Collaborative Research: Assessing the bioavailability of effluent organic nitrogen along a freshwater to saltwater continuum

这项拟议研究的目的是解决流出的有机氮（EON）废水处理设施，提供生物营养物去除的生物利用度。该研究旨在提供基本信息，可以导致可靠的生物测定，以确定污水处理厂排放EON对接收地表水的影响和对富营养化的贡献。介绍了影响表层沃茨中有机氮可用性的已知因素的优秀背景，并反映了该合作研究小组的不同背景;环境工程师，生物海洋学家，有机地球化学家和化学海洋学家。研究的基本假设是EON的生物有效性与盐度和光照有关，不同盐度位置的地表水生物群可能不同，可能具有不同的EON转化和吸收特性。本研究将探讨不同种子来源对EON生物利用度的影响。该建议提供了一个计划，以评估生物种群，藻类生长的水平。叶绿素a测量，基于分子量大小的EON的可用性，以及应用化学方法评估EON的元素组成和分子表征。开发EON生物利用度的生物测定法和确定污水厂废水中可生物降解量的能力将产生深远的影响。首先，它将为水质管理人员和建模人员提供科学依据，以确定是否像现在这样将所有污水氮视为生物可利用氮，或者考虑可能的富营养化活动不受影响的富营养化部分，从而不会导致对鱼类有害的缺氧条件。生物测定工具可以帮助指导废水处理厂的设计，因为来自不同操作的流出物可以用于确定不同的设计或操作条件是否影响EON的生物利用度。其他重要的影响是一个夏季迷你学校，可以使用这个项目和水质问题，在切萨皮克湾地区作为当地和真实的场景，供公众研究。这项工作将是一个大规模问题的跨学科研究的展示和模型。这种类型的培训和教育将对从事该项目的研究生产生长期影响。作为过去NSF研究的一部分，PI也为本科生提供了成功的夏季研究经验。

CBET-0755826MulhollandThe objective of this proposed study is to address the bioavailability of effluent organic nitrogen (EON)) wastewater treatment facilities which provides biological nutrient removal. The research is intended to provide basic information that can lead to reliable bioassays to determine the effect of a wastewater plant discharge EON on the receiving surface water and contribution to eutrophication. An excellent background on known factors that affect the availability of organic nitrogen in surface waters was presented and reflected the diverse backgrounds of this collaborative research group; environmental engineer, biological oceanographer, organic geochemists, and chemical oceanographer. Basic hypothesis for the research is that the bioavailability of EON is related to salinity concentration and light and that the biota in the surface water may be different at different salinity locations and possibly have different EON conversion and uptake characteristics. The research would investigate the effect of different seed sources on the EON bioavailability. The proposal provides a plan to assess the biological populations, the level of algae growth by. Chlorophyll a measurement, the availability of the EON based on molecular weight size, and application of chemistry methods to assess the elemental composition of the EON and molecular characterization. The ability to develop a bioassay for the bioavailability of EON and to determine what amount from wastewater plant effluents is biodegradable will have far reaching impacts. First it would provide water quality managers and modelers scientific basis on whether to treat all effluent nitrogen as bioavailable as they now do or to account for a possible recalcitrant fraction that has not affect on eutrophication activity and thus does not contribute to developing hypoxia conditions that are harmful to fish. The bioassay tool can help guide wastewater plant designs as effluents from different operations can be used to determine if different design or operating conditions affect the EON bioavailability. Other important impacts are a summer mini school that can use this project and water quality issues in the Chesapeake Bay area as local and real scenario for study by the public. The work will be showcase and model for interdisciplinary research on a large scale problem. This type of training and education will have a long term impact on the graduate students working on the project. The PIs have also had successful summer research experiences for undergraduates as part of past NSF studies.