SoilMate’s Weekly News Digest #12
Welcome to our new digest. Only sustainable news today and every Friday here in our Medium!
Using corn crop leftovers to improve water quality
Corn is the main crop of the United States, and about half of the crop — stems, leaves, husks, and cobs — remains as waste after the separation of the kernels from the cobbles. These residues, known as maize straw, are of little commercial or industrial use other than burning.
Engineers from Riverside University of California described an energy-efficient way to bring corn straw back into the economy, turning it into activated carbon for water purification.
“Finding applications for idle resources such as corn stover is imperative to combat climate change. This research adds value to the biomass industry, which can further reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said doctoral student Mark Gale.
U.S. Department of Agriculture awards 85 new projects to help mitigate climate change
USDA invests 330 million dollars in 85 local public-private partnerships to address climate change, improve the country’s water quality, combat drought, improve soil health, supporting wildlife habitats, and protecting agricultural viability.
Producers see the effects of climate change across the U.S. Farmers, landowners, and local communities can play an influential role in combating climate change.
“These new projects will harness the power of partnerships to help bring about solutions to natural resource concerns across the country while supporting our efforts to combat the climate crisis,” said NRCS Acting Chief Terry Cosby.
A new soy-based dust suppressant helps clean the air.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, 35 percent of roads in the United States are not covered. The dust generated by vehicles on these roads is about one ton of lost gravel per vehicle per year.
“A long-lasting soy-biobased dust suppressant is a natural choice for farmers, county engineers, and government agencies to improve air quality, traffic safety, and sustainability,” said Dan Farney, United Soybean Board Chair.
BioBlend Renewable Resources will start nationwide sales in April 2021, following the license agreement with the NDSU Research Foundation. EPIC EL is produced from soy oil and glycerin, a by-product of biodiesel production.
A team of researchers from UC Santa Barbara contends that the seaweed could provide an efficient and cost-effective solution.
They can absorb excess nutrients that affect human health and marine life. The researchers proposed a new strategy to reduce large amounts of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, once they are released into the environment.
The authors analyzed data from the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, which illustrated the problems associated with nutrient pollution. More than 800 watersheds in 32 states deliver nutrients to the Persian Gulf, resulting in a growing dead zone with low oxygen content. In 2019, this dead zone extended just over 18,000 square kilometers, a little less than New Jersey. “Cultivating seaweed in less than 1% of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico could potentially reach the country’s pollution reduction goals that, for decades, have been difficult to achieve,” said lead author Phoebe Racine.
