poplar plantations for water sustainability in the ... · populus (2012) city of jacksonville 6,000...
TRANSCRIPT
Poplar Plantations for Water Sustainability in the Southeastern USA.
Benefits and Concerns for Food, Energy, and Water Resiliency and Sustainability
Dennis Hazel, Harry Daniels, Shawn Shifflett, Damian Shea, Allison Culbreth, Solomon Ghezehei, Andrew McEachranDepartment of Forest and Environmental Resources
Wanda Bodnar (UNC-Chapel Hill), Mark Strynar (USEPA), Andrew Birch (NCDEQ)
NC Bioenergy Research InitiativeUSGS WRRI
NC Sea GrantUSDA/NIFA Water for Agriculture
City of Jacksonville, Town of Garner, Gibson, Mt. Olive, Edenton
Nielsen, L., E. Guthrie Nichols, D. Hazel. 2012. A GIS Database of Municipal Waste Land Application Sites in North Carolina for Potential Bioenergy/biofuel Crop Production
acres
1990s presentMixed pine/hardwoodSycamoreSweet gumGreen AshBald cypressRiver birchPopulus (2012)
City of Jacksonville6,000 ac (2,000 irrigated)
Slow-rate Forest Land Application (1” to 3” week) Secondary-treated municipal wastewater15 to 30 years, 50” ww + 50” rainfall per year
Nutrients & Metals
Regulated Organics
?
Hydrologic Function & Non-Regulated Contaminants
http://www.cascade-earth.com/default.aspx
HardwoodsHigh Intensity PineMixed Tree systems
BIOENERGY?
Bald cypress
Sycamore
Natural stand –eastern cottonwood
Hybrid poplar – 1 yr
Sweet gum –coppiced twice
Loblolly pine
Ghezehei, S., Shifflet, S., Hazel, D, E. Guthrie Nichols. 2015. Journal of Environmental Management,160:57-66.
• Yes they are productive
• Competition for arable land for bioenergy?
• Need better forest management
BIOENERGY
BIOENERGYBIOENERGY
Right Water at the Right Place at the Right Time (USDA)
https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts/southeast.html
Wetter Winters
Salt Water Intrusion; Forest Death
Hotter, drier summers
Importance of Forest Water Reuse Systems• Maintaining forest lands• Provisioning wood products • Provisioning water for other agricultural crops
(directly or indirectly)• Regulating and provisioning surface water• Regulating and provisioning groundwater• Mitigating expected water availability variability• Mitigating expected salt water intrusion• Sequestering carbon• Regulating soil• Regulating GHG• Regulating biodiversity (forest and organisms)
Forested land-application of wastewater
• Avoidance of direct discharge• Lower costs (capital, energy) and
employs more people• Lower odor potential and high removal
of nutrients and BOD• Provision wood products and
bioenergy – optimized?• Groundwater recharge / water
storage?• Protect Water Quality?• GHG dynamics?• Biodiversity?
Hybrid Poplar Success – yes, if bedded0 yr
1 yr
2 yr
BED BED
BEDDED 49-177
NOT BEDDED 49-177
BEDDED DN-34
NOT BEDDED DN-34
BEDDED OP-367
NOT BEDDED OP-367
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100%
Mea
n Vo
lum
e (d
m3 )
Percent Survival
Bedding generally improved survival for the evaluated genotypes, but the genotypes that produced the most volume tended to have lower survival.
Limitations:GenotypeWeed competitionPestsSecondary-treated WW
Primary wastewater and better genotypes
Trade offs:Lower productivity than intensive silviculturepractice – but that’s OK given associated services
Concerns…Frequent harvesting… Risk to soil compaction, cost, and loss of water infiltration
PPCPs release from convention sewage treatment plants are a concern for water-reuse and ecological toxicity
Pharmaceuticals?
Prescription DrugsHormones and reproductive effects1
Anti-depressants and behavioral effects2
Development of antibiotic resistance3
Mixtures effects4
PPCPs
What happens to non-regulated contaminants (such as pharmaceuticals- PPCPs)
PPCPs?
PPCPs?soil
groundwaterPPCPs?
PPCPs?
PPCPs?
stream
Which PPCPs make it to surface water via soil infiltration and groundwater?
PPCPs in wastewater is variable
7d to 10d residence time reservoirs
Lack of use of particular PPCPsPhotodegradation
BiodegradationChemical degradation (pH swings – 11)
Sorption and sedimentation
Soil
GroundwaterWastewater
Caffeine
Presc/OTC
NSAIDs
Antibiotics
Cotinine
Caffeine
Presc/OTC
Hormones
Cotinine
Plasticizer
Presc/OTC
NSAIDsHormones
Plasticizer
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
Disc
harg
e (m
3 /da
y)
Natural Streamflow Wastewater
Sampling Dates
Greater fraction of wastewater in groundwater during low rainfall periods or intense rainfall (water discharge)
Low range 12% surface outletMedian range of 24%High range of 55%
The fraction of wastewater in surface waters (and PPCPs) is greatest during storm events and low rainfall periods.
Birch et al., 2016. Journal of Env. Quality
PPCPs in Forest Water Reuse Systems are found at lower concentrations than downstream of conventional WWTPs.McEachran et al. (2015) Environ. Toxicol. Chem..
Pharmaceutical Compound
Forested LAS WatersGroundwater Surface
Literature ValuesSurface Waters
Pharmaceutical (ng/L) (ng/L) (ng/L)Cotinine 3-13 1-23 20-50a
Caffeine 6-25 5-7 105b
Carbamazepine 0-11 2 25a, 157c
Sulfamethoxazole 0-21 0-2 60-150a, 20b, 1c
DEET 6-150 6-80 22b
Trimethoprim 0-2 0-20 10-150a, 71c
Ibuprofen 0-2 0-2 200a, 28b
Erythromycin 0 0 3.4b
Estrone 0-20 0 3.6b
Naproxen 0-12 0-6 11a, 53c
Forest Water Reuse Design (FoRWD)…• We have more to learn!• Tree species, rotation matters but
there are trade-offs• Manage regulated and non-
regulated contaminants comparable to conventional WWTP treatment
• The potential role these systems can play for future climate change and water-reuse is exciting (but needs good science and stakeholder collaboration)
Mt. Olive, NC 10 yr old SycamoreTertiary-treated wastewaterDrip irrigation