CAREER: Influence of Soil Morphology, Biosolid Application Rate, and Wind Velocity on the Emission Flux of Biosolid Derived Microbial Aerosols

0348455 Peccia当代废水处理厂的流动状态需要对所得生物固体的持续需求和市场。 然而，在美国，通过土地应用有益地利用生物固体是目前环境、公共卫生和公众接受的问题。 本CAREER提案的研究部分的目的是对土壤类型、生物固体特性和风速对风力引起的颗粒物和相关病原体从生物固体应用的土壤中雾化的影响有一个基本的了解。这项拟议研究的具体目标如下：（一）设计、建造和测试DNA微阵列，以检测土地施用和气溶胶化生物固体中的相关病原微生物和指示微生物;（二）根据土壤、大气和生物固体特性，开发和测试中试规模的风洞方法，以预测可变风速下可吸入颗粒物的排放通量;（三）确定陆地生物固体气溶胶化排放的微粒物质中微生物部分的特征;（四）进行多年实地取样活动，以确定不同风速下的微粒物质排放通量，并确定微粒物质和土壤中微生物含量的特征。 智力上的优点。 完成拟议的研究将大大推进对导致生物固体大气排放的环境条件的理解，并将提供微生物气溶胶的全面表征。 有了这种理解，合理的工程方法可以应用于决定在哪里，何时以及如何土地应用生物固体，并导致发展技术，减轻气溶胶。 这一办法是全面的。 基于分子和经典的微生物测量将与中试规模的风洞实验相结合，以建立基本的理解并产生预测能力。 全面的多年抽样活动将提供监测数据以及验证在试点规模得出的关系的数据。 研究生和本科生环境工程专业学生对公众接受问题和大学本科生对当地环境问题的教育将被用来解决这种做法的更大的社会影响。更广泛的影响。 通过帮助确认生物固体土地应用的安全性或确定不安全的方面，然后提供缓解策略，这项研究将广泛影响美国和国外废水固体处理的必要实践。 为预测细颗粒物和生物气溶胶的释放所获得的信息，以及在测量空气中微生物的浓度和类型方面的进展，具有基本的公共卫生和生态重要性，并跨越许多学科。 可以推进的领域包括检测空气传播的传染病和过敏性疾病，农业和牲畜病原体的传播，以及检测故意释放的空气传播病原体。 该教育计划将公众接受问题纳入本科环境工程课程，培养学生对环境问题的认识，为研究生提供国际工作的机会，并为招募代表性不足的学生进入工程提供框架。 该教育计划旨在通过教育本科环境工程师来影响社会，这些工程师除了接受强有力的技术培训外，还开发了其专业的相关全球和社会视角。 本职业建议的教育部分的目的是建立未来的环境工程教育方法，更广泛地将环境工程技术与社会因素相结合。

0348455PecciaThe flow regime of contemporary wastewater treatment plants requires a constant demand and market for the resultant biosolids. The beneficial use of biosolids in the United States through land application, however, is a present environmental, public health, and public acceptance concern. The purpose of the research portion of this CAREER proposal is to develop a fundamental understanding of the effects of soil type, biosolid characteristics, and wind velocity on the wind caused aerosolization of particulate matter and associated pathogens from soils in which biosolids have been applied. Specific objectives of this proposed research are the following: (i) design, build, and test a DNA microarray(s) to detect relevant pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in land applied and aerosolized biosolids; (ii) based on soil, atmospheric, and biosolid characteristics, develop and test a pilot-scale wind tunnel method for predicting the emission flux of respirable particulate matter under variable wind velocities; (iii) characterize the microbial fraction of particulate matter emitted from land applied biosolid aerosolization and; (iv) conduct a multiyear field sampling campaign to determine fine particulate matter emission flux under variable wind velocities and to characterize the microbial content of the particulate matter and soil. Intellectual merit. Completion of the proposed research will significantly advance the understanding of the environmental conditions that lead to biosolid atmospheric emissions and will provide a comprehensive characterization of the microbial aerosols. With this understanding, a rational engineering approach can be applied to decisions on where, when and how to land apply biosolids and, lead to the development of techniques that mitigate aerosolization. The approach is comprehensive. Molecular- and classically-based microbial measurements will be mixed with pilot-scale wind tunnel experiments to build a fundamental understanding and produce predictive capabilities. A full-scale multiyear sampling campaign will provide monitoring data as well as data to validate relationships derived at pilot-scale. The education of graduate and undergraduate environmental engineering students on public acceptance issues and university undergraduate students on local environmental issues will be used to address the larger societal implications of this practice. Broader impacts. By helping to confirm the safety of biosolid land application or identifying aspects that are unsafe and then providing mitigation strategies, this research will broadly impact the necessary practice of wastewater solids disposal in the U.S. and abroad. The information gained for predicting the release of fine particulate matter and bioaerosols, as well as, the developments in the measurement of the concentration and type of airborne microorganisms is of fundamental public health and ecological importance and crosses many disciplines. Areas that can be advanced include the detection of airborne infectious and allergenic diseases, spread of agricultural and live stock pathogens, and the detection of intentionally release airborne pathogens. The educational plan integrates public acceptance issues into the undergraduate environmental engineering curriculum, develops an awareness of environmental issues in the general student population, provides opportunities for graduate students to work internationally, and provides a framework for recruiting underrepresented students into engineering. The educational plan is designed to impact society by educating undergraduate environmental engineers that, in addition to a strong training in technology, have developed a relevant global and social perspective of their profession. The purpose of the educational portion of this CAREER proposal is to build future approaches in environmental engineering education that more broadly integrate environmental engineering technology with social considerations.