Dataset Information

A New Method for Sensing Soil Water Content in Green Roofs Using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells.

ABSTRACT: Green roofs have many benefits, but in countries with semiarid climates the amount of water needed for irrigation is a limiting factor for their maintenance. The use of drought-tolerant plants such as Sedum species, reduces the water requirements in the dry season, but, even so, in semiarid environments these can reach up to 60 L m-2 per day. Continuous substrate/soil water content monitoring would facilitate the efficient use of this critical resource. In this context, the use of plant microbial fuel cells (PMFCs) emerges as a suitable and more sustainable alternative for monitoring water content in green roofs in semiarid climates. In this study, bench and pilot-scale experiments using seven Sedum species showed a positive relationship between current generation and water content in the substrate. PMFC reactors with higher water content (around 27% vs. 17.5% v/v) showed larger power density (114.6 and 82.3 μW m-2 vs. 32.5 μW m-2). Moreover, a correlation coefficient of 0.95 (±0.01) between current density and water content was observed. The results of this research represent the first effort of using PMFCs as low-cost water content biosensors for green roofs.

SUBMITTER: Tapia NF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5795870 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A New Method for Sensing Soil Water Content in Green Roofs Using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells.

Tapia Natalia F NF Rojas Claudia C Bonilla Carlos A CA Vargas Ignacio T IT

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) 20171228 1

Green roofs have many benefits, but in countries with semiarid climates the amount of water needed for irrigation is a limiting factor for their maintenance. The use of drought-tolerant plants such as <i>Sedum</i> species, reduces the water requirements in the dry season, but, even so, in semiarid environments these can reach up to 60 L m<sup>-2</sup> per day. Continuous substrate/soil water content monitoring would facilitate the efficient use of this critical resource. In this context, the use ...[more]

PMID: 29283378

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Project description:Background and aimsGreen roofs are constructed ecosystems where plants perform valuable services, ameliorating the urban environment through roof temperature reductions and stormwater interception. Plant species differ in functional characteristics that alter ecosystem properties. Plant performance research on extensive green roofs has so far indicated that species adapted to dry conditions perform optimally. However, in moist, humid climates, species typical of wetter soils might have advantages over dryland species. In this study, survival, growth and the performance of thermal and stormwater capture functions of three pairs of dryland and wetland plant species were quantified using an extensive modular green roof system.MethodsSeedlings of all six species were germinated in a greenhouse and planted into green roof modules with 6 cm of growing medium. There were 34 treatments consisting of each species in monoculture and all combinations of wet- and dryland species in a randomized block design. Performance measures were survival, vegetation cover and roof surface temperature recorded for each module over two growing seasons, water loss (an estimate of evapotranspiration) in 2007, and albedo and water capture in 2008.Key resultsOver two seasons, dryland plants performed better than wetland plants, and increasing the number of dryland species in mixtures tended to improve functioning, although there was no clear effect of species or habitat group diversity. All species had survival rates >75 % after the first winter; however, dryland species had much greater cover, an important indicator of green roof performance. Sibbaldiopsis tridentata was the top performing species in monoculture, and was included in the best treatments.ConclusionsAlthough dryland species outperformed wetland species, planting extensive green roofs with both groups decreased performance only slightly, while increasing diversity and possibly habitat value. This study provides further evidence that plant composition and diversity can influence green roof functions.

Project description:Green roofs are exposed to high winds and harsh environmental conditions that can degrade vegetation and erode substrate material, with negative consequences to ecosystem services. Biochar has been promoted as an effective substrate additive to enhance plant performance, but unprocessed biochars are susceptible to wind and water erosion. Applications of granulated biochars or chemical dust suppressants are suggested as a means to mitigate biochar and substrate erosion; however, research on biochar type and chemical dust suppressant use on biochar and substrate erosion is lacking. Vegetation is a crucial factor that influences substrate erosion, yet plant responses may vary with biochar type and chemical dust suppressant; thus, the effects of possible mitigation measures on biochar and substrate erosion are unclear. We investigated the effects of surface-applied granulated and unprocessed biochars and an organic dust suppressant (Entac™) on biochar and substrate erosion on green roofs with Sedum album L. and a native plant mix. Our results show that 94% of unprocessed biochars were lost from green roofs after 2 years regardless of the Entac™ amendment, likely due to the lightweight nature and fragmentation of biochar particles. In contrast, granulation of biochars reduced the biochar erosion and total substrate erosion by 74% and 39%, respectively, possibly due to enhanced biochar bulk density and particle size and improved moisture retention of biochar-amended substrates. Additionally, Sedum album better reduced biochar and substrate erosion than the native plant mix, likely due to rapid development of high vegetation cover that reduced wind exposure and enhanced substrate moisture retention. We conclude that applications of granulated biochars can substantially reduce biochar and substrate erosion on green roofs, improving green roof sustainability.Graphical abstractSupplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42773-022-00186-7.

Project description:Mineral nitrogen (N) availability to heterotrophic micro-organisms is known to impact organic matter (OM) decomposition. Different pathways determining the N accessibility depend to a large extent on soil structure. Contact between soil mineral and OM substrate particles can facilitate N transport toward decomposition hot spots. However, the impact of soil structure on N availability to microbes and thus heterotrophic microbial activity and community structure is not yet fully understood. We hypothesized that carbon mineralization (Cmin) from low-N substrate would be stimulated by increased N availability caused by closer contact with soil particles or by a higher moisture level, enhancing potential for N-diffusion. Under opposite conditions retarded heterotrophic activity and a dominance of fungi were expected. A 128-days incubation experiment with CO2 emission monitoring from artificially reconstructed miniature soil cores with contrasting soil structures, viz. high or low degree of contact between soil particles, was conducted to study impacts on heterotrophic activity. The soil cores were subjected to different water filled pore space percentages (25 or 50% WFPS) and amended with either easily degradable OM high in N (grass) or more resistant OM low in N (sawdust). X-ray μCT image processing allowed to quantify the pore space in 350 μm around OM substrates, i.e., the microbial habitat of involved decomposers. A lower local porosity surrounding sawdust particles in soils with stonger contact was confirmed, at least at 25% WFPS. Mineral N addition to sawdust amended soils with small particle contact at 25% WFPS resulted in a stimulated respiration. Cmin in the latter soils was lower than in case of high particle contact. This was not observed for grass substrate particles or at 50% WFPS. The interactive effect of substrate type and soil structure suggests that the latter controls Cmin through mediation of N diffusion and in turn N availability. Phospholipid fatty acid did not reveal promotion of fungal over bacterial biomarkers in treatments with N-limited substrate decomposition. Combining X-ray μCT with tailoring soil structure allows for more reliable investigation of effects on the soil microbial community, because as also found here, the established soil pore network structure can strongly deviate from the intended one.

Dataset Information

A New Method for Sensing Soil Water Content in Green Roofs Using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells.

Publications

A New Method for Sensing Soil Water Content in Green Roofs Using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells.

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