The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $1.9 million to a University of Arkansas researcher to investigate how biochar can be used to improve water quality by reducing nutrient runoff from agricultural waste.
The grant was awarded to Shannon Speir, an assistant professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences, to study how adding biochar to poultry litter can help mitigate environmental impacts while enhancing agricultural sustainability. Arkansas, one of the largest poultry-producing states in the U.S., generates significant amounts of poultry waste, creating both a challenge and an opportunity for innovation.
Biochar, a charcoal-like substance produced by heating organic material in low-oxygen conditions, has been shown to improve soil health by increasing moisture retention, enhancing nutrient storage, and improving drought resistance. When combined with poultry litter, which is commonly used as fertilizer, biochar may help reduce the runoff of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus into nearby waterways.
Excess nutrient runoff is a major environmental concern, as it can lead to eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, habitat degradation, and biodiversity loss in rivers, lakes, and streams.
The three-year project will begin with laboratory experiments to evaluate how different mixtures of biochar and poultry litter affect nutrient retention and leaching. Researchers will then move into field studies in the Brush Creek watershed, part of the Beaver Lake watershed in northwest Arkansas, where they will monitor water quality at the edge-of-field level—where agricultural runoff enters surrounding ecosystems.
As part of the study, a new Discovery Farm will be established in collaboration with the Arkansas Discovery Farm Program, enabling long-term, real-world testing with participating farmers. Over the course of the project, researchers expect to measure reductions in nutrient runoff, with anticipated decreases of 15–25% in nitrate loss and 5–10% in phosphorus loss.
The final phase of the project will focus on expanding adoption by recruiting additional farms to implement biochar-based practices, while providing training and technical assistance to farmers. The goal is to demonstrate the effectiveness of biochar at a watershed scale and encourage broader use of conservation practices.
The research is being conducted in partnership with multiple organizations, including the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service, the UADA Agricultural Experiment Station, the Beaver Watershed Alliance, and the Carbon Chicken Project.
KEY QUOTE:
“Arkansas is the third-largest poultry-producing state in the nation, which means we have an enormous waste stream and an enormous opportunity! Our research asks whether we can transform that litter using biochar to create a resource that actively protects local water quality and builds a more sustainable agricultural system in the region. Voluntary conservation plays a key role in providing safe, healthy drinking water to the public and is essential to ensuring access to clean, abundant water resources to future generations. Farmer to farmer training on conservation practices such as biochar can greatly accelerate adoption.”
Shannon Speir, Assistant Professor Of Crop, Soil And Environmental Sciences, University Of Arkansas
