Opportunity Description:

A research opportunity is available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center located in Florence, South Carolina. Additional research analysis will be conducted at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) located in Corvallis, Oregon.

Phosphorus (P) imbalances occur in soils and watersheds of the Delmarva area because of concentrated animal production and over-application of manure. There is a risk of water quality impairment in the Delmarva area because more P is generated than regional soils can assimilate. These agronomic and environmental issues stress the need to devise alternate animal manure management strategies resulting in products that can be either transported out of animal-dense watersheds or used for bioenergy production.

The goals of this research opportunity are to develop/refine methods to activate biochars and evaluate their ability to increase P and metal sequestration in heavily manured soils and waste effluent streams.

Qualifications:

This opportunity is available to U.S. Citizens only. Qualified candidates should have received a doctoral degree, or be currently pursuing the degree and will reach completion by November 18, 2019.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

• Ability to travel and participate in field soil sampling and poultry litter feedstock collection in the Delmarva area
• Analytical skills to prepare solutions and chemicals for activating feedstocks for biochar production
• Experience to conduct and interpret laboratory P and metal sorption/desorption experiments
• Ability to set up and conduct a greenhouse experiment involving plants/crops
• Basic understanding of spectroscopic techniques for biochar surface chemical analysis and knowledge for spectral result interpretation
• Knowledge of basic soil fertility/chemistry principals and understanding of plant nutritional requirements
• Experience to compose and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals and make presentations at meetings
• Ability to conduct research in professional settings with other scientists