Biopolymer additives to reduce erosion-induced soil losses during irrigation

Aditivos de biopolímeros para reducir las perdidas de suelo inducidas por erosion durante la irrigación

Orts, William J. and Sojka, Robert E. and Glenn, Gregory M. (2000) Biopolymer additives to reduce erosion-induced soil losses during irrigation. Industrial Crops and Products. 11:19-29.

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Abstract

A series of biopolymers added to irrigation water were tested for their efficacy in reducing shear-induced erosion
in a laboratory-scale mini-furrow. Suspensions of chitosan, starch xanthate, cellulose xanthate, and acid-hydrolyzed
cellulose microfibrils, at concentrations of 20, 80, 80, and 120 ppm, respectively, reduced suspended solids by more
than 80%. None of these biopolymers, however, exhibited the > 90% runoff sediment reduction shown by the present
industry standard, synthetic polyacrylamide polymers, PAM. PAM is effective at concentrations as low as 5 ppm. In
field tests, chitosan solutions were only marginally effective in reducing runoff from the end of a 137 m long furrow,
with indications that results were dependent on the length of the furrow. Sediment runoff of some clay-rich Northern
California soils was reduced by up to 85% by increasing the concentration of exchangeable calcium to > 2.5mM.
Calcium improved the sedimentation of the polyelectrolytic polymers in this study.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	1003
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 21:50
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2016 17:33
Item ID:	95
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/95