Remediation of Water from Livestock Feeding Operations, Farmlands, and Residential Areas Using Native Wetland Plants

Contamination of water is a critical problem within Agriculture and Urban areas across Alberta and western Canada from nutrient loading. Although past research has proven that wetland plants are effective in capturing nutrients to effectively clean water while harvesting off the vegetation for other productive uses such as compost for soil remediation, there is a lack of critical information to successfully carry out water remediation using native wetland plants. This knowledge gap is related to the quantification and proof of concept of the hyperaccumulation capabilities of each of the various native wetland plant species and the specific nutrients for which each plant species is most effective. Phase 1 of this project provided the quantification data relating to the hyperaccumulation properties of native wetland plants. Phase 2 will confirm the actual performance of native wetland plants and provide proof of concept by: (1) using plant data and proven floating island technology acquired from Phase 1, and (2) subjecting the plants to feedlot runoff water to prove their efficiencies and capabilities in remediating the runoff water from livestock feedlots so that the water can safely be reused for irrigation and livestock drinking water.

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Watch the webinar reporting on Phase 2:

Amount Funded

$75,000

Year Funded

2019

Funding Priority

Built Environment: Understand and improve the sustainability and livability of the physical and social aspects of our human-made environment.

Contributor

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Olds College, Centre for Innovation

Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI) is the applied research division of Olds College of Agriculture & Technology, and focuses on practical, industry-driven applied research that can be easily implemented by the agriculture industry.