Recipient Organization
Foundation at New Jersey Institute of Technology
(N/A)
Newark,NJ 07102
Performing Department
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Non Technical Summary
Agriculture is facing big challenges due to climate change, like more droughts and less water. Also, using a lot of chemical fertilizers harms the soil and water. This hurts our ability to grow food and harms the environment. To solve these problems, we're working on a project using tiny bubbles called nanobubbles and a special gel or jelly-like polymercalled hydrogel. We've already shown in past research that nanobubbles can help increase the plant absorption ofwater and nutrients. Now, we want to see how combining nanobubbles with hydrogel can make farming even better (e.g., increase water retention in the applied soil, increase water and nutrient delivery efficiency by over 50% and prevent soil erosion and nutrient runoff). We will study how these bubbles and hydrogel interact and how they release water and nutrients to the soil and the result of plant growth improvement.Our goal is to find innovative ways to water and fertilize crops more efficiently. This will help farmers grow more food with less water and fewer chemicals. We will use different scientific methods to learn all we can and then share our findings with farmers and others in the agriculture industry. Ultimately, our research will lead to new and better ways of farming and sustainable irrigation solutionsthat are good for the environment and for growing healthy food.
Animal Health Component
10%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
80%
Applied
10%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of this project is to foster environmentally sustainable irrigation technologies or processes for enhancing specific plant growth and crop yield per water usage. The key hypotheses are: (1) Nanobubbles (NBs) could enter the hydrogel's polymer matrix and elicit higher colloidal stability and longer residence time than in water after applied to the soil, which will enable long-lasting impacts on soil improvement (e.g., moisturization and nutrient delivery); (2) NBs and other nutrients could also be slowly released from hydrogel and sustain greater bioavailability for plant uptake; (3) NBs may alter the soil microbial communities (especially the rhizosphere soil) that are responsible for plant growth; (4) NBs may improve nutrient content in plant biomass or products; (5) Applying this mixture of NBs/hydrogel could better enhance plant growth in different soils compared to separate applications of only NB water or hydrogel during irrigation. The interaction mechanisms (e.g., adsorption and desorption) between NBs and hydrogel in water and the effects of NBs on nutrient release from hydrogel will be examined.
Project Methods
This research project employs a multifaceted technical approach aimed at optimizing the utilization of nanobubble (NB) water and hydrogel technologies for enhanced crop irrigation, soil fertilization, and plant growth. Objective 1 focuses on the preparation and characterization of NBs and various hydrogel formulations. Tasks include the generation of NBs using a functionalized ceramic membrane system, synthesis, and characterization of hydrogels with and without synthetic fertilizer, and the investigation of interactions between NBs and hydrogel in water, along with their impacts on water chemical characteristics. Objective 2 delves into the nutrient release behavior and water retention properties of hydrogel in soil, examining nutrient release rates, water-holding ratios, and soil compaction. Objective 3 assesses the effects of NBs-enriched hydrogel on plant growth in both hydroponic and soil-based cultures, evaluating plant growth, nutrient uptake efficiencies, microbial community dynamics in rhizosphere and bulk soils, and enzyme activities in plant leaves and soils. Through comprehensive experimentation and analysis, this research aims to elucidate the synergistic effects of NBs and hydrogel on agricultural productivity and sustainability.