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

该项目将是麦吉尔大学和格雷蒙特公司密切合作的研究开发项目，格雷蒙特公司是北美第二大石灰和石灰产品供应商。该合作项目的主要目标是开发一种新的石灰基混合物，并提出一种应用协议，以减少农田淋溶和地表径流中的磷损失。建议的研究将发展一种环保的方法，以尽量减少磷污染，从而对环境和公司均有裨益。**目前，魁北克湖富营养化现象的加剧主要与在耕地上施用有机肥造成的磷损失有关，据报道，年平均磷浓度比魁北克省水质标准高出两倍。石灰的应用改善了土壤结构，显示出了减少磷流失的良好潜力。这个项目对加拿大的环境非常有利。到目前为止，在这一领域开展的研究有限，我们致力于寻找最佳的产品组合和应用条件。**这项研究的发现将帮助格雷蒙特公司开发一种可应用于农田的改良石灰，以减少磷损失和富营养化，并利用其副产品减少环境问题。此外，随着产品人性化模式的开发，将方便客户对产品的应用。**这项研究将在麦吉尔·麦克唐纳校园进行，并将使用不同的实验设置来模拟地表和地下径流，包括小尺度和大尺度。我们的研究小组由1名教授齐志明博士、1名全日制博士生Faezeh Eslamian女士和4名本科生组成。**********

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. **********