Browsing by Author "Green, Aaron Wesley"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Oil-Field Brine Impacts on Seed Germination and a Contemporary Remediation Technique for Contaminated Soils
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Green, Aaron Wesley
    The growth of fossil fuel production in North Dakota has resulted in numerous releases of brine. Brine releases cause vegetation mortality as well as the deterioration of soil structural and edaphic properties. Little research to date has been dedicated to the germination response of plant species grown in North Dakota to brine-induced salinity. Through the exposure of plant seeds to increasing levels of brine and NaCl-induced salinity, it was determined that the graminoid species Elymus hoffmannii (AC Saltlander) and Pascopyrum smithii (Western Wheatgrass) exhibited the greatest germination at high salinities. Current remediation technologies for brine-impacted lands often produce mixed results, requiring further research and testing. In two laboratory experiments, the ability of materials to wick salts from brine-contaminated soils was tested. The results of these studies show that some materials reduced Na concentrations in sandy loam, loam, and silty clay soils by upwards of 88, 89.5, 38.4% respectively.