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

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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.