Capping material helps alum inactivate phosphorus in lake water
PI's:
Paul Lorenzen, Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Kyungnan Min, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Students:
Doctoral student Sepideh Sadeghi
Most South Dakota lakes are phosphorus-rich. Efforts to use aluminum sulfate, a coagulant which binds phosphorus forming flocs that settles to the bottom of the lake, have produced only short-term results. Alum-capping material combinations have helped the floc settle to the bottom, resist turbulence and prevent re-suspension better than alum alone.
Duckweed absorbs nutrients, provides protein for animal feed
A tiny aquatic plant called duckweed might help remove contaminants from ponds and slow-moving water bodies and then could be harvested and incorporated into animal feed.
PI's:
Roger Foote, coordinator for the Upper Big Sioux River Watershed Project
Lin Wei of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Understanding E. coli behavior important for improving water quality
Understanding how E. coli behave in streams will help scientists determine how to reduce high bacteria counts in waterways.
PI's:
Rachel McDaniel, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering,
Bruce Bleakley, Department of Biology and Microbiology
Students:
Louis Amegbletor
Sadia Salam