Development of a new lime-based mix to reduce phosphorus loss from agricultural fields

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This project will be a close collaborative research development between McGill University and Graymont which is North America's second largest supplier of lime and lime-based products. The main goal of this collaborative project is to develop a new lime-based mix with a proposed application protocol to reduce phosphorus loss through leaching and surface runoff from agricultural fields. With the proposed study, an environmentally friendly approach will be developed to minimize P-pollution which will subsequently benefit both the environment and the company. Currently, the increased eutrophication phenomenon in Quebec Lakes is majorly associated with P losses due to the application of manure to cultivated croplands and the annual average P concentration was reported two times higher than the Quebec water quality standard. Lime has shown promising potential to reduce P loss as its application leads to a better soil structure. This project is very environmentally beneficial to Canada. To date, limited research has been carried out in this area and we attend to find the optimum product mix and conditions for its application. The findings from this research will help Graymont develop a modified lime that could be applied to croplands to reduce P loss and eutrophication as well as using their by-products for reducing an environmental issue. Also, the development of user-friendly model along with the product, will facilitate the application of the product for the customers. This research will be conducted at McGill Macdonald campus and will use different experiment settings simulating surface and subsurface runoff, both on small and large scales. Our research group consists of one professor Dr. Zhiming Qi, one full-time PhD student Ms. Faezeh Eslamian, and four undergraduate students.