Latest Environmental soil science Stories
RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP, QC, April 16, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Premier Tech is pleased to announce that its Business Unit Premier Tech Aqua has introduced a world first to the onsite wastewater treatment market: its Self-Cleaning DpEC unit. It is the very first industrialised phosphorus removal solution applicable to individual dwellings in wastewater treatment. The cumulative discharges of phosphorus into lakes and rivers lead to the periodical outbreak of blue-green algae that make water...
Newcastle University scientists have revealed the mechanism that causes a slime to form, making bacteria hard to shift and resistant to antibiotics. When under threat, some bacteria can shield themselves in a slimy protective layer, known as a biofilm. It is made up of communities of bacteria held together to protect themselves from attack. Biofilms cause dental plaque and sinusitis; in healthcare, biofilms can lead to life threatening and difficult to treat infections, particularly on...
If you've ever stood on a hill during a rainstorm, you've probably witnessed landscape evolution, at least on a small scale: rivulets of water streaming down a slope, cutting deeper trenches in the earth when the rain turns heavier. It's a simple phenomenon that scientists have long believed applies to large-scale landforms as well — that is, rivers cut faster into mountains that receive heavier precipitation. It's thought that if rainfall patterns influence how rivers cut into rock,...
EP Henry Contractors Weigh in on the Year's Top Trends for Outdoor Living Spaces WOODBURY, N.J., April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the steadily improving residential real estate market and recent uptick in sales reported by home improvement retailers, many homeowners are investing more in enhancing their outdoor living spaces this year. The timing of tax returns and current low interest rates are among other factors driving consumer spending. These positive economic signs point...
DAVIS, Calif., April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As spring temperatures go up, it's an excellent time for farmers, ranchers and gardeners to focus their attention down to the soil below them. A spring check-up of your soil's health gives clues of your ground's ability to feed plants, hold water, capture carbon and more. No fancy equipment required. Just grab a spade or shovel and prepare your senses to dig a little and learn a lot. "It doesn't matter what kind of landowner...
Independent testing concludes that systems can work well together INDIANAPOLIS, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Water softeners set with appropriate salt efficiency do not harm septic systems and may actually help them, according to a new study released today at WQA Aquatech USA. The Water Quality Research Foundation commissioned Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to conduct independent and scientific testing on the issue in 2012. The result is an official report,...
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Researchers wrote in the journal Ecological Applications that pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams. The latest research highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts. "Pharmaceutical pollution is now detected in waters throughout the world. Causes include aging infrastructure, sewage overflows, and agricultural runoff," said...
Growth capital enables pioneer of wastewater disinfection with renewable energy to expand team to service customers and manage growing sales backlog in commercial and industrial sectors SAN LEANDRO, Calif., March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Pasteurization Technology Group (PTG), innovator of the only wastewater disinfection process that creates renewable energy, announced it closed $5 million in Series A financing. EIC Ventures, a previous investor in PTG, led the round and was...
MaxWest Environmental Systems, Inc. the leader in biogasification systems for wastewater treatment, has appointed The TDH Company to represent MaxWest in southeast portions of the United States. Sanford, Florida (PRWEB) March 19, 2013 TDH is well known in the south for their experience in the municipal public works water and wastewater industries. TDH’s water and wastewater experience covers various phases of water and wastewater treatment. TDH’s experience in, and knowledge of,...
North Carolina State University When it rains, untreated stormwater can sweep pollutants into coastal waters, potentially endangering public health. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed low-cost filtration systems that are concealed beneath sand dunes and filter out most of the bacteria that can lead to beach closures. “It was not economically feasible to use a tract of beachfront property to treat stormwater. Instead, we were able to devise a system...
Latest Environmental soil science Reference Libraries
Desertification is a form of land degradation in which a comparatively dry land area becomes more and more arid, normally losing its bodies of water along with its wildlife and vegetation. This is a result of a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities. Desertification is an important global, ecological, and environmental issue. There is substantial controversy over the proper definition of the term “desertification”. The most broadly accepted of these is that of...
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of human-induced processes acting on the land. It is also the gradual destruction or reduction of the quality and quantity of human activities, animal activities or natural means. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or unwanted. Natural hazards are not included in the causes; however, human activities can indirectly affect...
Erosion is the process by which rock and soil are taken from the surface of the Earth by exogenetic processes like wind or the flow of water, and then transported and deposited in another location. While erosion is a natural process, human activities have increased by 10 to 40 times the rate at which erosion is happening globally. Excessive erosion results in problems such as desertification, decreases in agricultural productivity because of land degradation, sedimentation of waterways,...
Soil salinity is the salt content within the soil; the process of increasing the content of salt is known as salination. Salt is a natural element of water and soils. Salination can be a result of natural processes such as the gradual withdrawal of an ocean or mineral weathering. It can be caused by artificial processes such as irrigation as well. Soils that are affected by salt are a result of excess accumulation of salts, normally most obvious at the surface of the soil. Salts can be...
Dryland farming is farming without the aid of irrigation and only with the amount of rain fall given by Mother Nature. Dryland farming is typical in arid regions such as Southwestern United States, Mexico, the Middle East, and other regions that are known for growing grains. Dryland farming is practiced in all parts of Australia with the exception of the Northern Territory. Process Dryland farming involves the constant assessing of the amount of moisture present or lacking for any given...
