Controls Influencing the Treatment of Excess Agricultural Nitrate with Denitrifying Bioreactors

Abstract

Denitrifying bioreactors have been suggested as effective best management practices to reduce nitrate and nitrite (NO) in large-scale agricultural tile drainage. This study combines experiments in flow-through laboratory reactors with in situ continuous monitoring and experiments in a pair of field reactors to determine the effectiveness of reactors for small-scale agriculture in New York. It also compares the use of a typical woodchip media with a woodchip and biochar mixture. Laboratory results showed linear increase in NO removal with both increased inflow concentration and increased residence time. Average removal of NO in weekly monitoring of field reactors over the course of two growing seasons was 3.23 and 4.00 g N m d for woodchip and woodchip/biochar reactors, respectively. Removal of NO during two field experimental runs was similar to in situ monitoring and did not correlate with laboratory experiments. Factors that are uncontrollable at the field scale, such as temperature and inflow water chemistry, may result in more complex and resilient microbial communities that are less specialized for denitrification. Further study of other controlling variables, other field sites, and other parameters, including microbial communities and trace gas emissions, will help elucidate function and applicability of denitrifying bioreactors.