T52 Pyrogenic Black Carbon, or Biochar, in Soils and Sediments, Its Characterization and Fate, Its Effects on the Carbon Cycle and Carbon Sequestration, and Its Effects on Soil Properties (Posters)

Sunday, 27 October 2013
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Hall D

BIOCHAR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS: WASTE AND WATER AND AGRICULTURE - CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

Paper number: T52-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

The established and successful Research Experience for Teachers at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) is supported by the NSF and administered through the Departments of Physics, Chemistry, and Geosciences, and the Manfred Olsen Planetarium at UWM. For 6 weeks each summer, secondary education science teachers work full-time with UWM faculty to broaden and deepen their content knowledge in a specific area of research; increase their science literacy; and use their experience to develop innovative teaching projects suitable for incorporation into their classes. A main goal of this professional development for in-service teachers is to improve the quality of science education and thus to stimulate the interest and imaginations of students who might not otherwise pursue science studies in college.

The leaching of nutrients from fertilizers applied to sandy agricultural soils is a significant source of surface and groundwater pollution. Biochar produced from wood and plant wastes have high surface area and favorable positive charge that have been shown to improve soil fertility and mitigate nutrient leaching. The presenters, one rural and one urban teacher, studied the ability of biochar sourced from dairy manure and waste water treatment plant biosolids to mitigate the leaching of nitrate and phosphate from sandy agricultural soil columns. These waste-sourced biochars reduced the mass of phosphate leaching by 38-40% and also reduced the initial rate of nitrate leaching.

The presenters’ teaching projects resulting from the RET involve students in researching their own local water quality, producing community education materials on safe and healthy water resources, and performing their own local research into the agricultural use of biochar as a beneficial soil amendment in rural and urban settings. The presenters will share details of both their summer research experience and the classroom lessons and activities they developed.