Ma kekahi mau wahi o ke kula, he pilikia nui ka lepo ma ka mahi'ai a Mark Chitley ma North Dakota: 'O ka pa'akai ka mea e ho'opa'a ai i ka papa lepo no ka manawa lō'ihi, e ho'olohi i ka ne'e 'ana o ka wai, e kaohi i ke komo 'ana i ke a'a, a e emi iho ka hua. Ua kapa ʻia kēia hanana ʻo "Rings of Death".
Wahi a Tom DeSutter, polopeka o ka ʻepekema lepo ma North Dakota State University (NDSU), komo nā paʻakai i ka lepo mai ka pōhaku makua (no laila ka lepo i hoʻokumu ʻia ai) a mai ka wai lepo. Ma ka ʻaoʻao hikina ʻākau o ka mokuʻāina, ua hana ʻia nā paʻakai mai ka shale a me ka piʻi ʻana o ka wai mai ke kahawai ʻo Dakota Formation, ʻoiai ma ke komohana hema ʻo North Dakota ua hana ʻia lākou mai nā mea sedimentary.
"I ka nui loa o ka sodium i loko o ka lepo a me ka haʻahaʻa o ka paʻakai paʻakai, ʻo nā ʻāpana pālolo i loko o ka lepo e pale aku kekahi i kekahi," wahi a DeSutter. “Ma lalo o nā kūlana kūlohelohe, no ka lōʻihi o ka manawa, neʻe nā ʻāpana pālolo i hoʻopuehu ʻia i lalo o ka ʻaoʻao o ka lepo a hana i kahi ʻano kolamu i hiki ke paʻakikī i ke komo ʻana o nā aʻa mea kanu. No laila ʻaʻole hua nui ka lepo.
No ka hoʻoponopono ʻana i kēia mau pilikia, ua hui pū ʻo Cheatley me NDSU Extension e hoʻihoʻi hou i ka lepo ma o ka hoʻopili ʻana i ka flue gas desulfurization gypsum, kahi huahana o ka puhi lanahu. "Ke ulu nei ka pilikia, a ke kakali nei au e ʻike i ka gypsum e hoʻohuli i kēlā ʻano," wahi a Chitley.
ʻO Gypsum kahi huahana o nā mea kanu i puhi ʻia ma ke komohana o North Dakota. Ke hoʻokomo ʻia i loko o ka lepo, hiki mai ke ʻano o nā hopena kemika e "hana ka calcium ma ke ʻano he alahaka ma waena o nā ʻāpana lepo a hoʻoikaika i ka hoʻohui kemika," wehewehe ʻo Naeem Kalvar, he loea lepo me NDSU Extension, nāna e kōkua iā Cheatley e hoʻihoʻi i nā lepo paʻakikī. "ʻO kēia ka hopena i ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ke ʻano o ka lepo, ka porosity lepo a me ka infiltration wai."
ʻO ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka gypsum - me nā hana hoʻōla lepo ʻē aʻe e like me nā mea kanu uhi, a Chitley e hoʻāʻo ai no ka manawa mua i kēia makahiki - ua manaʻo ʻia e hakakā i nā solonets, nā paʻakai paʻakai a me nā lepo paʻakai, a me ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ke olakino o ka lepo.
Hiki i kēia mau hana ke ho'ōla i ka poʻe mahiʻai o ka ʻāina i nā miliona miliona, wahi a Kalvar, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mea kanu pilikia e like me ka soybeans, ke kulina, ka palaoa puna a me ka canola. He mau makahiki ia no Chitley a me kona mau hoalauna e ʻike i nā pono o nā huahana a me nā ʻano hana a lākou e hoʻolauna nei.
Ma ka mahiʻai ʻo Chitley, ua ʻōlelo ʻo Kalvar e hoʻohana i 7 a 10 mau tona gypsum no ka ʻeka. Ua kūʻai ʻo Chitley i kahi mea hoʻolaha Chandler no ka hoʻohana ʻana i nā wahi paʻakai a kūʻai aku i ka gypsum no kahi $4 o ke tona mai kahi mea kanu ma Stanton, North Dakota. Loaʻa i ka huahana "ka paʻa o ka palaoa pulu a ʻaʻole i laha maikaʻi mai nā mea hoʻomomona maʻamau," wahi a Chitley.
Aia kekahi mau ala ʻē aʻe e hoʻopalupalu i ka lepo paʻakai. Ma waena o lākou ke kanu ʻana i nā mauʻu paʻakai paʻakai ma nā wahi i ulu ʻole ai nā mea kanu makahiki. Hiki i nā mahiʻai ke mālama ma waena o $ 82 a me $ 187 no ka ʻeka, wahi a Kalvar. ʻOiai pono e uku mua nā mea kanu i nā mauʻu i ka makahiki mua, e ulu hou lākou ma o lākou iho i nā kau ma hope.
"Ma ka hāʻawi ʻana i ka uhi mea kanu maikaʻi, e hōʻemi ka mauʻu perennial i ka evaporation, ʻoiai e ulu ana nā aʻa e kōkua i ka hoʻohaʻahaʻa ʻana i ka papa wai a e hōʻemi i ka piʻi ʻana o ka capillary," wahi a Kalvar. “Hiki i ka poʻe mahiʻai ke ʻoki i ka mauʻu a ʻai paha i kēia mau mauʻu a hiki ke loaʻa ke kālā, ʻaʻole e nalowale ke kālā ma nā ʻeka pilikia. Ke ʻoki ʻia i ka manawa kūpono, hana maikaʻi kēia mau mauʻu."
I kēia manawa, ʻaʻole kanu ʻo Chitley i nā mauʻu perennial. Ke nānā nei ʻo ia i ka loiloi ʻana i nā pono o ka gypsum a me ka uhi ʻana i nā mea kanu me ka hoʻomau ʻana i ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ka pono o ka lepo o kāna mahiʻai.