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Richards, Brian Karl
Cornell Academic Staff
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Positions
- Senior Research Associate, Biological and Environmental Engineering (BEE), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
My research focuses on the interaction of soil, water and a wide range of substances – including trace elements, nutrients, pesticides, colloids – which in the wrong place and/or at deleterious concentrations are regarded as contaminants. Recent major research directions include the impacts of agricultural and perennial bioenergy cropping systems on soils and soil emissions.
Research Areas
- agricultural engineering
- biological and environmental engineering
- environmental sciences
- pesticide management
- soil and crop science
- waste management
Websites
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Affiliations
member of
- David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) Faculty Fellow
Research
research overview
- My research focuses on the interaction of soil, water and a wide range of substances – including trace elements, nutrients, pesticides, colloids – which in the wrong place and/or at deleterious concentrations are regarded as contaminants. More recent major research directions include the agricultural emissions of trace gases from soil and the impacts of perennial bioenergy cropping systems on soils and soil emissions. My experience and training are broadly based, covering soil and water engineering, soil science, environmental engineering, environmental quality and life sciences. I am part of the Soil & Water Engineering faculty in the Department of Biological & Environmental Engineering, an effective team of teaching faculty and associates working with a large group of graduate students, with each member contributing particular strengths. Areas of expertise that I bring to the group include soil-oriented aspects of soil & water engineering, soil chemistry, environmental engineering and chemistry, analytical instrumentation and procedures, experimental design, experimental infrastructure, laboratory administration, and proficiency in grant writing, scientific writing/editing, and presentations.
research activities
principal investigator on
co-principal investigator on
area(s) of concentration/expertise
keywords
- analytical instrumentation
- bioenergy cropping impacts
- contaminant/nutrient mobility and fate
- environmental engineering/chemistry
- experimental design
- soil and water engineering
- soil science/chemistry
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Surveying Upstate NY Well Water for Pesticide Contamination: Cayuga and Orange Counties. Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation. 32:73-82. 2012
- Temporal variability of nitrous oxide from fertilized croplands: hot moment analysis. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 76:1728-1740. 2012
- Nitrous Oxide from Heterogeneous Agricultural Landscapes: Source Contribution Analysis by Eddy Covariance and Chambers. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 75:1829-1838. 2011
- Transport of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in a calcareous soil under wheat and safflower cultivation – a column study.. Geoderma. 154:311-320. 2010
- Assessment of vadose zone sampling methods for detection of preferential pesticide transport. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussion. 6:7247-7285. 2009
- Effects of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc contamination on metal accumulation by safflower and wheat.. Soil & Sediment Contamination. 18:216-228. 2009
- Nitrous oxide emission at low temperatures from manure-amended soils under corn (Zea mays L.). Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 132:74-81. 2009
- Transport and retention of colloidal particles in partially saturated porous media: effect of ionic strength. Water Resources Research. 45. 2009
- Capillary retention of colloids in unsaturated porous media . Water Resources Research. 44. 2008
- Gaseous nitrogen emission from soil aggregates as affected by clay mineralogy and repeated urine applications . Water Air and Soil Pollution. 195:285-299. 2008
- Nitrous oxide from aerated dairy manure slurries: Effects of aeration rates and oxic/anoxic phasing. Bioresource Technology. 99:8643-8648. 2008
- Colloidal transport: The facilitated movement of contaminants into groundwater . Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 62. 2007
- The long-term effect of sludge application on Cu, Zn, and Mo behavior in soils and accumulation in soybean seeds . Plant and Soil. 299:227-236. 2007
- Biocolloid retention in partially saturated soils. Biologia. 61. 2006
- Nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions from urine-applied soils: texture effect. Vadose Zone Journal. 5. 2006
- Quantifying colloid retention in partially saturated porous media. Water Resources Research. 42. 2006
- A GIS-Based Ground Water Contamination Risk Assessment Tool for Pesticides. Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation. 25:82-91. 2005
- Distribution of Colloid Particles onto Interfaces in Partially Saturated Sand. Environmental Science & Technology. 39:7055-7064. 2005
- Investigating raindrop effects on transport of sediment and non-sorbed chemicals from soil to surface runoff. Journal of Hydrology. 308:313-320. 2005
- Reply to Comments on Pore-scale visualization of colloid transport and retention in partly saturated porous media. Vadose Zone Journal. 4:957-958. 2005
- Synthetic fibers as an indicator of land application of sludge. Environmental Pollution. 138:201-211. 2005
- Bioavailability and crop uptake of trace elements in soil columns amended with sewage sludge products. Plant and Soil. 262:71-84. 2004
- Environmental Impacts of Applying Manure, Fertilizer, and Sewage Biosolids on a Dairy Farm. Journal of American Water Resources Association. 40:1025-1042. 2004
- Microbial acidification and pH effects on trace element release from sewage sludge. Environmental Pollution. 132:61-71. 2004
- Chloride and lithium transport in large arrays of undisturbed silt loam and sandy loam soil columns. Vadose Zone Journal. 2:715-725. 2003
- Dissolved phosphorus losses from undisturbed soil cores: related to adsorption strength, flow rate, or soil structure?. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 67:458-470. 2003
- Effect of microbial activity on trace element release from sewage sludge. Environmental Science & Technology. 37:3361-3366. 2003
- Temperature and Microbial Activity Effects on Trace Element Leaching from Metalliferous Peats. Journal of Environmental Quality. 32:2067-2075. 2003
- Temperature and activity effects on trace element leaching from metalliferous peat. Journal of Environmental Quality. 32:2067-2075. 2003
- The unintentional secret. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 59. 2003
- Trace medal accumulation by red clover grown on sewage sludge-amended soils and correlation to Mehlich 3 and calcium chloride-extractable metals. Soil Science Journal. 168:29-38. 2003
- Effect of sludge processing mode, soil texture and soil pH on metal mobility in undisturbed soil columns under accelerated loading.. Environmental Pollution. 109:327-346. 2000
- Molybdenum uptake by forage crops grown on sewage sludge-amended soils in the field and greenhouse. Journal of Environmental Quality. 29:848-854. 2000
- Long-Term Leching of Trace Elements in a Heavily Sludge-Amended Silty Clay Loam Soil. Soil Science Journal. 164:613-623. 1999
- Trace metal retention in the incorporation zone of land-applied sludge. Environmental Science & Technology. 33:1171-1174. 1999
- Metal mobility at an old, heavily-loaded sludge application site. Environmental Pollution. 99:365-377. 1998
- Sludge effects on land: a case for caution. Resource [ASABE]. 5:11-12. 1998
- Effect of Processing Mode on Total and TCLP-Extractable Trace Elements in Dewatered Sludge Products. Journal of Environmental Quality. 26:782-788. 1997
- Effect of processing mode on trace elements in dewatered sludge products. Journal of Environmental Quality. 26:782-788. 1997
- Mobility and solubility of toxic metals and nutrients in soil fifteen years after sludge application. Soil Science. 162:487-500. 1997
- Movement of heavy metals through undisturbed and homogenized soil columns. Soil Science. 16:740-750. 1996
- In situ methane enrichment in methanogenic energy crop digesters. Biomass and Bioenergy. 6:275-282. 1994
- Methane fermentation of energy crops: maximum conversion kinetics and in situ biogas purification.. Biomass and Bioenergy. 5:261-278. 1993
- Disturbance, starvation and overfeeding stresses detected by microbial lipid biomarkers in high-solids high-yield methanogenic reactors. Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. 8:91-98. 1991
- High rate low solids anaerobic methane fermentation of sorghum, corn and cellulose. Biomass and Bioenergy. 1:249-260. 1991
- High solids anaerobic methane fermentation of sorghum and cellulose. Biomass and Bioenergy. 1:47-53. 1991
- Methods for kinetic analysis of methane fermentation in high solids biomass digesters. Biomass and Bioenergy. 1:65-73. 1991
- Starvation and overfeeding stress on the microbial activities in high-solids high-yield methanogenic digesters. Biomass and Bioenergy. 1:75-82. 1991
- Effects of manure storage design on nitrogen conservation. Agricultural Wastes. 10:205-220. 1984
- Variation in line transect measurements of crop residue cover. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 39:60-61. 1984
- Losses of manurial nitrogen in free-stall barns. Agricultural Wastes. 7:65-79. 1983
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article
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booksection
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conference paper
- The role of curli and cellulose in the transport and survival of Escherichia coli on a central New York dairy farm. Canadian Society for Bioengineering’s XVIIth World Congress of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and 9th International Drainage Symposium. 2010
- [Congress Symposium 4: Greenhouse gases from soils] Monitoring nitrous oxide emissions from manure-fertilized alfalfa and corn cropland in the Northeastern US.. Soil Solutions for a Changing World. 2010
- Preferential flow in soils: Developing extension and education resources. USDA National Water Quality Coordinators Conference: Building the Network, Strengthening Partnerships. 2003
- Energy production from biomass and wastes: present limitations and potential improvements.. Biotechnologies for Pollution Control and Energy. 7-36. 1992
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conference poster
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document part
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report
- Guidelines For Application Of Sewage Biosolids To Agricultural Lands 2007
- Guidelines For Application Of Sewage Biosolids To Agricultural Lands In The Northeastern U.S 2007
- Methanotrophs for Biological Pollution Control: TCE Removal and Nutrient Removal with the Expanded Bed. 315. 1992
- Methanotrophs for biological pollution control: TCE removal and nutrient removal with the expanded bed 1992
- Engineering design considerations for methane fermentation of energy crops - fundamental investigations.. 249. 1990
- Engineering design considerations for methane fermentation of energy crops - fundamental investigations.. 215. 1989
- Engineering design considerations for methane fermentation of energy crops - fundamental investigations.. 152. 1988
- Evaluation of milkhouse wastewater treatment. 228. 1983
- Gravity-filled and emptied manure storage: effluent characteristics 1981
- The Ground Water Quality Implications of the Proposed Soil Cleanup Standards for Brownfields: Brownfields SCO – Groundwater Pathway Comments 2006
Teaching
Service
service to the profession
- Agricultural Bioenergy Interest Group Member 2011 -
- Soil Science Society of America Professional Society 2011 -
- David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) Faculty Fellow 2012 - 2017
- Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Brownfield Cleanup Standards, Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation provided review comments of DEC-proposed regulations 2004 - 2006
reviewer or editor for
- Archives of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology, Australian Journal of Soil Research, Biomass & Bioenergy, Bioresource Technology, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Chemosphere, Environmental Management, Environmental Pollution, Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, Geoderma, Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Journal of Environmental Quality, Soil Science, Water, Air & Soil Pollution
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Geoderma
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering (Soil & Water Engineering), Cornell University 1999
- Cornell University 1982
- B.S. in Environmental Technology, Cornell University 1979
awards and honors
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- analytical instrumentation
- bioenergy cropping impacts
- contaminant/nutrient mobility and fate
- environmental engineering/chemistry
- experimental design
- soil and water engineering
- soil science/chemistry