Development of breakthrough curves for evaluating transport parameters for computational modeling of nitrate transport in Illinois

• Grant number: 11/20639-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: March 15, 2012
• End date: August 08, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Soil and Water Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jarbas Honorio de Miranda
• Grantee: Jarbas Honorio de Miranda
• Host Investigator: Richard Cooke
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States

Abstract

In the light of current environmental concerns and the need to understand the processes that govern water and solute movement in soil, studies are needed to increase water use efficiency in the agricultural sector, and to reduce the impact of agricultural activities on groundwater. Therefore, the present research project aims to determine the transport parameters associated with soil nitrate transport, by developing nitrate Breakthrough Curves (BTC) for 12 benchmark soils of Illinois. These parameters will be determined by passing nitrates with different associated cations through disturbed and undisturbed samples of these soils and using the STANMOD model to fit the resulting BTC's. The parameters will be used in the computational modeling of nitrate transport from agricultural fields in Illinois to groundwater and to surface water bodies. (AU)