Biopolymer additives for the reduction of soil erosion losses during irrigation

Aditivos de biopolímeros para la Reducción de Pérdidas de Suelo durante irrigación

Orts, W.J. and Sojka, R.E. and Glenn, G.M. and Gross, R.A. (2001) Biopolymer additives for the reduction of soil erosion losses during irrigation. pp. 102-116. In: Gross, R.A. and Scholz, C. (eds.) Biopolymers from Polysaccharides and Agroproteins. ACS Symposium 786. American Chemical Society. USA-DC-Washington, 2001.

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Abstract

High molecular weight, synthetic polyacrylamides (PAM) are
relatively large, water soluble polymers that are used increasingly
by farmers to prevent erosion and increase infiltration during
irrigation. A lab-scale erosion test was conducted to screen
biopolymer solutions for a similar efficacy in reducing shear-induced
erosion. In lab-scale mini-furrow tests, chitosan, starch
xanthate, cellulose xanthate, and acid-hydrolyzed cellulose
microfibrils, at concentrations of 20, 80, 80, and 120 ppm
respectively, reduced suspended solids in the runoff water from test
soil. None of these biopolymers, however, exhibited the >90%
runoff sediment reduction shown by PAM at concentrations as low
as 5 ppm. Preliminary field tests results showed that chitosan
solutions were only marginally effective in reducing runoff from a
137m long furrow. There were indications that results were
dependent on the length of the furrow. Erosion of some clay-rich
soils from Northern California was reduced up to 85% by
increasing the concentration of exchangeable calcium to
>2.5mMole, with or without the addition of polymer additives.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
NWISRL Publication Number:	1040
Subjects:	Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Erosion Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Runoff losses Soil > Erosion Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:56
Last Modified:	14 Nov 2016 17:31
Item ID:	937
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/937