Electrical Conductivity of Agricultural Drainage Water in Iowa

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett A Zimmerman ◽  
Amy L Kaleita
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Major Ions ◽  
Ionic Composition ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Specific Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Bulk Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Drainage Waters

Abstract. Assessing the effectiveness of management strategies to reduce agricultural nutrient efflux is hampered by the lack of affordable, continuous monitoring systems. Generalized water quality monitoring is possible using electrical conductivity. However environmental conditions can influence the ionic ratios, resulting in misinterpretations of established electrical conductivity and ionic composition relationships. Here we characterize specific electrical conductivity (k25) of agricultural drainage waters to define these environmental conditions and dissolved constituents that contribute to k25. A field investigation revealed that the magnitude of measured k25 varied from 370 to 760 µS cm-1. Statistical analysis indicated that variability in k25 was not correlated with drainage water pH, temperature, nor flow rate. While k25 was not significantly different among drainage waters from growing and post-growing season, significant results were observed for different cropping systems. Soybean plots in rotation with corn had significantly lower conductivities than those of corn plots in rotation with soybeans, continuous corn plots, and prairie plots. In addition to evaluating k25 variability, regression analysis was used to estimate the concentration of major ions in solution from measured k25. Regression results indicated that HCO3-, Ca2+, NO3-, Mg2+, Cl-, Na2+, SO42- were the major drainage constituents contributing to the bulk electrical conductivity. Calculated ionic molal conductivities of these analytes suggests that HCO3-, Ca2+, NO3-, and Mg2+ account for approximately 97% of the bulk electrical conductivity. Keywords: Electrical conductivity, Salinity, Subsurface drainage, Total dissolved solids.

scholarly journals Ecosystems of artificial saline lakes. A case of Lake Magic in Wadi El-Rayan depression (Egypt)

2020 ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Elena V. Anufriieva ◽  
Mohamed E. Goher ◽  
Abd Ellatif M. Hussian ◽  
Seilem M. El-Sayed ◽  
Mahmoud H. Hegab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saline Lakes ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Agricultural Fields ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Phytoplankton Species ◽  
Ion Composition ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Salinity Increase ◽  
Drainage Waters

The Wadi El-Rayan is a depression in the Fayoum oasis collecting agricultural drainage water from the Fayoum. Since 1973, this drainage water formed two man-made lakes. Twenty years ago, a third lake, called Lake Magic was formed. Since this newly formed lake was not yet studied, in January of 2019 we conducted research related to its physico-chemical (ion composition, nutrients, heavy metals, etc.) and biological (phyto-, bacterio- and zooplankton) characteristics. The depth of the lake ranged from 1.5 to 9.0 m, water transparency was up to 4.0 m, and the water temperature was 13.6 °C. The average salinity was 29.1 g/l, and the salinity of drainage waters from agricultural fields was 2.9 g/l. A total of 28 phytoplankton species was identified belonging to Bacillariophyceae (eight species), Dinophyceae (three species), Cyanobacteria (seven species), Chlorophyceae (nine species) and Conjugatophyceae (one species). Chlorophyll a content varied from 14.3 to 24.2 μg/l. In zooplankton, there were three species of Ciliophora, five of Rotifera, and two Copepoda as well as Nematoda and Cirripedia larvae. Salinity in Lake Magic was much higher than in drainage waters coming in the lake. This is a result of a strong salinity increase in Lake Magic after its creation due to climate aridity, and salinity may markedly increase during the next 20 years along with the sharp changes of the lake's ecosystem.

Treatment, Reuse and Disposal of Drainage Waters

1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin W. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Salt Tolerant ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Drainage Waters

Treatment, reuse and disposal of agricultural drainage water present formidable technical problems. Various treatment technology and disposal methods have been studied. Reuse of drainage is possible with salt tolerant crops but has not been proven in large scale operations. Brine recovery for solar gradient pond and salt harvesting are promising technologies, but the economics of these reclamation processes have not been proven. Promising alternatives must be proven by further research and development before they can be applied to drainage problems.

Dissolved Constituents in Agricultural Drainage Waters

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 847-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett A Zimmerman ◽  
Amy L Kaleita
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Ionic Composition ◽  
Calcium Nitrate ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Subsurface Drainage ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Drainage Waters ◽  
Chloride Concentrations

Abstract. Efflux of dissolved solutes in agricultural subsurface drainage systems adversely affects the ecosystems of receiving waters, degrades soil fertility, and represents an economic loss to farmers. These solutes are frequently studied without regard to their associated ions, which play a fundamental role in their transport characteristics. In this study, we conducted a literature review to identify major dissolved constituents in agricultural drainage waters characteristic of central Iowa and pinpointed causes of variability in the leaching rate of these constituents. This literature review is complemented by a thorough field investigation that analyzes major solute concentrations with respect to seasonal conditions, common cropping systems, and relationships among ions. Results from this investigation reveal that primary dissolved constituents consist of bicarbonate, calcium, nitrate, magnesium, chloride, sodium, and sulfate (in order of decreasing ppm concentration). Analysis of seasonal drainage samples showed that bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium were present at greater concentrations during the post-growing season, while nitrate and chloride concentrations were greatest during the growing season. Seasonal variability of sulfate and sodium was negligible. Continuous corn and corn in annual rotation with soybeans had greater magnesium and chloride concentrations than soybeans in annual rotation with corn. Conversely, calcium concentrations were greater for soybean cropping systems compared to corn cropping systems. Bicarbonate and nitrate were not significantly different among any of the cropping systems. A strong correlation between bicarbonate and calcium suggests that agricultural lime dissolution was caused by mineral weathering, rather than by acidification due to N fertilizer applications or nitrification. An analysis of observed drainage flows, pH, and temperatures suggested that these parameters were not good indicators of differences in ionic composition. Keywords: Bicarbonate, Dissolved ions, Nitrate, pH, Subsurface drainage.

Using red mud bauxite for the neutralization of acid mine tailings: a column leaching test

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 1167-1179 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Paradis ◽  
J Duchesne ◽  
A Lamontagne ◽  
D Isabel
Keyword(s):  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Red Mud ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Leaching Test ◽  
Column Leaching ◽  
Acid Mine ◽  
Column Leaching Test ◽  
Set Up

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is an environmental problem produced when sulphides come in contact with an oxidant (± bacteria) and water, producing acid generation and metals leaching. One solution proposed is to use red mud bauxite (RMB), which is very alkaline, to neutralize oxidized acidic tailings. A column leaching test has been set up to evaluate major aspects of field constraints. First, a field investigation was conducted in which RMB was spread in aggregates before mixing with tailings. This setup has been reproduced in the laboratory and compared with a homogeneous mixture. The analyses of the water effluent do not show any important difference between the two mixtures. Second, some studies show that the addition of Cl brine to RMB helps to maintain the long-term neutralization potential. Brine addition increased the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Cu in drainage water. Columns were set up with 10% and 20% RMB to evaluate the effect of the quantity applied. Addition of greater than 20% RMB increases the leachate alkalinity and concentrations of Al, Cu, Pb, As, Fe, and SO42– in drainage waters. The addition of 10% RMB, however, significantly improves the quality of drainage water over a period of 125 days and results in concentrations and pH values within the ranges of those recommended by Directive 019 of the Ministère de l'environnement, Québec.Key words: acid mine drainage, red mud bauxite, tailings, environmental geochemistry, neutralization.

scholarly journals Temperature Sensitivity and Composition of Nitrate-Reducing Microbiomes from a Full-Scale Woodchip Bioreactor Treating Agricultural Drainage Water

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1331
Author(s):  
Arnaud Jéglot ◽  
Sebastian Reinhold Sørensen ◽  
Kirk M. Schnorr ◽  
Finn Plauborg ◽  
Lars Elsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Response ◽  
Microbial Transformation ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Cold Adapted ◽  
Agricultural Drainage Water ◽  
Temperature Responses

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors (WBR), which aim to reduce nitrate (NO3−) pollution from agricultural drainage water, are less efficient when cold temperatures slow down the microbial transformation processes. Conducting bioaugmentation could potentially increase the NO3− removal efficiency during these specific periods. First, it is necessary to investigate denitrifying microbial populations in these facilities and understand their temperature responses. We hypothesized that seasonal changes and subsequent adaptations of microbial populations would allow for enrichment of cold-adapted denitrifying bacterial populations with potential use for bioaugmentation. Woodchip material was sampled from an operating WBR during spring, fall, and winter and used for enrichments of denitrifiers that were characterized by studies of metagenomics and temperature dependence of NO3− depletion. The successful enrichment of psychrotolerant denitrifiers was supported by the differences in temperature response, with the apparent domination of the phylum Proteobacteria and the genus Pseudomonas. The enrichments were found to have different microbiomes’ composition and they mainly differed with native woodchip microbiomes by a lower abundance of the genus Flavobacterium. Overall, the performance and composition of the enriched denitrifying population from the WBR microbiome indicated a potential for efficient NO3− removal at cold temperatures that could be stimulated by the addition of selected cold-adapted denitrifying bacteria.

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