Climate Resilience Dashboard
EIP Project Tracker
Lake Clarity Tracker
Monitoring Dashboard
Parcel Tracker
Threshold Dashboard
Transportation Tracker
Overview
Basics
Basics
This project evaluated the nutrient and fine sediment removal capacity of biochar amended soils for stormwater treatment in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Biochar is a natural material produced in forest fires or from burning biomass in controlled pyrolization kilns and can be amended in soils to increase moisture retention, infiltration and vegetative vigor. This research included (1) laboratory analyses on NDF biochar material; (2) experiments with flow cells to evaluate the best mixtures of biochar amended materials to optimize infiltration and pollutant removal; (3) experiments with a meso-scale physical model of a bioinfiltration swale to test BMP treatment efficiency.
Completed
2015
2015
2017
$53,580
Alan Heyvaert (alan.heyvaert@dri.edu)
12/12/2018
01/03/2019
|
To zoom, hold down the Shift key and drag a rectangle.
|
|
| Location Information | Location Notes |
|---|---|
Organizations
EIP Details
EIP Basics
EIP Basics
04.01.01.0136 - Evaluation of Biochar Amendments for Nutrient and Fine Sediment Retention in Stormwater Treatment Applications
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
No expected performance measures set for this project.
Reported Performance Measures
Reported Performance Measures
No annual performance measure accomplishments entered for this project.
| No accomplishments to report for: | |
| Year(s) | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Explanation | This project is a scientific research project and does not fit appropriately into the current Performance Measures. |
Funding
Expected Funding
Expected Funding
$53,580
$53,580
$0
| Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Research Institute (DRI) | $2,413 | $2,413 | $0 |
| Lake Tahoe License Plate Program (NDSL) | $51,167 | $51,167 | $0 |
| Grand Total | $53,580 | $53,580 | $0 |
Reported Expenditures
Reported Expenditures
| Total | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Research Institute | $2,413 | $2,413 | $0 | $0 |
| Lake Tahoe License Plate Program | $51,167 | $20,139 | $31,028 | $0 |
| Grand Total | $53,580 | $22,552 | $31,028 | $0 |
Photos
Other Details
Watersheds
No watersheds set for this project.
Threshold Categories
-
Biochar may improve nutrient sequestration and reduce pollutant loading in stormwater runoff to Lake Tahoe.
Local and Regional Plans
No Local and Regional Plans set for this project.
Related Projects
Related Projects
No Related Projects set for this project.
External Links
No external links entered.
Notes
Notes
| 12/05/2018 4:09 PM | Meredith Gosejohan | Findings: - Biochar adsorption of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus was most effective with the smaller size classes (125-250 microns) versus larger size classes (500-4000 um). - Batch equilibrium tests demonstrated significant improvements in phosphorus and nitrate removal with Pinyon-Juniper (P-J) biochar compared to Washoe washed sand (WWS), and modest adsorption of ammonium relative to WWS, but also some leaching of phosphorus from biochar. - Column adsorption-desorption experiments using a 30% biochar mixture in WWS with simulated stormwater showed a net retention of 11% for ammonium-N, 1.5% for orthophoshate-P, and negligible nitrate-N retention. - While many studies on adsorptive media simply conduct batch adsorption tests on the media of interest, the researchers found that column adsorption-desorption experiments improved their interpretation of results and yielded better estimates of net nutrient retention. - The 30% P-J biochar with WWS mixture retained 4.8 g m-3 dissolved inorganic phosphrus and 43 g m-3 of dissolved inorganic nitrogen. - Batch equilibrium tests with iron-amended P-J biochar showed a much higher capacity for P adsorption than with P-J biochar, but also some potential ammonium leaching. |