Browsing by Subject "compost"
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Item Benefiting the Environment while Exploring Minnesota: Tourism industry can go green and save money by focusing on solid waste reduction(2013)Benefit Your Facility: Increase efficiency, reduce costs, gain recognition, attract customers and employees. Protect the Environment: Conserve natural resources and prevent pollution.Item Comparing Properties of Alternative Media for Stormwater Biofilters(2017-05) Swanson, JoshuaAbstract This study includes the classification and characterization of alternative biofiltration media. Materials were evaluated using a series of standardized tests. The performance and physical properties of alternative media were then compared to the currently specified biofiltration mixture of compost and sand. Results from laboratory testing reveal that compost and peat have similar physical properties and infiltrate and retain water at similar rates. Muck soils were found to be inferior to compost by the same performance criteria. These results indicate that peat soils may be a viable alternative to compost for use as a soil additive for biofiltration devices. This study also included the design of field test plots and the configuration of remote field monitoring equipment. The construction of six field test plots comparing compost and peat added as a soil amendment are described. Instrumentation was configured to collect long-term rainfall and water-storage data to evaluate performance in-situ.Item Nutrient management for fruit and vegetable crop production: Using manure and compost as nutrient sources for vegetable crops(2005) Rosen, Carl J.; Bierman, Peter M.Manure and compost not only supply many nutrients for crop production, but they are also valuable sources of organic matter. Increasing soil organic matter improves soil structure, increases the water-holding capacity of coarse-textured sandy soils, improves drainage in fine-textured clay soils, provides a source of slow release nutrients, reduces wind and water erosion, and promotes growth of earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms. Most vegetable crops return small amounts of crop residue to the soil, so manure, compost, and other organic amendments help maintain soil organic matter levels. This discussion addresses differences between the composition of fresh and composted manure, nutrient availability from manure and compost, and calculation of how much manure or compost to apply. Although focused on manure or composted manure, much of the discussion and the methods for calculating rates are generally applicable to effective use of different types of compost, biosolids, and similar organic nutrient sources.Item Optimizing Biofiltration Media for the Capture of Phosphate and the Support of Vegetation Growth(2022-06) Kramarczuk, KathrynAbstractBiofiltration is a stormwater management practice designed to treat runoff for harmful contaminants. A critical component of these systems is the granular media. In this study, I investigated six different types of base media (10% leaf compost, 20% leaf compost, 10% food compost, 20% food compost, sphagnum peat, reed sedge peat) and four different amendments (spent lime, biochar, iron and sphagnum peat) in various combinations with sand to test their capacity in mitigating phosphate release and supporting the growth of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as an indicator of potential to support vegetation. The study consisted of an outdoor mesocosm experiment over three years, with 34 events total where 30 seeded mesocosms containing various media mixes received water from the Mississippi River (near downtown Minneapolis, MN, USA) that was spiked with phosphorus to simulate stormwater inputs. Soluble reactive phosphorus and nitrate concentration, pH, Switchgrass height over time, and Switchgrass biomass at senescence was measured each year. In general, mixes containing food compost, leaf compost, biochar with compost and spent lime with compost leached phosphorus whereas mixes containing peat, iron with compost, and sand adsorbed phosphorus. The mixes that leached phosphorus supported the most plant growth. Spent lime mixes and biochar mixes had the highest effluent nitrate concentrations indicating effects on N mineralization or nitrification. The iron and leaf compost layered media mix performed the best of all the mixes tested in terms of mitigating the release of phosphate and having the potential to support vegetation. Future research is necessary to determine if it can continue preventing phosphorus leaching and support vegetative growth with a higher percentage of compost and different plant species. Keywords: phosphate, nitrate, biofiltration, stormwater treatment, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), compost, peat, biochar, water treatment residuals, iron