Evidencing that improvements to wastewater treatment and use of fate models protect sources of drinking water

我的研究计划旨在通过改善废水处理技术，评估CEC的影响和评估CEC的暴露来保护我们的水资源。由我正在进行的发现补助金支持的工作提供了充分的证据，表明废水排放中存在新出现的污染物（CEC），这是地表沃茨污染的重要点源。我们的工作还表明，先进的处理技术可以显着降低处理后的废水中CEC的浓度。根据我的研究计划，NSERC发现赠款计划支持的研究的具体目标是提供证据，通过增加处理步骤，如传统或新型臭氧化技术，废水处理列车和使用模型来确定接收流中CEC的命运可以保护饮用水源的质量。这一目标将通过量化CEC和生物活性化合物的额外去除量来实现，这些CEC和生物活性化合物通过使用先进技术来提供，然后模拟这些CEC在接收流中的命运和运输，直到饮用水处理厂的摄入点。将利用现有的建模工具，如PhATE模型，预测CEC在受纳沃茨的迁移和归宿。为了校准这些模型，我们将应用电导率测量原位在河流中，我们最近应用的方法，以改善采样策略和计算CEC清除。该模型将通过实地数据进行验证，并将应用于我们在过去五年中开发的一系列指示化合物，其中包括各种类别的污染物，并显示微生物，氧化和光解过程以及分区的去除变化。然而，鉴于废水中存在各种各样的CEC沿着转化产物，优化技术或根据对特定化学品的监测来调节排放可能不是最佳的。生物分析方法，如体外生物测定，将被用作化学分析的补充，以监测已知和未知生物活性物质的去除情况，并评估污水对接收流中生物活性的贡献。更好地了解饮用水源污染的可能性将有助于监管机构评估与废水中CEC存在相关的风险，并制定适当的指导方针和法规。这些研究还将表明，对先进处理技术的投资可以在保护下游饮用水源方面产生直接效益。将分析、生物分析和建模方法相结合，将为水资源管理和饮用水源保护提供一种工具。

My research program aims at protecting our water resources by improving wastewater treatment technologies, assessing the effect of CECs and assessing exposure to CECs. Work supported by my on-going Discovery Grant has provided ample evidence that contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are present in wastewater discharges, a significant point source of contamination of surface waters. Our work has also demonstrated that advanced treatment technologies can significantly reduce the concentrations of CECs in treated effluents. In alignment with my research program, the specific objective of the research proposed for support by the NSERC Discovery Grants program is to provide evidence that by adding treatment steps, such as conventional or novel ozonation technologies, to the wastewater treatment train and using models to determine fate of CECs in receiving streams can protect the quality of sources of drinking water. This objective will be addressed by quantifying the additional removals of CECs and bioactive compounds provided by using advanced technologies, and then modeling the fate and transport of these CECs in receiving streams up to the point of intake into drinking water treatment plants. Predictions of the transport and fate of CECs in receiving waters will be made using existing modeling tools, such as the PhATE model. To calibrate these models, we will apply electro-conductivity measurements made in situ in rivers, a method that we have recently applied to improve sampling strategies and calculation of CEC removals. The model will be validated with field data and will be applied to a list of indicators compounds that we have developed over the last five years, that includes contaminants from various classes and showing variations in removals by microbial, oxidative and photolytic processes, as well as by partitioning. However, given the wide variety of CECs present in wastewater along with their transformation products, optimizing technologies or regulating discharges based on monitoring for specific chemicals may not be optimal. Bioanalytical methods, such as in vitro bioassays, will be used as a complement to chemical analysis to monitor the removal of known and unknown bioactive substances and evaluate the contribution of the effluent to biological activity in receiving streams. A better understanding of the potential for contamination of drinking water sources will help regulatory agencies assess the risks associated with the presence of CECs in wastewater effluent and to put in place appropriate guidelines and regulations. These studies will also demonstrate that investment in advanced treatment technologies can have a direct benefit in terms of protecting downstream sources of drinking water. Combining analytical, bioanalytical and modeling approaches will provide a tool for water resource management and protection of sources of drinking water.