NSF-GACR: Reactive Interfaces for Degrading Contaminants of Emerging Concern and Pathogenic Viruses in Constructed Wetlands

NSF-GACR：用于降解人工湿地中新出现的污染物和致病病毒的反应界面

• 批准号: 2306168
• 负责人: Mark Radosevich
• 金额: $ 39.97万
• 依托单位: University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-11-01 至 2026-10-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2306168&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; GACR; Reactive; Interfaces; Degrading

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have emerged as promising and cost-effective nature-based systems for the treatment of wastewater due to their low-cost, efficiency, and benefits to the environment. Current CWs have been primarily designed to remove suspended solids, bulk organics, and nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus. However, they are not effective at removing and degrading contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) or potentially harmful viral pathogens (VPs). As CECs and VPs have become global threats to human and ecosystem health, their efficient and rapid removal would be critical if a CW system is to be installed in an urban, suburban, or a rural area to treat contaminated wastewater. The overarching goal of this NSF-Czech Science Foundation (GAC) project is to investigate the design, development, and evaluation of a new CW treatment system designed to remove CECs and VPs. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigator (PIs) propose to explore the design and integration of reactive interfaces into CWs, including solid-water interfaces generated by iron and manganese oxides and air-water interfaces generated by air bubbles, to promote the simultaneous removal and destruction of CECs and VPs. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of fundamental knowledge to advance the design and implementation of more efficient and cost-effective constructed wetland systems for wastewater treatment. The joint implementation of this project in the United States (US) and the Czech Republic will broaden the impact of the research with the potential to improve global water management. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of one graduate student and one undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are promising pollution control and environmental remediation systems as they offer cost-effective, nature-based systems for wastewater treatment. However, existing CWs are primarily designed for the removal of nutrients but not for retention and degradation of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) or viral pathogens (VPs). The goals of this NSF-GAC collaborative project are to investigate, understand, and quantify how solid-water interfaces generated by functionalized metal oxides (e.g., iron and manganese oxides) and air-water interfaces created by air bubbles increase the microbial/chemical degradation of CECs and removal of VPs under aerobic-anaerobic conditions in constructed wetlands (CWs). The specific objectives of the research are to (1) synthesize and/or functionalize iron and manganese oxide particles to promote binding and degradation of CECs; (2) optimize reaction conditions for virus binding and removal at solid-water interfaces; (3) optimize environmental conditions to maximize the removal of CECs and viruses under varying flow conditions; and (4) validate the CEC degradation and virus inactivation mechanisms under pilot scale CW conditions. The US team will systematically assess the capacity of solid, water, and air interfaces to remove viruses from wastewater in model CW columns. The Czech team will focus on the chemical and biological reactions and mechanisms controlling the persistence of CECs in model soil columns, microcosms, and pilot-scale mesocosms designed to simulate CWs. The successful completion of this research will advance the fundamental understanding of the synergistic roles of air bubbles and metal oxides in removing CECs and VPs under varying environmental conditions in model laboratory and pilot CWs. To implement the education and training goals of the project, the Principal Investigators propose to leverage an existing NSF REU site award at the University of Tennessee Knoxville to recruit and engage undergraduate students from underrepresented and underserved groups in Appalachia to work on the project. In addition, the PIs plan to develop activities for local K-12 science teachers as well as training of undergraduate and graduate students in the US and the Czech Republic.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.

人工湿地以其低成本、高效率和对环境有益等优点，成为一种极具发展前景的污水处理系统。目前的CW主要设计用于去除悬浮固体、大量有机物和营养物，包括氮和磷。然而，它们不能有效地去除和降解新出现的污染物（CEC）或潜在有害的病毒病原体（VP）。 由于CEC和VP已成为对人类和生态系统健康的全球威胁，如果要在城市，郊区或农村地区安装CW系统以处理受污染的废水，则有效和快速地去除它们将是至关重要的。这个NSF-捷克科学基金会（GAC）项目的总体目标是研究一种新的CW处理系统的设计，开发和评估，该系统旨在去除CEC和VP。为了推进这一目标，首席研究员（PI）建议探索化学武器的反应界面的设计和整合，包括铁和锰氧化物产生的固体-水界面和气泡产生的空气-水界面，以促进CEC和VP的同时去除和破坏。该项目的成功完成将通过产生基础知识来促进设计和实施更有效和更具成本效益的人工湿地系统来处理废水，从而造福社会。该项目在美国和捷克共和国的联合实施将扩大研究的影响，并有可能改善全球水资源管理。通过学生教育和培训，包括指导田纳西大学诺克斯维尔的一名研究生和一名本科生，将为社会带来更多好处。人工湿地（CWs）是有前途的污染控制和环境修复系统，因为它们提供了具有成本效益的，基于自然的污水处理系统。然而，现有的化学武器主要是为了去除营养物质，而不是为了保留和降解新出现的问题（CEC）或病毒病原体（VP）的化合物。这个NSF-GAC合作项目的目标是研究，理解和量化功能化金属氧化物（例如，铁和锰的氧化物）和空气-水界面产生的气泡增加的微生物/化学降解的CEC和去除VP在好氧-厌氧条件下的人工湿地（CWs）。研究的具体目标是（1）合成和/或功能化铁和锰氧化物颗粒，以促进CEC的结合和降解;（2）优化固体-水界面处病毒结合和去除的反应条件;（3）优化环境条件，以在不同的流动条件下最大限度地去除CEC和病毒;（4）在中试规模CW条件下验证CEC降解和病毒灭活机制。美国团队将系统地评估固体，水和空气界面在模型CW柱中从废水中去除病毒的能力。捷克团队将专注于化学和生物反应以及控制CEC在模型土柱，微观世界和旨在模拟CWs的中试规模的中尺度生态系统中的持久性的机制。这项研究的成功完成将促进对模型实验室和中试CW中不同环境条件下气泡和金属氧化物在去除CEC和VP方面的协同作用的基本了解。为了实现该项目的教育和培训目标，主要研究人员建议利用田纳西大学诺克斯维尔现有的NSF REU网站奖，从阿巴拉契亚代表性不足和服务不足的群体中招募和吸引本科生参与该项目。此外，PI计划为当地K-12科学教师以及美国和捷克共和国的本科生和研究生开展培训活动。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。