Minnesota has 9.5 million acres of public forest lands that play an important role in sustaining Minnesota’s environment and economy. The policies and programs used by public timber sale programs can impact post-harvest ecological conditions and have pronounced effects on the composition, structure, and productivity of the forest in the future. Additionally, timber harvesting revenues play an important role in economic activity, employment, and tax revenue.
Over 527,000 acres of unmanaged woodlands are being used for livestock grazing throughout Minnesota. Managing these grazed woodlands based on the use of best management practices can provide environmental and economic opportunities, including improved water quality, maximized forage production, and higher-quality timber. The best management practices involved are commonly used in other parts of the country with other types of ecosystems, but have not been widely adopted in Minnesota due to a lack of knowledge and experience with implementing them within the ecosystems of Minnesota.
We will generate genome sequences of bacteria growing in wastewater treatment bioreactors, allowing us to improve phosphorus and nitrogen removal from wastewater in Minnesota and to discover novel pharmaceutical compounds.
This project primarily involves the design and optimization of cost-competitive, thermally enhanced and compact heat exchanger systems for deep thermo-active building foundations for Minnesota's space heating and cooling industry
Conventional ironmaking requires massive amounts of fossil fuels and generates significant waste and CO2 emissions. Our microwave hydrogen plasma ironmaking eliminates fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions while reducing waste.
Responding to the immediate need for cohesive research efforts focused on a prion disease that is spreading across Minnesota through the formation of an innovative and multidisciplinary research center.
Wastewater treatment plants discharge effluent that contains contaminants of emerging concern, such as estrogens. Estrogens have been shown to cause ecological effects such as fish feminization and fish population collapses. Presently the treatment and discharge of estrogens into the environment via wastewater treatment is not regulated. However, it has been found that the extent of estrogen discharge from wastewater treatment correlates with how and how well nitrogen, which currently is regulated and will likely be more so in the future, is removed during the treatment process.
This research project will provide critical information regarding how to treat surface water (used by 25% of Minnesota's population) to prevent outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease and infections by Mycobacterium avium.
Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area, is amongst Minnesota’s greatest natural resources providing drinking water, shipping, recreation, and tourism. Recently the lake has been undergoing significant changes including increasing water temperatures, decreasing ice cover, increasing nutrient loads, decreasing biological productivity, increasing invasive species, and changes in species abundance and distribution. The reasons behind these changes and the interactions amongst them are not well understood.
The project will evaluate the effectiveness and benefits/impacts of locally sourced woodchip, corncob, and iron-bearing minerals as alternative effective abrasive materials to lower salt use for protecting Minnesotas water resources.
With detection of coronavirus in human feces, there are urgent concerns about microbiological contamination of drinking water sources by wastewater. We will investigate this contamination, identify sources, and evaluate solutions.
Invasive carp have breached Minnesota's southern border. The last place they can be stopped is Lock&Dam 5 but time is of the essence. This proposal enables this solution.
The Raptor Center is proposing to build environmental literacy and engagement by bringing an integrated environmental education program featuring live raptors and standards-based curriculum to underserved communities throughout Minnesota.
Project seeks to decrease water demand in communities at risk for inadequate ground water supply or quality by providing technical assistance to identify cost-effective ways to reduce industrial/commercial use.
Our Minnesota bogs are an essential resource. As we investigate inter-bog microbial diversity in these critical habitats, we could find the next antibacterial, antifungal, or antiviral medicinal product.
We will develop a farmer-led, market-based working lands approach for protecting water by targeted expansion of alfalfa production, and enable farmers to take this approach by expanding markets for alfalfa.
This proposal aims to answer this question: How would the water quality of Minnesota's lakes change in the next century under future scenarios of urbanization, agricultural growth, and climate change?
Elms were once a very widespread tree in Minnesota and amongst the most common and popular in urban landscapes due to their size, shading capability, and tolerance of pollution and other stresses. Over the past five decades, though, Dutch elm disease, an exotic and invasive pathogen, has killed millions of elms throughout the state. However, scientists at the University of Minnesota have observed that some elms have survived the disease and appear to have special characteristics that make them resistant to Dutch elm disease.
Novel methods for the detection, sequestration, and degradation of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will be developed to address a pressing contamination issue in Minnesota?s lakes and rivers.
This project will analyze existing and projected data to develop simple tools to predict the effect of land use and climate change on extreme floods and droughts.
The project will assess chemical and biological defluorination activities in environmental samples and identify the microorganisms, metabolic pathways, and intermediates resulting from degradation of fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
This project is an expansion of the work began under LCCMR 2019 Forest and Bioeconomy Research. NRRI is requesting continuing Legislative support for two strategic applied research and demonstration projects
This project is an expansion of the work began under LCCMR 2019 Forest and Bioeconomy Research. NRRI is requesting continuing Legislative support for two strategic applied research and demonstration projects.
Freshwater sponges from Minnesota will be collected using citizen scientists thereby stimulating STEM education. Compounds produced by sponges will be tested against invasive species such as zebra mussels.
