Ion transport in natural and engineered membranes: implications for pollutant analysis, toxicity and remediation

天然膜和工程膜中的离子传输：对污染物分析、毒性和修复的影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-04826
• 负责人: Smith, Scott
• 金额: $ 3.79万
• 依托单位: Wilfrid Laurier University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=740239
• 关键词: Ion; transport; natural; engineered; membranes

Water contains dissolved ions, which are charged atoms or molecules. For survival organisms need to be able to transport some beneficial ions into their cells, and dispose of toxic ones. It is the biological membranes in aquatic organisms that interface with water and control the transport of dissolved ions to/from the interior of cells. The normal transport across membranes ensures healthy organisms, but if this transport is interrupted toxicity can result. Similarly, engineered membranes can be used to clean waters by excluding pollutants. Understanding the transport of ions across membranes will allow for appropriate protection of aquatic life, but also experimental insights will allow for engineering of membranes for specific contaminant remediation, or even selective and sensitive detection of contaminant ions. To this end, this research proposal is divided into three parts: toxicity, analysis and remediation. TOXICITY. In earlier work in my lab, gill cells were obtained directly from fish to study metal ion transport.  This proposed research program will instead investigate cultured cells from continuous cell lines.  There is a suggestion that such cell lines might replace animal testing for the assessment of pollutant toxicity. For such testing to be acceptable it is necessary to assess if cell-line derived cells behave chemically similarly to primary cultures. ANALYSIS. In my lab membranes have been used to construct ion selective electrodes for analysis of specific metal ions.  Such electrodes include an ionophore (ion-loving compound) that selectively binds only the metal ion of interest. As a new monitoring tool, I propose to build ion-selective membranes into monitoring devices.  Replacing membranes in existing monitoring devices with an ion-selective membrane will remove any ambiguity in what species are measured and could revolutionize membrane-based monitoring methods and allow for their wide-spread acceptance for contaminants monitoring.  REMEDIATION. Elevated concentrations of phosphate (a negatively charged ion) in surface waters can cause negative impacts, but if the phosphate can be separated it can be recovered as a valuable fertilizer product. Existing wastewater treatment methods result in a high phosphate sludge.   The use of membranes to remove phosphate to generate chemically pure fertilizer from wastewater sludge will be explored. If an electric potential is applied to the sludge, the ions will migrate with negative ions moving to the positive electrode.  To ensure that the recovery solution include only phosphate a phosphate selective membrane will be used between the treated solids and the receiving electrode. SUMMARY. The research program will be a combination of fundamental studies and applications and provide great learning and training opportunities as well as generating practical solutions to toxicological, analytical and remediation issues in water management.

水含有溶解的离子，它们是带电原子或分子。为了生存，生物体需要能够将一些有益的离子输送到细胞中，并处理掉有毒的离子。它是水生生物中与水接触并控制溶解离子进出细胞内部的运输的生物膜。正常的跨膜运输可确保生物体健康，但如果这种运输中断，可能会导致毒性。同样，工程膜可以通过排除污染物来净化水体。了解离子跨膜传输将有助于对水生生物进行适当的保护，而且实验见解将有助于针对特定污染物修复的膜工程，甚至选择性和灵敏地检测污染物离子。为此，本研究方案分为三个部分：毒性、分析和修复。 毒性。在我实验室的早期工作中，直接从鱼身上获取鳃细胞来研究金属离子传输。  该拟议的研究计划将改为研究来自连续细胞系的培养细胞。  有人建议，此类细胞系可能会取代动物试验来评估污染物毒性。为了使此类测试可接受，有必要评估细胞系衍生细胞的化学行为是否与原代培养物相似。 分析。在我的实验室中，膜已用于构建离子选择性电极以分析特定金属离子。  这种电极包括离子载体（亲离子化合物），它选择性地仅结合感兴趣的金属离子。作为一种新的监测工具，我建议将离子选择性膜构建到监测设备中。  用离子选择性膜替换现有监测设备中的膜将消除测量物种的任何模糊性，并可能彻底改变基于膜的监测方法，并使其广泛接受污染物监测。  补救措施。地表水中磷酸盐（带负电的离子）浓度升高可能会造成负面影响，但如果可以分离磷酸盐，则可以将其回收为有价值的肥料产品。现有的废水处理方法会产生高磷酸盐污泥。   将探索使用膜去除磷酸盐，从废水污泥中产生化学纯肥料。如果对污泥施加电势，离子将随着负离子移动到正电极而迁移。  为了确保回收溶液仅包含磷酸盐，将在处理的固体和接收电极之间使用磷酸盐选择性膜。概括。该研究计划将基础研究和应用相结合，提供良好的学习和培训机会，并为水管理中的毒理学、分析和修复问题提供实用的解决方案。