Horticulture & Related FieldsRhiannon Newton
2020 The Corliss Knapp Engle Scholarship in Horticulture
Positive Uses in Agricultural Applications for Iron-Coated Sand, a Mining By-Product
A previous Grosscup scholar, Rhiannon Newton is a master’s student majoring in horticulture at West Virginia University. Her current research project involves testing iron-coated sand, which has been shown to retain phosphorus, as a growing media amendment. This would reduce the amount of phosphorus leaching out of the bottom of plant pots during irrigation, preventing problems associated with excess phosphorus in water, like algae overgrowth. Additionally, the iron used to coat the sand is removed from water sources that have excess levels of iron at mining sites, thus reducing the environmental impact of mining.
The Corliss Knapp Engle Scholarship in Horticulture
To encourage the development of research, documentation, and teaching skills in the field of horticulture.
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