International Biochar Initiative Educational Webinar Series:Recording
Stormwater Management & BiocharAugust 9, 2019 , 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM ET (Eastern Time - United States)
Floods are occurring with ever more frequency and ferocity. The consequences of which are enormously costly both economically and environmentally. Stormwater management and green infrastructure (GI) are thus becoming an urgent priority across the globe as rural and urban areas struggle to adopt to the new climate conditions.
To many, the use of GI is a new sustainable approach to managing urban stormwater runoff, volumes and quality. GI manages stormwater runoff by using natural ecosystems and/or engineered systems that mimic natural systems. While GI offers many benefits, retrofitting existing urban infrastructure is still a complex and expensive endeavor. Identifying approaches to squeeze more functionality out of existing approved GI practices has been the “Holy Grail” for the GI industry. Biochar, while relatively new to the GI space is rapidly gaining interest among researchers and engineers as way to enhance the performance of natural and engineered systems. Chuck Hegberg will discuss opportunities and benefits of integrating biochar into GI practices along with a number of project examples.
Dr. Marc Teixido, from University of California Berkeley, will discuss scientific findings from the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center called Reinventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt). Dr. Teixido interests include water quality and contaminant fate in natural and engineered systems, especially focusing on cost-effective systems able to integrate stormwater capture, treatment and groundwater recharge (CTR) to enhance local water security, flood control, and environmental protection. To overcome stormwater treatment traditional system limitations in contaminant removal, his research group has developed novel pilot-scale unit-process column CTR systems amended with biochar and manganese oxides for passive attenuation of trace organic contaminants and metals from stormwater. Their past and ongoing pilot studies are located across California, from Sonoma to Los Angeles, and being supported by multiple local partners.
*IBI Members can view this webinar for free via the Members' Only website. If you are not a member or need to renew your membership, click here: http://www.biochar-international.org/join. If you have issues renewing your membership status, please send an email to: [email protected]. For other registration-related questions, please send an email to [email protected].
Alternatively, non-IBI Members may attend for a non-member rate of $40. Upon completion of this form and successful payment processing, you will receive a link to view the August 9th webinar.
Postdoctoral Researcher at Berkeley Water Center, University of California Berkeley. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. [email protected]
Research Areas: Environmental chemistry; water quality; organic pollutant fate in underground and aquatic environments; transport and adsorption mechanisms; soil remediation.
Sample Projects: Stormwater Capture, Treatment and Recharge: Methodologies, models, and materials for predictable removal of chemicals from stormwater during distributed recharge.
Dr. Marc Teixido has been involved in biochar research projects since 2009. His extensive research at University of California Berkeley, Barcelona University, Yale University and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, covers both fundamental and applied aspects of contaminant uptake by biochar-amended systems. For the last four years he has focused on the enhanced removal of trace organic contaminants and metals in pilot-scale stormwater treatment systems. He is also a member of the International Biochar Initiative (IBI).
Chuck Hegberg, since the inception Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program in 1987 has been involved in a breadth of ecological restoration and water resources related projects. He has been involved with biochar and its many beneficial environmental opportunities since 2007. Over the past 7 years, he has focused biochar in green infrastructure and on developing practical solutions for broad-scale urban soil restoration that more naturally mimic natural hydrologic process. He is a member of the International Biochar Initiative (IBI), a U.S. Biochar Initiative Board Member, and the USBI Biochar 2018 conference past chair.
Kathleen is a member of the IBI Board and Chair of IBI's Information Hub. She is also the US Director of the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Intelligence. The Institute is an open source network focusing on beneficial carbon sequestration strategies which simultaneously provide economic development opportunities both in the developed and developing world. She is an editor and writer for The Biochar Journal, sponsored by the Ithaka Institute. Kathleen also works with various different universities and individuals on projects that are investigating the use of biochar in cement and other building and packaging products to develop products with lower embodied carbon which can be made from locally available organic waste. She has written extensively about various topics related to biochar and is a co-author of the book "Terra Preta: How the World's Most Fertile Soil Can Help Reverse Climate Change and Reduce World Hunger" and “BURN: Using Fire to Cool the Planet”.
