SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Sections

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Participants

Stephen Anderson (University of Missouri), Ganga Hettiarachchi (Kansas State University), Alexandra Kravchenko (Michigan State University), Daniel G. Strawn (University of Idaho), and Wei Zhang (Michigan State University)

The main agenda of the annual meeting was to discuss about the renewal of the multi-state project. A draft proposal was shared with all project participants prior to the annual meeting. The past accomplishments were reviewed especially on group collaboration activities among the project participants, including the research collaborations between Drs. Hettiarachchi (KSU) and Schwab (Texas A&M) and between Drs. Kravchenko and Possinger, the 2023 annual meeting win conjunction with the 3rd International Pan American Light Sources for Agriculture, and various symposia and topical sessions organized in the annual meetings of ASA-CSSA-SSSA. The unique strength of this multi-state project is to develop and employ advanced molecular and microscopic tools to characterize and quantify the physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and processes of particulate matters in soil, air, and water systems. To enhance collaboration within our group and the broader impact of this project to scientific community, annual symposium (or workshop) focusing on the advanced analytical techniques and practices (especially synchrotron-based spectroscopy techniques will be organized within the ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Meetings each year by our project participants. Invited speakers will present the state-of-art analytical techniques and share effective strategies on how to best acquire the synchrotron resources for analysis. Topical sessions will also be organized for researchers and practitioners of various advanced analytical techniques to share their research.

Accomplishments

The investigators of this multistate research project carry out basic and applied research on physical, chemical, and biological processes in soils, as well as meaningful outreach activities to enhance agricultural productivity and protect human and ecosystem health. The key feature of our group is the focus on microscale mechanisms underlying these processes and the use of advanced analytical techniques, many of them synchrotron-based, required to address them. In the past year the investigators utilized these advanced tools to study micro-scale patterns in distribution of Mn in soils under contrasting agricultural practices and their potential contribution to soil C gains, effect of soil pore structure on solute and water transport, nitrate removal from water resources with electrochemical reduction, wind soil erosion, air pollution, the speciation, bioavailability, and transport of metals and nutrients in soil-plant systems, recovery of potable water and valuable nutrients from wastewater sources, and environmental processes and impacts of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS], metals, and prions in soil, water, and plant systems, using a multitude of spectroscopic, molecular, experimental, and computational methods.

In terms of multi-state collaborative activities, a few examples are highlighted here. Michigan State University and Creighton University collaborated on investigating the environmental persistence, bioavailability, and infectivity of prions in soil and water systems.  Drs. Kravchenko (MSU) and Possinger (Virginia Tech) collaborated on analyses of different aspects of Mn processing in agricultural soils. Several participants of this project (Hettiarachchi, Possinger, and Strawn) organized an oral session (11 presentations) and a poster session (6 presentations) on Advanced Analytical Techniques and Their Application to Soil and Environmental Biogeochemistry.

Some state-specific research activities are highlighted below to demonstrate the work of this group.

At University of Missouri Dr. Stephen Anderson’s group investigated the transport of solutes and water in porous media. The Anderson group used X-ray computed tomographic (CT) techniques as a fast, robust, and non-invasive method to provide unique opportunities to quantify detailed pore morphological parameters and permit 3-D visualization of soil structural properties and to image and estimate the dynamic water and solute transport properties of porous media, particularly with the recent advancement in the reduction of scanning interval. CT has made the pore scale modelling of water and solute transport possible by providing the 3-D pore network and allowing the Navier–Stokes equations to be solved directly on a gridded or meshed 3-D image of the pore space geometry.

At University of Illinois, Dr. Joseph Stucki investigated redox-activated smectites as agents for removing undesirable pollutants such as nitrate from water. The goal of this study was to find an inexpensive and natural resource that can be used to eliminate nitrate from agricultural waters and drinking water reservoirs. A very promising candidate for this purpose is the clay mineral group known as smectite, which contains iron (Fe) in its crystal structure. Smectites are ubiquitous in nature and readily available. The Fe stays inside the clay as an integral part of the mineral lattice network and is susceptible to changes in its electrical charge, known as oxidation-reduction (redox, for short), in which Fe3+ is reduced to Fe2+, also denoted Fe(III) and Fe(II), respectively. This change in oxidation state impacts important reactions at the clay mineral surfaces. One of the potential redox reactions at the surface is for Fe(II) to reduce nitrate to less harmful forms of nitrogen. An important advancement was made during this time period, involving an electrochemical reduction reaction that does not require the addition of any chemicals. Another important advancement was that Fe was placed between the superimposed layers of the smectite to form pillars of Fe(III), and then the Fe(III) in the pillars was reduced to Fe(II). This is the first time this phenomenon of reduction in Fe pillars has been observed and adds more possibilities for increasing the reactivity of the smectite with nitrate.

At Michigan State University (MSU) Dr. Wei Zhang’s group focused on studying the fate and transport of environmental contaminants in soil, water, and plant systems. Specifically, his group studied the interactions of infectious proteinaceous particles (prions, new groups of emerging contaminants) with soil geosorbents. This study aimed to understand environmental behaviors of chronic wasting disease prions and to develop novel cost-effective mitigation strategies. Molecular dynamics simulation was used to understand the interactions of amino acids with graphene and prion fibrils with geosorbent surfaces (i.e., Fe2O3, Ca(OH)2, montmorillonite, kaolinite, and graphene). The group investigated the crop uptake of mixed metal(loids) as influenced by a variety of soil amendments and under various soil water conditions. The group also studied the fate and transport of PFAS in soil, water and plant systems using laboratory and modeling approaches. Also at Michigan State University, Dr. Kravchenko’s group utilized a combination of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XRF) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to conduct micro-scale mapping of oxidation states of Mn (Mn(II), Mn(III), and Mn(IV)) in intact soils. Those analyses were combined with identification of the locations and characteristics of soil pores using X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT). Comparisons between two contrasting systems: a chisel ploughed maize-soybean-wheat rotation system and a native early successional plant community, removed from agriculture in 1989, demonstrated that tillage and vegetation influence the microscale distribution and oxidation states of soil Mn, which may have implications for the cycling of soil organic matter. Collaboration with Dr. Possinger’s group enabled soil Mn chemistry characterization for this work. The project allowed a postdoc to visit SLAC to learn the techniques and to conduct XRF and XANES measurements.

At Rutgers University, G. Mainelis continued to investigate fate and transport of airborne particles, specifically due to the use of consumer products. The increasing application of nanotechnology has resulted in a growing number of nano-enabled consumer products, and they could be important contributors to indoor particulate matter, with potential adverse health effects. Here we investigated personal exposures of adults and children to the released and resuspended manufactured particles from seven nano-enabled consumer sprays. Sedimentation and resuspension of released particles were investigated in a newly constructed test chamber. We investigated the resuspension of deposited particles as a function of product type, flooring material (e.g., carpet and vinyl), resuspension force (e.g., walking by an adult and motion of a robotic sampler that simulated a child), and measurement height. We found that particle resuspension depended on the product, but was higher from carpeted flooring and due to walking by an adult.

Impacts

  1. At Missouri the work by Dr. Anderson’s group showed that CT has promising potential for assessing transport processes to help in more accurately predicting contaminant transport through soils.
  2. At University of Illinois, a new 50 mCi 57Co source for the Mӧssbauer spectrometer was obtained and the research team is now in the process of ramping up operation of that very valuable instrument. The Mӧssbauer spectrometer also made it possible for this team to positively identify the form of Fe that was located in the Fe pillars between the issuperimposed layers of the smectite (montmorillonite). Without this instrument, confirmation of this seminal observation would not have been possible.
  3. At Michigan State University, molecular dynamics tools were developed to simulate the interactions of amino acids with carbon surface and prion fibrils with geosorbents surfaces, which will provide useful information for other researchers and for developing prion mitigation strategies. The studies on the crop uptake of both toxic and essential metal(loids) and PFAS will help manage the crop quality and safety as influenced by metal(loid)s and PFAS. Methodology has been developed for micro-scale mapping of Mn oxidation states in the soil, while maintaining the soil surface and structure intact – a condition crucial for understanding interactions between physical, chemical, and biological soil processes. The developed techniques are now being used in assessing the impact of Mn on soil organic matter under a variety of cropping systems, vegetation, and land use history settings.
  4. Experiments performed at Rutgers show that particles deposited from consumer sprays could be resuspended by both a walking adult and a child (the latter simulated by a robot). Importantly, data show that adults not only resuspend the deposited particles and are exposed to them, but also that children present in the room are subjected to even higher released and resuspended particle concentrations. In sum, our actions in indoor spaces (like spraying and walking) affect not only the person engaged in the activity but also others in the room, especially children. We also see that particle resuspension from hard flooring is much lower compared to carpeted surfaces. Actions based on the findings could minimize exposures to indoor pollutants.

Publications

Peer-reviewed:

  1. Haruna, S.I., and S.H. Anderson.   Agronomic practices for optimizing soil water retention.  pp. 75-110.  J.W. Knox (ed.).  Improving Water Management in Agriculture:  Irrigation and Food Production.  Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
  2. Ansari, J., S. Bardhan, M.P. Davis, S.H. Anderson, and N. Al-Awwal.   Greenhouse gas emissions from riparian systems as affected by hydrological extremes:  A mini-review.  Cogent Food and Agriculture 10:1.  DOI: 10.1080/23311932.2024.2321658
  3. Ansari, J., F. Eivazi, S.H. Anderson, and S. Bardhan.   Selected enzyme activities under different land use management in lower Missouri River Floodplain soils.  Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis  55:27-39.
  4. Ansari, J., S. Bardhan, F. Eivazi, S.H. Anderson, and S.S. Mendis.   Bacterial community diversity for three selected land use systems as affected by soil moisture regime.  Applied Soil Ecology  192:105100.  DOI:  10.1016/j.apsoil.2023.105100
  5. Dhaliwal, J.K., S.H. Anderson, J. Lee, S. Jagadamma, and D. Saha.   Computed tomography scanning revealed macropore-controlled N2O emissions under long-term tillage and cover cropping practices.  Science of the Total Environment 926:171782. DOI:  10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171782
  6. Lord, S., K.S. Veum, L.L. Sullivan, S.H. Anderson, V. Acosta-Martinez, and K. Clark.   Ancient prairies as a reference for soil organic carbon content and microbial community structure.  Applied Soil Ecology 198:105355.  DOI:  10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105355
  7. Moody, A.H., R.N. Lerch, K.W. Goyne, S.H. Anderson, D.G. Mendoza-Cozatl, and D.A. Alvarez.   Degradation kinetics of veterinary antibiotics and estrogenic hormones in a claypan soil.  Chemosphere 346:140501.  DOI:  10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140501
  8. Salceda, M., R.P. Udawatta, and S.H. Anderson.   Agroforestry on runoff nitrogen and phosphorus losses from three paired watersheds after 25 years of implementation.  Agroforestry Systems 98:603-617.
  9. Zaid, F., N. Al-Awwal, J. Yang, S.H. Anderson, and B.T.B. Alsunuse.   Effects of biochar-amended composts on selected enzyme activities in soils.  Processes  12:1678. DOI: 10.3390/pr12081678
  10. Wang, F., L. Xiang, K.S.-Y. Leung, M. Elsner, …W. Zhang, …, et al. 2024. Emerging contaminants: A One Health perspective. The Innovation, 100612. DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100612.
  11. Banna, G.MH.U, J. Siegenthaler, A. Benedict, B. Allen, R.M. Martinez, W. Zhang, and W. Li. 2024. Heavy metal sensing in plant and soil solutions using carbon fiber electrode. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 370(1), 115232. DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2024.115232.
  12. He, R., Zhang. J., and Mainelis, G. (2024) Potential exposure of adults and children to particles from resuspended nano-enabled consumer sprays, Science of the Total Environment, 924: 171459.

Presentations/Abstracts:

  1. Udawatta, R.P., Salceda, M., and Anderson, S.H. 2024. Agroforestry and grass buffers on phosphorus losses from three paired watersheds after 25 years of implementation. 5th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference (ESPC5). 8-10 October, Lleida, Spain.
  2. Anderson, S.H., and T.M. Reinbott. 2024. Long-term soil erosion effects on soil hydraulic properties with Sanborn Field.  Soil and Water Conservation Society International Conference p. 106.    21-24 July, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
  3. Anderson, S.H., T.M. Reinbott. 2024. Soil hydraulic properties influenced by long-term soil erosion on Sanborn Field.  2024 American Society of Agronomy/Soil Science Society of America International Meeting Abstracts.  10-13 November, San Antonio, Texas.
  4. Xu, Z., Q. Dong, J.A. Ippolito, W. Zhang, and H. Li. 2024. Fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in soils following long-term land application of biosolids. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 10-23 (oral presentation).
  5. Dong, Q., Z. Xu, W. Zhang, and H. Li. 2024. Evaluate the effectiveness of soil amendment through the resolution of PFAS sorption on sorbents and soil. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 10-23 (oral presentation).
  6. Huang, A., H. Li, W. Zhang, and B.J. Teppen. 2024. Evaluation of cation-bridging sorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by soils from water. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 10-23 (oral presentation).
  7. Li, C., Q. Cao, K. Ellis, H. Li, K. Steinke, Z.D. Hayden, and W. Zhang. 2024. How do soil amendments influence toxic metallome of carrots? ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 10-23 (oral presentation).
  8. Cao, Q., C. Li, Z.D. Hayden, K. Steinke, H. Li, and W. Zhang. 2024. Effects of Soil Water Conditions on Heavy Metal Uptake in Carrots. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 10-23 (poster).
  9. Zhang, W. 2024. Environmental contaminants in soil, water, and plant systems. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 10-23 (oral presentation).
  10. Stucki, J.W., Pentrak, M.P, and Pentrak, L.A. Fe(II)-pillared montmorillonite. Annual Meeting of The Clay Minerals Society, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 3-7, 2024.

Extension/outreach:

  1. Li, C., A. Huang, Q. Cao, Q. Dong, H. Li, K. Steinke, Z.D. Hayden, R. Hammerschmidt, and W. Zhang. Evaluating and disseminating soil amendment practices to mitigate heavy metal uptake by carrot. Michigan Carrot Committee Research Meeting, February 13, 2024.
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