Funded Grant Projects: 2001

Julian D. Chara
Researcher, CIPAV Foundation, Cali, Colombia

"Recycling Nutrients and Energy Through a Water Decontamination System for Animal Husbandry Farms in Colombia"

(Category: Waste Minimization and Management)

In order to maximize food production in Colombia, modern practices in animal husbandry require increased production and confinement of animals for longer periods of time. This practice, however, is contributing significantly to water pollution at local and regional levels as wastewater from farms is discharged into waterways. Mr. Chara plans to use the Productive Water Decontamination System, an innovative tool that uses biodigesters, aquatic plants and fish ponds in consecutive steps, to recycle the wastes into valuable products such as: biogas, fertilizers, and feed. These end products can be used on the farm for further environmental and economic benefit. The need for firewood can be replaced by use of the biogas, organic matter can be recycled into the land in place of chemical fertilizers, and fish from the ponds can be used by the farm family or sold. In this research, Mr. Chara will study and adjust the size, design, and building materials of the system and evaluate its performance in various climates. With this information, more precise advice for implementation of the system can be provided to farmers. As this technology is promoted and more farmers adopt the system, the water will become cleaner for people and wildlife, reducing the number of waterborne diseases and cost of water treatment in rural and urban areas.

Yvonne Coursey
Graduate Student, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

"Preserving the Horseshoe Crab Population by Generating their Blood Cells in the lab for use by the Medical Community"

(Category: Conservation of Animal Resources)

The impact of human activity on native species can be seen in the declining populations of the horseshoe crab. This animal has been used for purposes ranging from crop fertilizer to the use of its blood cells by the medical community to test for the presence of bacteria and endotoxins. As the human population increases, frequent monitoring of food and water production, and medical testing for microbial contamination will become increasingly necessary. As demand for the horseshoe crab's blood cells increases, pressures on natural populations will follow. The procedure used to obtain blood cells requires the animals to be captured and bled. While the animals are subsequently returned to the ocean, the procedure results in a 10% mortality rate and is contributing to the decline of the population. Using stem cell and immunolocalization technology, Ms. Coursey plans to establish procedures for maintaining and ultimately generating the blood cells in the lab, thereby helping to preserve the horseshoe crab population for generations to come.

Dr. John Duffy
Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts

"Developing and Building a Solar Refrigeration Unit for use in Remote Areas of the Peruvian Andes"

(Category: Conservation of General Resources)

Many villages in the Peruvian Andes are without electricity or means of communication, and are in need of sustainable, clean energy systems to provide the medical clinics in these communities with lighting, refrigeration, and radio communication. Through this project, Dr. Duffy expects to gather data on the performance of stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) panels in the field. (PV panels are a collection of interconnected solar cells, which convert sunlight directly into electricity.) Several panels have already been installed and local people have been trained to maintain the systems. Dr. Duffy hopes to expand the number of communities benefiting from the installation, to continue upgrading and maintaining current installations, and to provide ongoing training for local people in solar engineering through teachers and schools. Particular emphasis is being placed on developing and testing more efficient and less expensive solar-powered vaccine refrigerators with thermoelectric modules. Local people will benefit by having access to health care at a clinic with electricity, which can provide refrigeration for pharmaceuticals; lighting for better examinations; and radio communication to a hospital in a larger community if critical or urgent care is necessary. Solar power will help preserve the rich culture of the indigenous people by stemming the tide of migration to metropolitan areas.

Dr. William J. Foley
Reader, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

"Conserving Eucalyptus Forests to Ensure Adequate Food Supplies for the Koala of Australia using Spectroscopy"

(Category: Conservation of Plant and Animal Resources)

There is a long-standing debate about the use of Eucalyptus forests in Australia. The forest industry is interested in using natural toxins found in Eucalyptus leaves as an alternative to chemical pesticides for controlling insects, as well as preserving trees that can be used for timber and wood fiber. However, this impacts the koala population whose major food source is Eucalyptus leaves. Dr. Foley believes it may be possible to grow Eucalyptus trees that contain high concentrations of natural toxins in commercial plantation forests where insect attack is an issue. Since koalas prefer low concentrations of the toxins, such trees could be re-planted elsewhere for koalas. To gather sufficient data for effective forest management decisions for both conserving koala habitat and production forestry, Dr. Foley will use airplanes equipped with a near-infrared spectroscopy device that can map the chemical components of the forest canopy. With this information, the nutritional quality of the leaves can be determined, and thereby contribute to the key biological data necessary for the sustainable management of koalas in Eucalyptus production forests. This Lindbergh/Newton Grant in conservation of plant and animal resources has been made possible by a gift from Eleanor F. Newton in memory of James D. Newton.

Donna Green
Ph.D. Candidate, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California

"Improving Solar Battery Charging Station Technology and Training Systems in Remote Areas of Thailand"

(Category: Conservation of General Resources)

Thousands of villages in the remote areas of Thailand do not have access to basic electricity. A majority of these villages are in the northern region of the country, where the mountainous terrain prevents the use of gridline power. Because fossil fuel energy is unsustainable, it is important for developing countries to embrace alternative energy systems. Over the last decade, the Thai government has developed a program to promote solar electricity generating systems for these communities by installing over 1,000 solar battery charging stations. However, Ms. Green has discovered that these systems have been riddled with technical problems causing the people to become disillusioned and consequently reducing use of the system. In this project, Ms. Green will upgrade the system design and provide a solution to the hardware inadequacies that were discovered. She will also create innovative educational and community involvement schemes to support use of the system. It is hoped that neighboring countries will choose to implement this renewable energy technology in their own rural development plans as a way to avoid the prohibitive costs of expanding traditional gridline electricity, and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

This Lindbergh Grant in general conservation is sponsored by The Laura Jane Musser Fund.

Dr. Moncef Nehdi
Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

"Using Recycled Tire Rubber in Concrete for Highway Construction Projects in Canada"

(Category: Waste Minimization and Management)

One of the major environmental challenges facing municipalities around the world is the disposal of used automobile tires. Approximately three billion used tires are currently stockpiled throughout the United States alone, and another 240 million are generated each year - and the numbers are rising worldwide. These tires pose an environmental threat, but also constitute fire hazards and are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Dr. Nehdi proposes to recycle used tire particles as a partial replacement for natural aggregates and crushed rock (which are also rapidly depleting natural resources) in certain concrete products like tunnel linings and pipeline bedding. The resulting product, rubcrete, has a lower density, higher heat and sound insulation properties, and higher impact resistance. In this project, Dr. Nehdi will develop guidelines for the rational design of rubberized concrete mixtures to meet specific requirements of infrastructure projects, and establish a database for the engineering properties of rubberized concrete. It is hoped that when design guidelines and governing standards for rubcrete are implemented in the U.S., they will gain international acceptance.

Dr. Larry Newton
Associate Professor, University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia
G. Sephus Willis
Research Assistant, University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia

"Testing the Possible Recyclability of Dairy Cattle Manure into Re-usable Nutrients and Clean Water for Cattle"

(Category: Waste Minimization and Management)

Livestock production in the U.S. and some other countries has increased in order to remain economically competitive. Most producers want to have environmentally sound, sustainable farms and the public is demanding environmental accountability. Since it is difficult or impossible to reduce the intensity of animal production, then manure management must be increased in order to regain environmental balance. Dr. Newton plans to develop manure management technology that can achieve this balance and also be cost effective. He plans to evaluate a system that will: utilize nutrients from manure for plant production, reduce odor, and provide clean water for cattle. To do this he will use a vertical drainage drying bed, which is more efficient and less expensive to build and operate than a sand filter bed; an anaerobic digester, which uses a microbial fermentation process without oxygen to produce methane gas and reduce odor; and hydroponic forage production, whereby plants are grown in a film of nutrient-filled water instead of soil. The system becomes even more sustainable when the methane gas produced by the digester is used to power water heaters and possibly heat a greenhouse where the digester liquid waste will be used in hydroponic trays to grow bermuda grass or other forage plants that can be used as cattle feed. As the plant's roots absorb nutrients from the wastewater, the remaining water will be tested for its potential usefulness as cattle drinking water. This project demonstrates a closed-loop system of recycling waste into usable products to sustain an environmentally friendly farm, leaving clean drinking water for cattle, reduced use of chemicals for water treatment and fertilizer, and healthier dairy products. This Lindbergh/Fried Grant in waste management has been made possible by a gift from Albert Fried, Jr.

Dr. Christopher M. Picone
Staff Agro-ecologist, The Land Institute, Salina, Kansas

"Studying the Associations Between Soil Fungi, Plants and Agricultural Practices in Order to Mirror Natural Systems of Soil Fertility"

(Category: Agriculture)

Conventional agricultural practices present humanity with a troubling problem. We can produce tremendous quantities of food, but in the process we undermine the very systems upon which the food is produced. Conventional agriculture loses topsoil at rates that exceed soil replacement, and it depends on chemical fertilizers that pollute our waters. Dr. Picone proposes to develop an alternative path to resolve this situation by designing agricultural systems that mirror nature while maintaining sufficient production for human needs. To accomplish this, sustainable agriculture must incorporate the same biological mechanisms for maintaining soil fertility as are found in nature. Mycorrhizae, the mutually beneficial relationship between plant roots and soil fungi, are one of the most important mechanisms. In this project, Dr. Picone will incorporate mycorrhizal fungi into agricultural systems and will determine strategies for soil and crop management (such as tillage and crop species choices) that promote optimal communities of mycorrhizal fungi. It is hoped that the resulting information can be used to design agricultural systems that eliminate dependence on tillage, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and fossil fuels while building soil fertility, eliminating erosion and maintaining high plant productivity.

Michael E. Steiper
Graduate Student, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

"Determining if the Genetic Make-up of Orangutans in Borneo is Evolving to Combat Malaria"

(Category: Biomedical Research)

Orangutans in the wild are highly endangered, and the genetic health of a population is one important factor that conservationists will need to evaluate when they decide which populations and how many animals will be targeted for conservation. Scientists are also beginning to recognize the importance of understanding human diseases and how they affect non-human primates. About 40% of the human population is at risk for contracting malaria, another 300 - 500 million people are already living with the disease, and millions die from the disease each year. As the human population invades the habitat of apes and other animals at risk for contracting malaria, the risk of transmitting parasites such as malaria to other species increases. Many molecular adaptations to combat malaria have evolved in humans by natural selection, and Mr. Steiper is planning to study whether Bornean orangutans are developing similar genetic adaptations to combat the disease. Using newly developed theoretical methods in population genetics and automated DNA sequencing technology, Mr. Steiper hopes to understand how human malaria is similar to and different from the malaria of orangutans in order to assist human malaria research programs. In addition, studying orangutan malaria will provide better information to conservationists regarding the maintenance of genetic diversity in orangutan populations, especially if it is determined that certain genetic adaptations are necessary for the survival of the species.

Jennifer L. Watts
Doctoral Candidate, University of California-Davis, Davis, California

"Evaluating the Impact of Fish Cage Waste on Marine Environments in Costa Rica"

(Category: Waste Minimization and Management)

Increasing population growth in the coastal region is creating over-exploitation of near-shore fisheries stocks. Scientists and fisheries biologists worldwide are concluding that fisheries yields have leveled off and that further increases in fisheries production will depend upon growth in the aquaculture sector. It is believed that marine fish cultivation has the potential to become a new income producing activity for local residents. The Costa Rican government and academic institutions are working to develop the methodology and expertise needed to cultivate spotted snapper, a native fish species, in floating cages. As this idea progresses, the development and management of such an industry must address the ability of coastal ecosystems to absorb the wastes that would be generated from the fish cages. Ms. Watts plans to develop the cage and net-pen systems for native marine fish as an alternative to capture fisheries. Using a new geochemical technique, she will trace the fate of nutrients in the environment near the fish cages. Ms. Watts is also evaluating the combination of fish cages and filter-feeding mollusks, and systems that would raise several different harvestable plants or animals together so that space and nutrients are used to the fullest extent possible to optimize the use of resources and recycle feed and wastes from the cages.