Saturated buffer design flow and performance in Illinois

Journal of Environmental Quality · 2022 · 15 citations

• Environmental science
• Mathematics
• Ecology

removal. Bypass at one site (SB2) was related to the concept of "antecedent buffer capacity filled," which was defined as the 5-d average water depth in the middle control structure chamber expressed as a relative percentage of the bypass stop log height. This design flow analysis serves as a call to further evaluate predictive relationships and design models for edge-of-field practices.

Effectiveness of Denitrifying Bioreactors on Water Pollutant Reduction from Agricultural Areas

Transactions of the ASABE · 2021 · 68 citations

• Environmental science
• Environmental engineering
• Pulp and paper industry

Highlights Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors treat nitrate-N in a variety of applications and geographies. This review focuses on subsurface drainage bioreactors and bed-style designs (including in-ditch). Monitoring and reporting recommendations are provided to advance bioreactor science and engineering. Abstract. Denitrifying bioreactors enhance the natural process of denitrification in a practical way to treat nitrate-nitrogen (N) in a variety of N-laden water matrices. The design and construction of bioreactors for treatment of subsurface drainage in the U.S. is guided by USDA-NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 605. This review consolidates the state of the science for denitrifying bioreactors using case studies from across the globe with an emphasis on full-size bioreactor nitrate-N removal and cost-effectiveness. The focus is on bed-style bioreactors (including in-ditch modifications), although there is mention of denitrifying walls, which broaden the applicability of bioreactor technology in some areas. Subsurface drainage denitrifying bioreactors have been assessed as removing 20% to 40% of annual nitrate-N loss in the Midwest, and an evaluation across the peer-reviewed literature published over the past three years showed that bioreactors around the world have been generally consistent with that (N load reduction median: 46%; mean ±SD: 40% ±26%; n = 15). Reported N removal rates were on the order of 5.1 g N m-3 d-1 (median; mean ±SD: 7.2 ±9.6 g N m-3 d-1; n = 27). Subsurface drainage bioreactor installation costs have ranged from less than $5,000 to $27,000, with estimated cost efficiencies ranging from less than $2.50 kg-1 N year-1 to roughly $20 kg-1 N year-1 (although they can be as high as $48 kg-1 N year-1). A suggested monitoring setup is described primarily for the context of conservation practitioners and watershed groups for assessing annual nitrate-N load removal performance of subsurface drainage denitrifying bioreactors. Recommended minimum reporting measures for assessing and comparing annual N removal performance include: bioreactor dimensions and installation date; fill media size, porosity, and type; nitrate-N concentrations and water temperatures; bioreactor flow treatment details; basic drainage system and bioreactor design characteristics; and N removal rate and efficiency. Keywords: Groundwater, Nitrate, Nonpoint-source pollution, Subsurface drainage, Tile.