Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2019IL091B

Improving denitrifying woodchip bioreactor design and management through denitrification potential testing

Institute: Illinois
Year Established: 2019 Start Date: 2019-06-18 End Date: 2020-05-31
Total Federal Funds: $9,968 Total Non-Federal Funds: $27,900

Principal Investigators: Dr. Laura Christianson

Project Summary: Nitrogen loss from Illinois' tile drained lands significantly contributes to degraded water quality in the Mississippi River Basin and local water bodies. Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors offer agricultural producers a realistic and cost-effective edge-of-field option to clean nitrate from tile drainage water, but new approaches are required to design them to be more efficient and to manage them for maximized nitrogen removal. This work will improve design and management strategies for woodchip bioreactors by evaluating denitrification potential and nitrous oxide production potential of woodchips, tile drainage water, and soils. Viewing inside the