EAPSI: Harnessing Microbial Potential to Address Challenges in Groundwater Remediation

随着人口的增加以及工业和农业活动的增加，全球可持续性正成为一个日益重要的问题。 虽然环境污染物是全球关注的问题，但这些污染物在地球仪上的类型和浓度通常不同。 因此，必须调查多国污染物及其在不同地理分布区的相关降解途径。 在这项研究中，我们将与中国科学院应用生态研究所的宋玉芳教授合作，研究中国特有的地下污染物的生物降解，并将结果与美国的结果进行比较。中国水利部最近的一项调查估计，中国80%的地下水已经受到氯化溶剂的污染，其中最常见的是氯代甲烷。 四氯化碳和氯仿等氯化甲烷因其对器官功能的不利影响而被列为可能的人类致癌物。 事实证明，生物降解在多种情况下都是有效的，它能将许多有毒氯化化合物转化为对环境无害的最终产品。 然而，减少氯代甲烷污染的基本微生物途径在很大程度上仍然是未知的。 为此，我们将利用从几个受污染场地收集的样本建立微生态系统，以富集和鉴定负责氯代甲烷生物降解和生物转化的微生物。 识别这些微生物可以导致其作为预测性生物标志物在评估污染场地的生物修复潜力。 该提案的总体目标是应用已建立的分子工具来鉴定新的微生物，评估生物修复潜力并开发中国的修复技术。 这些共享的结果可以在全球范围内应用，并将有效地补充NSF？该奖项是由美国国家科学基金会和中国科技部共同资助的，是东亚和太平洋暑期研究所项目下的一个奖项，旨在支持美国研究生的暑期研究。

With the rise of the human population as well as industrial and agricultural activities, global sustainability is becoming an increasingly critical issue. Although environmental pollutants are of global concern, these contaminants generally differ in terms of type and concentration across the globe. Therefore, it is essential to investigate multinational pollutants and their associated degradation pathways across different geographic distributions. In this study, we will collaborate with Professor Yufang Song in the Institute of Applied Ecology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to examine the biodegradation of China-specific subsurface contaminants and compare the results to those obtained in the United States. A recent survey by China's Ministry of Water Resources estimated that 80% of groundwater in China has already been contaminated with chlorinated solvents, with chlorinated methanes among the most common. Chlorinated methanes such as carbon tetrachloride and chloroform have been classified as probable human carcinogens resulting from their adverse effects on organ function. Biodegradation has proven effective in multiple scenarios by transforming many toxic chlorinated compounds into environmentally benign end-products. However, the fundamental microbial pathways for mitigating chlorinated methane contamination still remain largely unknown. To this end, we will establish microcosms with samples collected from several contaminated sites to enrich and identify the microorganisms responsible for the biodegradation and biotransformation of chlorinated methanes. Identifying these microorganisms can lead to their use as predictive biomarkers in evaluating the bioremediation potential at contaminated sites. The overarching goal of this proposal is to apply established molecular tools to identify novel microorganisms, assess the bioremediation potential and develop remediation technologies in China. These shared results can be applied on a global scale and will effectively complement NSF?s current focus on the intersection of food, energy and water.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.