Field Flow Fractionation for Evaluating Colloid-Metal Interactions in Drinking Water

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Field-Flow Fractionation (FFF) will offer Dr. Gagnon’s research team an opportunity to be at the forefront of water treatment design in processes related to corrosion control; biofilm engineering and natural organic matter. Specifically, FFF coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) will allow the research team to understand colloid-metal particles (i.e., nano-sized particles) in drinking water. Dr. Gagnon’s team has proven track record for utilizing advanced analytical techniques to understand the interaction of colloids and neurotoxic metals, such as lead. With an estimated relative abundance of 40-60% in drinking water, lead in the colloidal fractions represents a significant portion of total lead. Using existing equipment, Dr. Gagnon’s research team can estimate relative abundance and size of colloidal lead in drinking water; however, FFF offers an opportunity to increase precision. In Canada and across many jurisdictions, there is a strong desire to lower regulatory limits for metals such as lead, manganese and aluminum in drinking water. Accordingly, there is a need to distinguish between colloidal-particle and dissolved metals to ensure that proper public health based decisions are made and that water treatment plant design and operation can respond to emerging regulations. The proposed FFF system will accelerate a robust research program that has a combined value of over $5M and will contribute to the training of over 60-HQP over the next five years. Key NSERC-funded research includes the Halifax Water/NSERC Industrial Research Chair, a Collaborative Research and Development Grant and a proposed Discovery Grant. Dr. Gagnon’s team has the necessary research experience and trained personnel to quickly utilize the proposed equipment and integrate across research programs. Particle separation with FFF occurs primarily based on particle size and density, depending on the external force applied. Coupled to a detector, such as ICP-MS, the research team will be able to quantify colloidal metals based on their size and mass. As Dr. Gagnon’s team regularly uses ICP-MS for detecting lead and other metals in drinking water, it is anticipated that start-up with this new instrument will be rapid. Although FFF is widely used in the pharmaceutical and health-care sector, it is rarely used by the drinking water community. Further, we are not aware of similar equipment at Dalhousie University. As such, it is anticipated that the equipment will offer breakthrough information to assist water treatment decision-making, specifically as it relates to corrosion control, biological filtration and particle-separation processes.