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

关于纳米材料命运和运输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，风险管理的预防性原则可能会限制社会利用工程纳米材料潜在利益的能力。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菌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宝库。直接的智力价值包括为有关含有纳米粒子的商业产品的环境命运和影响的基本问题提供科学答案。这项研究将进一步科学地理解土壤性质如何影响纳米颗粒的命运和影响。这项研究还将对西切斯特大学乃至全国的本科生教育培训产生巨大影响。在与Illumina公司和新奥尔良南方大学的合作中，首席研究员计划开发一个开源的七个实验室教学模块，使世界各地的机构能够在分子生物学领域整合最先进的实践教学。此外，还将培养四名对学习环境生物学感兴趣的本科生。这项研究还包括训练六名高中生，让他们参与一些次要的研究活动。将科学带给更广泛的受众是该提案的一个重要组成部分，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。拟议的研究项目将研究两种铜纳米颗粒基杀菌剂——CuPRO 5000和Kocide 3000。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有任何影响。方法包括获取5种不同的农业土壤类型，建立共464个微观模型。具有定期剂量的纳米颗粒的实验装置将在一个环境室中保持，并在30个月的孵育期内定期取样。还将设置积极和消极控制。微生物群落的变化将使用Next Gen Sequencing进行监测。利用x射线吸收精细结构光谱和电感耦合等离子体光学发射光谱跟踪纳米颗粒的转变。土壤性质的变化将按照标准方案进行。通过分析数据和整合结果，PI将检验以下三个假设。假设1：无论土壤性质和产品类型如何，即使经过2 ？而转化产物和产物中存在的任何离子形式的铜将从土壤中浸出。假设2：虽然某些敏感微生物会随着单次剂量而出现变化，但整个群落将抵抗变化，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容易受到影响。假设3：当接触到纳米粒子时，敏感的细菌种群将会死亡。其他微生物将填补空缺的生态位，使敏感种群难以反弹。拟议的研究将为含有纳米颗粒的商业产品在不同土壤性质和条件下的环境命运和影响这一基本问题提供科学答案。这项研究还将进一步科学地理解土壤性质如何影响纳米粒子的命运和影响。此外，微生物群落对纳米颗粒的响应数据的评估将为微生物群落结构功能关系的变化提供有价值的信息。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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.