Source: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2/26/26
Scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new edge-of-field water-treatment system that reduces the load of excess nutrients washing into waterways from farm drainage systems. Their method combines a woodchip bioreactor with a two-step biochar water-treatment module. A one-year field trial demonstrated that the system reduced both nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from farmland. The study, published in the Journal of Water Process Engineering, also included a techno-economic analysis that found that the bioreactor-biochar system could become a cost-effective alternative to current edge-of-field practices while achieving better water-quality outcomes. The team was led by Hong Zhou and Wei Zheng of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.