Research Webinar: Phosphorus sorption by recycled high-sorption materials in agricultural settings.

Join LCSG for our second fall research webinar where Nico Perdrial will present his findings on a recent research project supported by the Vermont Water Resources and Lake Studies Center. 

Perdrial's presentation will focus on drinking water residuals (DWTRs), a promising material for phosphorus sorption in agricultural end-of-tile settings. With the goal to test the suitability for reuse of recovered excess P as recycled fertilizer, the team investigated the use of DWTRs in combination with other high sorption material (zeolites) to determine sorption kinetics and identify the microscale mechanisms of sorption. The research shows that this material is efficient in sorbing PO43-. Observations at the microscale indicate that the high sorption potential is the result of selective sorption with limited little competitive sorption. Pseudo-second order sorption kinetic analysis suggested that the filter maintains efficiency for an estimated 27 precipitation days in a typical field setting. In desorption tests, the team observed a very slow desorption of nutrients with safe levels of leaching of media material. In the field, they captured ~93% phosphate over 7 days of precipitation while identifying issues with very low hydraulic conductivity which must be addressed prior to large scale deployment. The low-cost ($2.12 per filter) could provide a successful way to both reduce nutrient input to surface waters and recycling of PO43- and spent DWTRs. 

Register in advance for this webinar.

This webinar is part of LCSGs fall research webinar series. Learn more and register for the other webinars.