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

人工湿地(CWS)因其低成本、高效率和环境效益好等优点，已成为一种很有前途且经济实惠的天然污水处理系统。目前的水煤浆主要用于去除悬浮固体、散装有机物以及包括氮和磷在内的营养物质。然而，它们在去除和降解新出现的令人担忧的污染物(CECs)或潜在有害的病毒病原体(VP)方面并不有效。由于CECs和VP已经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，它们的有效和快速去除将是至关重要的。这个NSF-捷克科学基金会(GAC)项目的总体目标是调查设计、开发和评估旨在去除CECs和VP的新的CW处理系统。为了推进这一目标，首席调查员建议探索将反应性界面设计和整合到水煤浆中，包括由铁和锰氧化物产生的固体-水界面和由气泡产生的空气-水界面，以促进CECs和VP的同时清除和破坏。这一项目的成功完成将使社会受益，因为它将产生基础知识，以推动设计和实施更有效和更具成本效益的人工湿地污水处理系统。在美国和捷克共和国联合实施这一项目将扩大这项研究的影响，有可能改善全球水资源管理。还将通过学生教育和培训，包括指导田纳西诺克斯维尔大学的一名研究生和一名本科生，为社会带来更多好处。人工湿地(CWS)是一种很有前途的污染控制和环境修复系统，因为它们为废水处理提供了经济高效的、基于自然的系统。然而，现有的CWS主要是为去除营养物质而设计的，而不是为了保留和降解新出现的关注化合物(CECs)或病毒病原体(VP)。NSF-GAC合作项目的目标是调查、了解和量化功能化金属氧化物(如铁和锰氧化物)产生的固水界面和气泡形成的气水界面如何增加人工湿地(CWS)中好氧-厌氧条件下CECs的微生物/化学降解和VP的去除。这项研究的具体目标是：(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-水界面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；以及(4)在中试规模的连续波条件下，验证CEC的降解和病毒灭活机理。美国团队将系统地评估固体、水和空气界面的能力，以从模型CW柱中的废水中去除病毒。捷克团队将专注于控制CEC在模拟水煤浆的模型土柱、微型宇宙和中试尺度中的持续存在的化学和生物反应和机制。这项研究的成功完成将促进人们对气泡和金属氧化物在不同环境条件下在模拟实验室和中试水煤浆中去除CECs和VP的协同作用的基本理解。为了实现该项目的教育和培训目标，首席调查员建议利用田纳西诺克斯维尔大学现有的NSF REU场地奖，从阿巴拉契亚地区代表性不足和服务不足的群体中招募和聘用本科生参与该项目。此外，PIS计划为当地的K-12科学教师开展活动，以及在美国和捷克培训本科生和研究生。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.