Ecological Testing
Greenhouse Experiments
Dr. Sunshine Van Bael and Dr. Emily Farrer led the ecological research to determine the feasibility of growing vegetation in recycled glass sand. The team grew Black willow (Salix nigra), Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), and Giant cutgrass (Zizaniopsis miliacea) in recycled glass sand, dredged sand from the MS River, and a 50/50 mixture of the two.
Results
After 9 months of growth, the marsh grasses and willow trees grew just as well in the dredged sand treatment as they did in the mixed treatment. This is great news, as we expect the recycled glass sand to mix with the natural sediment over time.
Animal Exposure Experiments
Dr. Hank Bart is leading the team in a newly built, IACUC approved Animal Housing Facility to assess the effects of exposure of ecologically and commercially important fish and invertebrate species to recycled glass sand, a mixture of recycled glass and dredged sand, AquaQuartz (sold commercially as pool filter and aquarium sand), Quickcrete Play Sand, natural beach sand and no sand (control).
Species
Fish species: Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis), Darter goby, (Ctenogobius boleosoma)
Invertebrates: Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica), barnacle (Balanus subalbidus)