CAREER: Fate and Transport of Aerosols from Animal Feeding Operations

[09:54673]动物饲养操作（afo）虽然是美国食品供应的重要环节，但对环境构成了重大风险。迫切需要研究AFO设施排放的有害气溶胶的命运和运输。这将为进一步研究与AFO气溶胶有关的健康影响和风险评估提供基础。动物住房/生物系统的动力学使afo排放的气溶胶的特性不同于其他工业污染物。虽然科学界对气溶胶的形成、命运和运输有了基本的了解，但在AFO气溶胶/生物气溶胶的命运和运输方面仍然存在重大的知识和技术差距。拟议工作的目标是(1)量化颗粒尺寸分布（PSD）对联邦参考方法（FRM） PM10采样器测量的影响，以便改进FRM PM采样器测量以用于更广泛的应用；(2)表征AFO设施排放的气溶胶的物理、化学和生物特性的时空变化特征，从而提高对这些气溶胶的产生、命运和运输机制的理解；(3)建立一个交互式模拟模型来预测AFO设施排放的生物气溶胶的命运和运输。拟议的工作包括对FRM PM测量技术以及AFO气溶胶/生物气溶胶的命运和运输进行理论和实地实验研究。实地研究将在两个商业化的AFO农场进行。提出的工作将产生(1)理论/经验模型，以纠正由PSD和采样器性能特征相互作用引起的FRM PM采样器的测量误差；(2)关于AFO气溶胶和生物气溶胶的命运和运输的宝贵知识；生物气溶胶响应/通知系统（BARNS）。PI的长期职业目标是发展跨学科的研究和教育项目，以弥合空气污染背景下环境工程与生物和农业工程学科之间的差距，以及课堂教育与现实世界实践之间的差距。所提议的工作的更广泛的影响将反映在：(1)改进FRM PM采样技术，可以被多学科研究者使用；(2)对农村环境中气溶胶/生物气溶胶的命运和迁移的认识进展。这种先进的知识将使人们更好地了解气溶胶控制和监管，并增强国家保护AFO行业免受疾病损失和威胁的能力。此外，更好地了解气溶胶/生物气溶胶的来源、命运和运输可能会提高我们对来源、暴露和健康结果之间复杂联系的理解。拟议的工作将不仅有利于农业工业，而且有利于健康和风险评估研究领域的调查人员。拟议工作的成果将通过几项教育活动广泛传播。高中学生将通过一年一度的夏令营项目接触到拟议的工作。未被充分代表的本科生将参与提议的项目。将培训两名研究生。将为AFO生产者、集成商、政府机构人员和决策者提供推广讲习班。PI致力于招收更多的女性和少数民族学生进入工程领域，并使他们走上科学和工程职业的道路。公团将积极与女子大学梅雷迪思学院的教授们合作，招收优秀的本科生参加大学生暑期研究项目。本科暑期研究项目将在早期阶段促进跨学科和实践教育，并吸引更多的学生，特别是女性和少数民族学生进入研究领域。

0954673WangAnimal feeding operations (AFOs), while a vital link in America's food supply, pose a major risk to the environment. There is a critical need to study the fate and transport of hazardous aerosol emissions from AFO facilities. This will provide a basis for further study of health effects and risk assessment associated with AFO aerosols. The dynamics of animal housing/biological systems make the characteristics of aerosols emitted from AFOs different from other industrial pollutants. Although the science community has a fundamental understanding of aerosol formation, fate and transport, significant knowledge and technology gaps still exist regarding fate and transport of AFO aerosols/bioaerosols. The objectives of the proposed work are to (1) quantify the impact of particle size distribution (PSD) on the federal reference method (FRM) PM10 sampler's measurements such that it will lead to improvements of the FRM PM sampler measurements for broader applications; (2) characterize the spatial and temporal variations in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of aerosols emitted from AFO facilities such that it will result in improved understanding of the mechanism of generation, fate and transport of those aerosols; and (3) develop an interactive simulation model to predict the fate and transport of bioaerosols emitted from AFO facilities. The proposed work involves theoretical and field experimental studies on FRM PM measurement techniques and on the fate and transport of AFO aerosols/bioaerosols. The field study will be conducted on two commercial AFO farms. The proposed work will yield (1) theoretical/empirical models to correct measurement errors of FRM PM samplers caused by interaction of PSD and performance characteristics of the sampler; (2) valuable knowledge on the fate and transport of AFO aerosols and bioaerosols; and (3) Bio-Aerosol Responding/Notifying System (BARNS). The long-term career goal of the PI is to develop interdisciplinary research and education programs to bridge the gaps between environmental engineering and biological and agricultural engineering disciplines in the context of air pollution as well as those between classroom education and real-world practices. The broader impacts of the proposed work will reflect on (1) improvements to FRM PM sampling technique that could be used by multidisciplinary investigators; and (2) the advancement of our understanding of fate and transport of aerosols/ bioaerosol in rural environment. This advanced knowledge will provide a better understanding of aerosol control and regulation and enhance the nation's capacity to protect the AFO industry from disease losses and threats. Moreover, better understanding source, fate and transport of aerosols/bioaerosols may improve our understanding on the complex linkages among source, exposure, and health outcome. The proposed work will not only benefit the AFO industries, but also investigators in the area of health and risk assessment studies. The results of the proposed work will be broadly disseminated through several educational activities. High school students will be exposed to the proposed work through an annual summer camp program. Underrepresented undergraduate students will be engaged in the proposed projects. Two graduate students will be trained. Extension workshops will be provided for AFO producers, integrators, government agency personnel and decision makers. The PI is committed to recruiting more female and minority students into engineering and set them on a path to science and engineering careers. The PI will actively work with professors in a female college, Meredith College, to recruit their outstanding undergraduates to an undergraduate summer research program. The undergraduate summer research program will foster interdisciplinary and hands-on education at an early stage and bring more students, especially women and minorities, into the research fields.