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.

由于其低成本，效率和对环境的益处，建造的湿地（CWS）已成为有前途且具有成本效益的自然系统，用于处理废水。当前的CWS主要设计用于去除悬浮的固体，散装有机物以及包括氮和磷在内的营养。但是，它们无效地消除了新兴关注（CEC）或潜在有害病毒病原体（VPS）的污染物。 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系统来处理受污染的废水，它们的有效和快速删除将至关重要。该NSF-Czech科学基金会（GAC）项目的总体目标是调查旨在删除CEC和VPS的新型CW处理系统的设计，开发和评估。为了促进这一目标，首席研究员（PIS）建议探索反应性接口到CWS的设计和集成，包括由铁和锰氧化物产生的固体水接口以及气泡产生的空气水接口，以促进同时清除和破坏CECS和VPS和VPS。该项目的成功完成将通过产生基本知识来使社会受益，从而推动设计和实施更有效，更具成本效益的湿地系统进行废水处理。该项目在美国（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管理。将通过学生的教育和培训来实现社会的其他好处，包括在田纳西·诺克斯维尔大学的一名研究生和一名本科生指导。建造的湿地（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废水处理系统。但是，现有的CWS主要是为了去除营养而设计的，而不是用于保留和降解新兴问题（CEC）或病毒病原体（VPS）的降解。该NSF-GAC协作项目的目标是调查，理解和量化由功能化的金属氧化物（例如铁和锰氧化物）以及空气气泡创建的空气水接口产生的固体接口如何增加CEC的微生物/化学物质降解，并在Alobic-Anaerobic条件下（在构造的湿地）（CWS）（CWS）（CWS）（CWS）（CWS）（CWS）（CWS）。研究的特定目标是（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）优化在固体水界面处的病毒结合和去除的反应条件； （3）优化环境条件，以最大程度地在不同的流动条件下清除CEC和病毒； （4）验证CEC降解和病毒灭活机制在Pilot量表CW条件下。美国团队将系统地评估固体，水和空气界面的能力，以从型号CW柱中的废水中去除病毒。捷克团队将重点关注控制CEC在模型土壤柱，缩影和旨在模拟CWS的驾驶尺度中的CEC持续性的化学和生物反应和机制。这项研究的成功完成将提高对气泡和金属氧化物在模型实验室和试点CWS中不同环境条件下去除CEC和VPS在消除CEC和VPS中的协同作用的基本理解。为了实施该项目的教育和培训目标，首席调查人员建议利用田纳西大学诺克斯维尔大学现有的NSF REU网站奖，以招募和吸引来自代表性不足和服务不足的团体的本科生来从事该项目。此外，PIS计划为当地的K-12科学教师制定活动，以及对美国和捷克共和国的本科和研究生的培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的审查标准通过评估来进行评估的。