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Waste Management

waste_comp.jpgThe Department of Soil Science is active in programs that deal with agricultural, industrial, and by-product wastes.

These products are land applied for beneficial reuse and/or disposal to the land in agronomic settings. The Department has an active research and extension program dealing with the treatment and management of these products. Public acceptance for handling these products only comes through proper site evaluation, system design, and site management. The Department is involved in all these areas through its research and extension programs. Currently our programs address:

  • Research into the role of land application of lagoon effluent and its contribution to bacterial loading in groundwater is being evaluated by Alexandria Graves. Bacterial isolates recovered from groundwater wells are characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods for bacterial source identification.
  • Dan Israel is determining the nitrogen availability coefficient of swine-lagoon sludge under fields conditions.
  • Deanna Osmond is characterizing increases in soil test phosphorus from swine-lagoon sludge applications.
  • Establishment of accurate realistic yield expectations for crops used for waste application sites (Deanna Osmond and David Crouse).
  • Monitoring and technical assistance on waste application sites (Karl Shaffer and David Hardy).
  • Development of management tools and policy to assist with siting and management of waste application systems (Karl Shaffer).
  • Training, demonstration, and outreach through the Soil and Water Environmental Technology Facility (http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/swetc/index.html) (Karl Shaffer, and colleagues from Biological and Agricultural Engineering and NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services).