Grant to TTU will aid soil, food tests

Tennessee Tech's Dept. of Plant and Soil Science in the School of Agriculture has been awarded a $24,400 grant from the US Dept. of Agriculture to buy new equipment for testing the chemical content of soil and food.

Announcement of the grant was made by Congressman Bart Gordon.

"The grant will be used to buy an accelerated solvent extractor," said Kim Stearman, associate professor in TTU's Water Resources Center. "The extractor has been on the market only a little over a year and already has been approved by the EPA."

In cases of chemical spills or contamination, scientists extract soil or sediment in water and, with the aid of a solvent, use the extractor to determine the concentration of certain of the chemicals.