Pathogen Reduction in Decentralized Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies

联合国可持续发展目标6.1是到2030年实现所有人普遍和公平地获得安全和负担得起的饮用水[1]。然而，在世界各地的许多社区，饮用水水源受到污染。在加拿大，超过70%的原住民社区面临污染的风险[2]。其中一些受到长期沸水警告[3]，这表明饮用水受到或怀疑受到细菌、病毒或原生动物等病原体的污染[4]。原住民社区的水媒感染是全国平均水平的26倍[5]；然而，关于这些饮用水水源受到污染的风险，特别是这些社区和其他边缘化社区的病毒污染风险的信息很少。这项研究计划旨在利用微生物学和分子生物学工具来解决这一知识鸿沟，以识别分散的饮用水水源中令人担忧的微生物污染物，并开发和评估监测和灭活这些污染物的技术。该研究计划的长期目标是开发和评估面向21世纪的创新、成本效益和能源效率高的清洁水技术，以降低分散水处理系统的风险。系统的方法是首先建立对问题的基本理解，然后将这些知识应用于新兴技术，以应对特定的工程挑战。在申请人以前工作的基础上，这项发现赠款计划将表征源水中的微生物污染物(特别是病毒)，包括受地表水直接影响的地下水、有病原体风险的地下水和蓄水池中的水，然后开发和评估廉价的分散式水处理解决方案。该计划将进一步开发和评估紫外线发光二极管(UV LED)技术，该技术可与其他技术结合使用，以解决海外原住民社区和边缘化社区的饮用水污染问题。该计划的一个重点是在当地开展工作，并在全球范围内转移解决方案。在这种情况下，该项目将与来自东非的一名博士生和一名博士后研究员一起，将研究重点扩大到分散的饮用水水源地的水污染和潜在的处理解决方案，以供他们的家乡社区使用。该计划的另一个重点是为学员做好准备，包括2名博士生、2名硕士研究生和1名博士后研究员，以进入当今的劳动力大军。今天的毕业生面临着越来越复杂的挑战，包括快速增长的全球人口面临着气候变化、微生物和化学污染物、基础设施老化以及关键水资源的缺乏。这项计划将使他们做好准备，用知识、支持、实践技能和独创性来应对紧迫的现实世界挑战。

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 is to achieve, by 2030, universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all [1]. However, in many communities worldwide, drinking water sources are contaminated. In Canada, over 70% of First Nations communities are at risk of contamination [2]. Several are under long-term boil water advisories [3], which indicates that the drinking water is contaminated or suspected to be contaminated by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or protozoa [4]. Water-borne infections in First Nations communities are 26 times higher than the national average [5]; however, little information exists about the risk of contamination of these drinking water sources, especially viral contamination in these and other marginalized communities. This research program aims to address this knowledge gap using microbiology and molecular biology tools to identify microbial contaminants of concern in decentralized drinking water sources and to develop and evaluate technologies to monitor and inactivate them. The long-term goals of the research program are to develop and evaluate innovative, cost-effective, and energy efficient clean water technologies for the 21st century for reducing risk in decentralized water treatment systems. The systematic approach is to first develop a fundamental understanding of the problem and then to apply that knowledge to emerging technologies to address a specific engineering challenge. Building upon the applicant's previous work, this Discovery Grant program will characterize the microbial contaminants (specifically viruses) in source waters, including groundwater under the direct influence of surface waters, groundwater at risk of pathogens, and water in cisterns and then develop and evaluate inexpensive decentralized water treatment solutions. The program will further develop and evaluate ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV LED) technology, which could be used in combination with other technologies to address drinking water contamination in First Nations communities and in marginalized communities abroad. A focus of this program is to work locally and transfer solutions globally. In this case, with a PhD student and a postdoctoral fellow from East Africa, the program will expand the research focus on water contamination in decentralized drinking water sources and potential treatment solutions to their home communities. Another focus of this program is to prepare trainees, including 2 PhD students, 2 MASc students, and 1 postdoctoral fellow, to enter today's workforce. Today's graduates face increasingly complex challenges, including a rapidly growing global population confronted by climate change, microbial and chemical contaminants, aging infrastructure, and a lack of critical water resources. This program will prepare them to handle pressing real-world challenges with knowledge, support, practical skills and ingenuity.