Proceedings available at: http://www.extension.org/67669
Several groups have developed P removal structures, which are units filled with P sorbing materials and designed to channel runoff water through them while retaining the filter material and P. The goal is to prevent P from entering a surface water body and allow filtered P to be removed from the watershed after the P-saturated material is removed. The P sorbing materials utilized are typically by-products from various industries and include steel slag, FGD gypsum, drinking water treatment residuals, and acid mine drainage residuals. A modeling tool has been developed for (1) sizing a structure based on filter media properties and watershed characteristics, (2) predicting the lifetime of a P removal structure, and (3) estimating total P removal. In addition to the modeling tool, data from full scale filters will be presented.
On National Teacher Day, meet the 2024-25 Kenan Fellows
Designing Structures to Remove Phosphorus from Drainage Waters
1. C. Penn, J. Payne*, J. McGrath and J. Vitale
Oklahoma State University
University of Maryland
2. Occurs primarily via
surface flow:
- Particulate P – carried
on eroded particles,
not immediately bio-
available
- Dissolved P – 100%
biologically available
4. Chesapeake Bay
Illinois River Watershed
Both have:
- High density poultry production
- Urban development
- Limited cropland
- Water quality concerns
5. 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Trt 1
Trt 2
Trt 3
Trt 4
Trt 5
Coale, F.J. and R. Kratochvil 2011: Unpublished data
Mehlich-3Phosphorus(mgkg-1)
Plant optimum soil test P level
Cessation of fertilizer applications
6. Most traditional BMPs do:
- target particulate P
- veg buffers, riparian areas
- prevent soil P from increasing
- limit P applications
7. Most traditional BMPs do not:
- target dissolved P
- difficult to target
High P soils will continue to produce
dissolved P for years
Runoff P vs. Soil Test P (Miami, OK)
y = 0.0016x + 0.287
R2
= 0.89
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
Soil Test P (ppm)
RunoffP(ppm)
8. PSM:
-any material that chemically removes dissolved P
from a solution, reducing soluble P.
Examples include: Al, Fe, Ca and Mg.
Many by-products contain P sorbing minerals.
Can be used for treatment of soil or manure;
however, P is not removed from system.
Better use would be treatment of runoff
11. Material Availability
Cost & Transportation
Potential contaminants
Alkalinity/acidity
Soluble salts
Total,
acid soluble,
and water soluble
Na & heavy metalsSorption characteristics
Physical Properties
Particle size
distribution
and bulk density
Hydraulic
conductivity
12. Remove both particulate and dissolved P
Ability to remove PSM after saturation
Various metals and pesticides are removed
Target treatment in “hot spots”
Potential to capture P from entire catchment
22. Developed with lab flow through studies and
validated with pilot scale filter
Developed a user friendly empirical model
Tested 16 different materials
- add P at constant rate
- vary retention time and P concentration
- measure P in outflow
25. Possible interest in commercializing design
Golf course industry
Ag industry
Potential NRCS cost share technology
Nutrient credit brokers
Corn with different amounts of P.Plant optimum soil test P level is 32.5 mg/kg in OK. Varies in other states. 50-100 mg/kg in Maryland.
Reducing runoff and trapping sediment P
PSM: any material that chemically removes dissolved P from a solution, reducing soluble P. Examples inlcude Al, Fe, Ca Mg, etc.PSM can be added to soil or manure to decrease soluble P concentrations; however, it is temporary. You are not removing P from system.Sorption occurs from adsorption and precipitation. Ca/Mg remove P by precipitation reactions that occur much slower. Al/Fe remove P by adsorption which occurs rapidly.Precipitation: Ca/Mg must be dissolved into solution where they will then re-precipitate with P in solution to create a new solid.Adsorption: Adhesion of dissolved solids to a surface.
Structure did not contain sandThink of it as P filter. Like a Brita filter.
AMDRs: this is a by-product from treating/neutralizing acid mine drainage waters (such as from tar creek or coal mines). The result is a by-product rich in Fe and Al oxides.Bauxite waste is from Al making industry. Mostly in New Zealand and Australia. Rich in Fe and Al oxides.Steel slag waste is from making steel. Available everywhere there is a steel mill.Drinking WTRs are from the process of removing sediment from drinking water. This is highly available all over the US.Waste gypsum comes from the wall board industry and mostly from the power production industry. Paper mill waste is rich in Al oxides. Foundry sand: comes from metal casting industryFly ash: Coal fired powered plantNOT ALL OF THE MATERIALS WILL BE SAFE; THEY NEED TO BE SCREENED PRIOR TO USE particularly for soluble metalsSieve out fines
AMDRs: this is a by-product from treating acid mine drainage (such as from tar creek or coal mines). The result is a by-product rich in Fe and Al oxides.Bauxite waste is from Al making industry. Mostly in New Zealand and Australia. Rich in Fe and Al oxides.Steel slag waste is from making steel. Available everywhere there is a steel mill. Rich in Ca. pH may be high but ability to change pH is low.Drinking WTRs are from the process of removing sediment from drinking water. This is highly available all over the US.Waste gypsum comes from the wall board industry and mostly from the power production industry (coal). Paper mill waste is rich in Al oxides. NOT ALL OF THE MATERIALS WILL BE SAFE; THEY NEED TO BE SCREENED PRIOR TO USEFe and Al – adsorptionCa – precipitation
Targeted application that would otherwise be too costly to apply across a landscape.
Ag runoff pic
Different slag with different size fractions. Differences in Ca, alkalinity and pH.
3 tons EAF slag treats 150 acres9 inches of slag¼ “ slagFlow rate and samples collected using ISCO automatic samplers at structure inlet and outlet. Using P concentration and flow rate data, we were able to calculate the P load entering the structure and P load removed by structure.
123x76x76 perforated steel box10.2 cm pipe positioned vertically inside box- radial flow to discharge.Holds ~1.4 Mg of ¼ slag.4 boxes in series to discharge.Drains 2 ha from poultry production area.Currently monitoring performance with different size fractions of steel slag
Issue is size. Too small.
Dam at end to back water up and force water to go thru 4 drainage pipes. Pipes have gypsum and slag.50 Mg < FGD GypsumPSM over and under perforated pipesPSM can be removed and land applied after filter failureSlow retention timeWorks well with base flow (slow rate, low concentration)Ideal for typical field ditch applications
Dam at end to back water up and force water to go thru 4 drainage pipes. Pipes have gypsum and slag.50 Mg < FGD GypsumPSM over and under perforated pipesPSM can be removed and land applied after filter failureSlow retention timeWorks well with base flow (slow rate, low concentration)Ideal for typical field ditch applications
Structure is developed by observed relationship among experimental data.How much P it will remove based on inflow P concentrations and retention time.
Design Curve unique to each material based on properties, inflow P conc, and retention time X axis intercept = maximum amount of P loading until P saturationEquation for a “design curve” is predicted from pH, total Ca, buffer index, amorphous Al + Fe, and avg particle sizeDiscrete = at that moment. Capacity to bind P reduces as more more is added.
Integrate design curve to produce cumulative prediction curveModel vs flow thru data in labCumulative P over time. Break through curve: point of where concentration going out is same as concnetration going in.
Site hydrology: Peak flow rate, annual flow volume, dissolved P levelTargeted P removal. Targeted lifetime.PSM characterization: P sorption, safety, physical propertiesDesign parameters: area, mass depth
lots of sediment also removedModelvs structure
lots of sediment also removed
If farms are given caps, then nutrient trading may be an option.Free market. Expanding WWTPs buys from farmer.