The University of Delaware, in conjunction with Howard Ecoworks, conducted an innovative research project to test the runoff reduction potential of biochar as a soil amendment. Biochar was amended to two test sites in Ellicott City, MD, and infiltration and other soil properties were monitored over a 1.5-year period. The impact of biochar on increasing stormwater infiltration rates and annual average stormwater infiltration will be presented. This work was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

To register for the webinar: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reducing-stormwater-runoff-with-biochar-addition-to-soils-in-ellicott-city-tickets-124170672825

Presenters

Derya Akpinar – Derya Akpinar received a double bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering in 2009 and Chemical Engineering in 2010 from the Ataturk University, Turkey. After her graduation, Derya worked as an engineer at the Institute of Sugar Process in Ankara, Turkey for one year. She received her master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Ataturk University in 2014 with three years of teaching assistant experience. Derya is now a Ph.D. student in Water Resource Engineering at the University of Delaware, and her research focuses on understanding biochar’s impact on plant growth, nutrient removal, and hydrology in bioretention systems (rain garden system)

Sraboni Chowdhury – Sraboni Chowdhury received a BS in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2017. Following graduation, Sraboni spent one year as a lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at Presidency University in Dhaka, Bangledesh before starting her graduate studies at the University of Delaware in February 2019. Sraboni is a student in the masters program in Environmental Engineering, and her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which biochar enhances soil aggregation and stormwater infiltration when amended to soil.