different from a market alternative treatment. Because thermal dewatering can be prohibitively costly, I generated a second batch of plant foods using DAF-captured dairy manure fine solids conditioned with 3, 4.5 and 6% (w/w) quicklime or lime kiln dust (LKD) and dewatered using a benchtop press for comparison with thermally dried fine solids. Tomato seedling biomass was similar for thermally dried and LKD plant foods, but quicklime plant foods had no effect compared to the unamended control. Quicklime and LKD conditioned fine solids contained approximately 30 and 10 times less plant-available P than thermally dried fine solids, respectively—likely due to precipitation of Ca-P minerals. These studies indicate that DAF-captured dairy manure fine solids could be upcycled to bagged horticultural products with substantial agronomic value, however sustainable materials drying remains a key challenge to realizing this potential.

Evaluation Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Removal In Alternative Management Practices For Dairy Farm Production Area Runoff: Bioretention Cells And A Woodchip Bioreactor Treatment System, Jillian Sarazen

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Non-point source pollution from agricultural areas can lead to the degradation of downstream water bodies, including eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, due to high concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emanating from these areas. One source of agricultural runoff that is often overlooked, originates from agricultural production areas, which have impervious surfaces, such as paved and compacted areas, barnyards, cow paths, and silage bunker storage; these areas generate stormwater runoff and contribute to pollution during storm events.

This research evaluates two built stormwater runoff treatment systems designed to treat high concentrations of nutrients in runoff from a dairy farm. …

Using Poultry Litter Ash As A Fertilizer Source For Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon) Establishment And Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda) Plantation, Crystal L. Vance

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lower solubility of P in poultry litter ash (PLA) than conventional phosphorus (P) fertilizers such as triple superphosphate (TSP) may reduce P losses in drainage and runoff; however, lower P solubility may reduce its efficacy as a P source. A laboratory experiment was conducted to examine the effect of acidity on P release and the effect of different combustion temperatures on P solubility as a prerequisite to the following studies. The first research objective was to determine the effect of soil pH on the efficiency of PLA relative to TSP for establishment of common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) and …

Nutrient Removal Performance Of A Wood Chip Bioreactor Treatment System Receiving Silage Bunker Runoff, Deborah Joy Kraft

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Silage bunker runoff is a form of agricultural pollution that contributes to aquatic ecosystem degradation. Current handling and treatment methods for this process wastewater are often ineffective or expensive. A woodchip bioreactor is an emerging treatment technology designed to facilitate denitrification through the provision of an anaerobic, carbon rich environment. A wood chip bioreactor treatment system, consisting of three pre-treatment tanks, two wood chip bioreactors, and one infiltration basin, was constructed at the Miller Research Complex in South Burlington, Vermont in 2016. Runoff and leachate from an adjacent silage storage bunker is directed into the system. The pre-treatment tanks include …

Feasibility Of Bauxite Residue In Pollution Mitigation And Resource Recovery, Yongfeng Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Bauxite residue is an industrial waste generated from the alumina refining industry, raising great concerns about environmental pollution. The primary problem for bauxite residue is its high alkalinity and salinity. This beneficial reuse of bauxite residue is desirable for the sustainable management of this waste stream. Bauxite residues can be used as an option of flue gas desulfurization to reduce the toxicity associated with high alkalinity. In this dissertation, it was first identified the linkage between the characteristics of the bauxite residues and their acid neutralization capacity (ANC). Further options of beneficial use were investigated according to the characteristics of …

Beef Cattle Effluent Treatment In A Denitrifying Bioreactor., Bethani Chambers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Excess nutrient runoff, nitrates and phosphates, has led to the development of algal blooms and hypoxic zones worldwide. Based on a report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation nearly half of all nutrient sources originate from agricultural production with a quarter of this resulting from improper management of manures. This project focuses on a novel adaption of a denitrifying bioreactor, which has demonstrated removals of agricultural nutrients, which may have implications on the treatment of manure nutrients. These subsurface bioreactors work by providing a substrate, usually wood based, to act as a carbon source to support denitrifying bacteria which in turn …

Phosphorus Uptake In Emergent Macrophytes: An Evaluation Of Vermont-Native Wetland Plant Suitability For Floating Treatment Wetland Applications In Urban Stormwater Settings, Kelly Westhelle

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

The USEPA’s revised total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Lake Champlain has Vermont scientists and legislators seeking effective means for curbing phosphorus loads in the Lake Champlain Basin. Developed lands are a critical nonpoint source for phosphorus loading, and green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) ecologically and effectively slow and/or capture nutrients and other pollutants characteristic of urban stormwater runoff. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs), buoyant mats fitted with wetland plants, are an inexpensive and effective option for improving the water quality of runoff. In urban settings, FTWs are frequently applied to wet stormwater ponds as retrofits. While there are studies demonstrating the …

The Effects Of Biochar Age And Concentration On Soil Retention Of Phosphorus And Infiltration Rate, Emilie Schneider

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Changes in land use and land management practices are regarded as one of the main factors in altering the hydrogeological system, causing changes in runoff, surface supply yields, and the quality of receiving water (Tong and Chen, 2002). Phosphorus is a significant contributor to accelerated eutrophication of fresh water and is largely sourced from agricultural runoff (Sharpley et al., 1994). The dominant processes controlling solution composition in agricultural soils are primarily ‘chemical’ for P (i.e. adsorption/desorption and dissolution/precipitation) (Edwards and Withers, 1998). Biochar has chemical characteristics that have the potential to adsorb P or influence precipitation of P insoluble pools …