A team led by Tarleton State University researcher Dr. Eun Sung Kan has been selected to receive a 2020 National Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) national program award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The team’s three-year grant totaling more than $1.4 million, including matching funds and federal support, was awarded for the proposal “Biocarbon-Enhanced Dairy Manure Management Demonstration for Enhanced Water Quality,” according to an announcement from the Texas-based university.

The project is expected to demonstrate a biocarbon-assisted phytoremediation system for enhancing water quality during dairy manure application in three Texas counties and to improve knowledge of field-applied, surface-functionalized biochar and how it can enhance water quality during dairy manure application when used in conjunction with plants, Tarleton said.

Knowledge gained through the project will provide solutions to improve the sustainability of animal-based agricultural systems and food security, plus enhance environmental quality for future generations.

Kan will conduct the project in collaboration with co-investigators Drs. Jim Muir, Paul De Laune, Jennifer Spencer, Jeff Brady, Edward Osei, Barbara Jones, Kartik Venkataraman and Caitlyn Cooper, representing Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Tarleton State University and Texas Tech University.

Team members will utilize their own expertise in environmental engineering, plant/soil science, microbiology, dairy science, hydrology and economics.

CIG is a competitive funding program that supports the development, testing and research of conservation technologies, practices, systems and approaches on private lands. CIG also contributes to the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a USDA initiative to align resources, programs and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands.