United States Department of Transportation
i
Use of Compost for Permanent Vegetation Establishment and Erosion Control
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2019-05-01
[PDF-5.61 MB]
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Edition:SPR-B Final Report (March 2016-March 2019
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Abstract:Soil erosion management is a major environmental challenge facing highway construction. This project analyzed possible sustainable improvements to current standard procedures for final grade turfgrass establishment. Two compost types, biosolids and greenwaste, and two compost blends, 2:1 topsoil:biosolids and 2:1 topsoil:greenwaste, were compared with the standard topsoil, straw, and fertilizer in their ability to reduce soil loss and improve the rate, quality, and quantity of vegetation establishment. This research used an integrated approach of both physical and digital image analysis for both field and greenhouse studies. Vegetation establishment was measured using an image segmentation and classification technique to reduce observer bias and improve repeatability. Qualities determined for successful blanket cover included, rapid and healthy vegetative growth, reduced erosion through soil stabilization, and improved runoff retention and quality. Field grass coverage was significantly greater for topsoil at one of the sites and biosolids at the other for initial establishment, but there were no other significant differences. Greenhouse studies showed no significant coverage differences at a 20:1 slope for any media tested and both compost/topsoil blends showed no significant difference to topsoil application at the 4:1 slope. Although sediment release had greater average values for both compost/topsoil blends, only greenwaste/topsoil in the greenhouse was statistically greater than other applications. Greenhouse studies showed that topsoil application as well as topsoil/compost blends tend to produce lower concentrations of P and N than pure compost application, however the volume of runoff was greatly increased for the uncovered compost/topsoil blends. Biosolids application was the most successful at the total runoff volume reduction while greenwaste performed similarly to topsoil. Total mass of P leached after 12 in. of applied water was greatest in the greenwaste/topsoil application, while biosolids was the least. The total mass of N released was greatest in pure greenwaste and least in the biosolids/topsoil blend.
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