A sustainable solution for fire-scorched soils
1
Wildfires do more than destroy vegetation; they also have detrimental effects on soil. The fire burns organic matter, altering the soil biome and changing the soil’s physical properties, resulting in a loss of soil structure.
To help revitalize soil and address an issue in food manufacturing, Professor Krishna Reddy is investigating the use of food-industry byproducts to restore wildfire-impacted soils.
The research is supported by a National Science Foundation grant titled “Collaborative Research: Utilizing Industrial Waste for Sustainable Soil Restoration Post-Wildfire.”
“This collaborative project will address a major challenge in food manufacturing – the generation of millions of tons of waste annually,” said Reddy, professor of civil, materials, and environmental engineering. “It cannot be recycled or used in agriculture due to possible contamination and its alkaline nature. My team will conduct experiments to determine the conditions under which the byproducts can be used to stabilize and re-fertilize soils affected by wildfires.”
The project will characterize the physical, chemical, and geotechnical properties of byproducts, as well as the erosion and leaching behavior of the byproducts and burned soil. The researchers plan to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of using food-industry byproducts to stabilize burned soils under controlled laboratory conditions that simulate a range of field environments.
“We’re going to assess the life-cycle sustainability of this approach, develop a quantitative framework for sustainable design, and evaluate its feasibility for field implementation while producing practical guidelines,” Reddy said. “The project outcomes will include a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing interactions between burned soils and food industry byproducts and a decision-support matrix to recommend appropriate application rates based on factors such as fire intensity, burn severity, soil conditions, and climate.”
Undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to participate in the research. In addition, the researchers plan to engage elementary and high school teachers and students with hands-on experiences offered via established K–12 outreach programs at the collaborating institution and during summer camps at UIC to stimulate interest in STEM fields.