POWRE: Investigating the Impact of Vegetation on Transport and Fate of Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE) in the Environment

POWRE：研究植被对环境中甲基叔丁基醚 (MTBE) 运输和归宿的影响

• 批准号: 9806228
• 负责人: Anu Ramaswami
• 金额: $ 8万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Denver-Downtown Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-08-15 至 2001-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9806228&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: POWRE; Investigating; Impact; Vegetation; Transport

9806228 Ramaswami The objective of this research is to examine vegetation as a potentially important factor controlling transport and transformations of Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in the natural environment. While the gasoline additive MTBE has been effective in reducing air polluting emissions from automobiles, its presence has been detected in groundwater and surface waters across the nation. It is apparent that point source contamination does not explain the observations and that non-point deposition of atmospheric MTBE is suggested. Vegetation is thought to play a role in both the transport and the transformation of MTBE. It is the aim of this research to understand that role, with the following objectives: 1) examine potential vegetation-induced pathways for transfer of MTBE between the atmosphere and bodies of water, including the transpiration from groundwater to air, as well as foliar uptake of air-borne MTBE, 2) assess the fate of MTBE as it moves through the plant and determine enhanced microbial degradation of MTBE in the plant rhizosphere and 3) assess the above factors and incorporate them into mathematical models that describe the fate and transport of MTBE between the atmosphere and groundwater systems. The knowledge gained may be applied toward development of integrated models to describe the impact of MTBE on the environment and to the development of plant-based phytoremediation systems for groundwater treatment. This new line of inquiry for the PI draws on her work with Se phytoremediation and MTBE transport and provides the potential for her to become a leader in this area of research.

9806228拉马斯瓦米，这项研究的目的是考察植被是控制甲基叔丁基醚在自然环境中运输和转化的潜在重要因素。虽然汽油添加剂MTBE在减少汽车排放的空气污染方面是有效的，但在全国各地的地下水和地表水中都检测到了它的存在。显然，点源污染不能解释观测结果，建议大气中MTBE的非点源沉积。植被被认为在MTBE的运输和转化中都发挥了作用。这项研究的目的是了解这一作用，目标如下：1)研究植被诱导的MTBE在大气和水体之间转移的潜在途径，包括从地下水到空气的蒸腾，以及叶片对空气中MTBE的吸收；2)评估MTBE在植物中移动时的命运，确定MTBE在植物根际的微生物加速降解；3)评估上述因素，并将它们纳入描述MTBE在大气和地下水系统之间的命运和转移的数学模型中。所获得的知识可用于开发描述MTBE对环境的影响的综合模型，以及开发用于地下水处理的植物性植物修复系统。PI的这一新的研究路线借鉴了她在硒植物修复和MTBE运输方面的工作，并为她提供了成为这一研究领域的领导者的潜力。