RUI: Fate and Impact of CuPro 5000 and Kocide 3000: A Microcosm Based Study

关于纳米材料转归和迁移的数据对于成功制定环境风险管理战略和政策是必要的。 否则，风险管理的预防原则可能会限制社会利用工程纳米材料潜在惠益的能力。该项目的目标是确认蔬菜和水果种植者使用的含铜纳米颗粒的商业杀微生物剂产品是否会在短期和长期内影响土壤微生物群落的多样性和肥力。 首席研究员预计，这项研究的成功完成不仅会影响被称为纳米生态毒理学的子学科，而且还会增加环境科学，分子生物学，农业科学和微生物学领域的知识库。 直接的智力价值包括为有关环境命运和含有纳米颗粒的商业产品的影响的基本问题提供科学答案。 这项研究将进一步科学地了解土壤特性如何影响纳米颗粒的命运和影响。 这项研究也将对不仅在西切斯特大学，而且在全国范围内为本科生提供的教育培训产生巨大影响。 与Illumina Inc.合作和新奥尔良南方大学，首席研究员计划开发一个开源的七个实验室教学模块，让世界各地的机构在分子生物学领域纳入最先进的实践教学。 此外，还将培养4名对学习环境生物学感兴趣的本科生。 这项研究还将涉及培训六名高中生，让他们参与次要的研究活动。 将科学带给更广泛的受众是该提案的重要组成部分，首席研究员计划举办题为“环境保护：由我们，为我们”的公开研讨会，两种铜纳米颗粒基杀微生物剂- CuPRO 5000和Kocide 3000将在拟议的研究项目中进行研究。 该研究的总体目标是了解纳米颗粒在土壤中随时间的变化，并阐明这种变化是否对微生物群落产生任何影响。 方法包括获得五种不同的农业土壤类型，并建立了总共464个微观世界。 具有周期性剂量的纳米颗粒的实验组将保持在环境室中，并在30个月的孵育期内定期取样。 还将设置阳性和阴性对照。 将使用下一代测序技术监测微生物群落变化。纳米颗粒转化将使用X射线吸收精细结构光谱和电感耦合等离子体发射光谱进行。 将使用标准方案跟踪土壤性质的变化。 通过分析数据和整合结果，PI将测试以下三个假设。 假设1：无论土壤性质和产品类型，一定比例的铜纳米粒子将保留在土壤表面，即使在2？经过数年的培养，转化产物和产物中存在的任何离子形式的Cu都将从土壤中浸出。 假设二：虽然某些敏感的微生物会在单次剂量下发生变化，但整个社区将抵制变化，直到达到临界剂量。 超过临界剂量，社区将崩溃并显示出巨大的变化。 此外，细菌群落将比真菌或古菌群落更敏感。假设3：当暴露于纳米颗粒时，敏感的细菌群体将死亡。 其他微生物将填补空缺的生态位，使敏感种群更难反弹。 拟议的研究将为不同土壤性质和条件下含有纳米颗粒的商业产品的环境命运和影响的基本问题提供科学答案。 这项研究还将进一步科学地了解土壤特性如何影响纳米颗粒的命运和影响。 此外，对微生物群落如何对纳米颗粒作出反应的数据进行评估，将为微生物群落结构功能关系如何变化提供有价值的信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Data on the fate and transport of nanomaterials are necessary for the successful development of environmental risk management strategies and policies. Otherwise, precautionary principles of risk management may limit the ability of society to exploit the potential benefits of engineered nanomaterials. The goal of project is to confirm whether the commercial copper nanoparticle-containing microbicide products used by vegetable and fruit growers influence the diversity and fertility of the soil microbial communities over short and long term. The principal investigator anticipates that successful completion of this research will not only impact the sub-discipline known as nano-ecotoxicology, but also add to the pool of knowledge in the areas of environmental science, molecular biology, agricultural science, and microbiology. Direct intellectual merit includes providing scientific answers to the basic question concerning the environmental fate and impact of commercial products containing nanoparticles. This research will further scientific understanding of how soil properties affect the fate and impact of nanoparticles. The research will also have a huge impact on the educational training provided to undergraduate students not only at West Chester University, but also throughout the country. In collaboration with Illumina Inc. and Southern University of New Orleans, the principal investigator plans to develop an open-source seven laboratory teaching module to allow institutions around the world to incorporate state-of-the art hands-on teaching in the area of molecular biology. In addition, four undergraduate students who are interested in learning environmental biology will be trained. The research would also involve training six high school students by involving them in minor research activities. Taking science to the broader audience is an important component of the proposal and the principal investigator plans to give public seminars titled "Environmental Conservation: By Us, For Us"Two copper nanoparticle base microbicides - CuPRO 5000 and Kocide 3000, will be studied in the proposed research project. The overall goal of the research is to understand the transformation of nanoparticles over time in soil and elucidate whether transformation has any impact on the microbial community. Methodology includes obtaining five different agricultural soil types and setting up a total of 464 microcosms. Experimental sets with periodic dosage of nanoparticles will be maintained in an environmental chamber and sampled at regular intervals over a 30-month incubation period. Positive and negative controls will also be set up. Microbial community changes will be monitored using Next Gen Sequencing. Nanoparticle transformation will be followed using X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Changes in soil properties will be followed using standard protocols. By analyzing the data and integrating the results, the PI will test the following three hypotheses. Hypothesis 1: Irrespective of soil properties and product type, a certain fraction of Cu nanoparticles will be retained on the soil surface even after 2 ? years of incubation, while transformation products and any ionic form of Cu present in the products will leach out of the soil. Hypothesis 2: While certain sensitive microbes will show changes with a single dose, the community as a whole will resist changes until a critical dose is reached. Beyond the critical dose, the community will collapse and show large changes. Also, the bacterial communities will be more susceptible then the fungal or archaea communities. Hypothesis 3: When exposed to nanoparticles, sensitive populations of bacteria will perish. Other microorganisms will fill the vacant niche, making it harder for sensitive populations to rebound. The proposed research will provide scientific answers to the basic question on the environmental fate and impact of commercial products containing nanoparticles under different soil properties and conditions. This research will also further scientific understanding of how soil properties affect the fate and impact of nanoparticles. In addition, evaluation of the data on how the microbial community responds to nanoparticles will provide valuable information on how the microbial community structure function relationship changes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.