Water Working Group: Current Research

Project aim: To produced biochar from cotton gin waste, an abundant waste biomass in the Texas Panhandle, to improve soil quality and especially increase the ability of agricultural soils to store water from rainfall

Benefits: Rainfed farming is very difficult in the Texas Panhandle due in larger part to the poor condition of our soils and the uncertainty and risk in it with variable rainfall. If biochar can help us to store more rainfall in soils, many farmers will be able to switch to rainfed farming and thereby conserve groundwater instead of using as much for irrigation.

Researchers: Nathan Howell, Craig Bednarz, Sanjoy Bhattacharia, Sanjit Deb, Bridget Guerrero, Joshua Partheepan, David Takal

Funding: USDA Ogallala Aquifer Program (OAP) 

Keywords: Biochar, soil health, cotton gin waste, soil quality, water holding capacity, pyrolysis

Project aim: The primary goal of the project is to develop an advanced microfluidic-based platform, called WT-MFSDA (West Texas A&M University Microfluidic Static Droplet Array), for precise studies of ice formation in tiny droplets (Nano-liter volume) containing ice nucleating particles (INPs). We'll confirm its effectiveness by comparing results with established freezing methods and published data, while also involving undergraduate and graduate students to improve science education in atmospheric ice research, nurturing future scientists and educators.

Benefits: Explore the potential advantages of the Microfluidic platform (WT-MFSDA) in water research and beyond. This technology advances our knowledge of atmospheric ice nucleation, leading to improved weather forecasts and more accurate climate models. Additionally, comparisons with established INP surrogates expand our understanding of particles, while student participation nurtures scientific education and cultivates proficient scientists, all supported by advanced ice nucleation capabilities that enrich teaching and research efforts.

Researchers: Swastika Bithi, Naruki Hiranuma, Sanjoy Bhattacharia 

Funding: DOE, WT Faculty startup

Keywords: Microfluidics, Immersion freezing, Ice nucleating particles, Cloud

Project aim: The objective of the project is to develop a forage sorghum yield vs. irrigation water use relationship under five different irrigation treatments ranging from dryland to fully irrigated.

Benefits: An understanding of forage sorghum yield at varying irrigation amounts will benefit farmers as they deal with declining groundwater table and transition from corn to alternative crops.

Researchers: Laiten Greeson, David Parker , Marty Rhoades, Jourdan Bell 

Funding: Chancellor’s Research Initiative, Ogallala Aquifer Program, Irrigation Innovation Consortium

Keywords: irrigation, water use efficiency, deficit irrigation, sorghum

Status: The first summer crop was planted June 20, 2023, the crop will be harvested about October 1, 2023

Project aim: 

1. Investigate the ice-nucleating potential of combustion-derived particles resulting from grass, wood, and cotton burning in the atmosphere, with a particular emphasis on the West Texas region, using the advanced microfluidic tool WT-MFSDA.
2. Employ X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to precisely identify the mineral composition of ash from combusted materials, elucidating the specific minerals responsible for initiating ice formation and thereby enhancing our understanding of the sources of these critical ice-inducing particles.
3. Utilize scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) to conduct a detailed analysis of the individual particles present in smoke generated during combustion. This analysis will provide valuable insights into the properties of these particles and their role in shaping cloud microphysics and influencing climate dynamics.

Benefits: This research enhances water research in West Texas by advancing our understanding of ice nucleating particles (INPs) from biomass burning. It contributes to improved models for INP resources, transport, and cloud microphysics, benefiting local smoke-impacted regions and global climate dynamics, and providing insights into cloud processes and precipitation patterns.

Researchers: Swastika Bithi, Sanjoy Bhattacharia, Nathan Howell, Emily Hunt

Funding: WT Faculty Startup 

Keywords: microfluidics, biomass burning, West Texas, ice nucleating particles, cloud

Project aim: The objective of this project is to compare different types of commercial soil moisture sensors and assess their benefits for irrigation scheduling in corn and forage sorghum.

Benefits: An understanding of forage sorghum yield at varying irrigation amounts will benefit farmers as they deal with declining groundwater table and transition from corn to alternative crops.

Researchers: David Parker, Behnam Askarian, Marty Rhoades, Craig Bednarz, Dennis Coker

Funding: Chancellor’s Research Initiative, Ogallala Aquifer Program, Irrigation Innovation Consortium

Keywords: water sensors, AquaSpy, GroGuru, Acclima

Status: A variety of soil moisture sensors were installed in corn and sorghum crops the summers of 2022 and 2023