Pathogen Reduction in Decentralized Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies

联合国可持续发展目标6.1是到2030年实现人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，饮用水源受到污染。在加拿大，超过70%的原住民社区面临污染风险[2]。有几个是长期煮沸的水，这表明饮用水被污染或怀疑被细菌，病毒或原生动物等病原体污染[4]。第一民族社区的水传播感染比全国平均水平高26倍[5];然而，关于这些饮用水源污染风险的信息很少，特别是这些和其他边缘化社区的病毒污染。该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差距，以确定分散式饮用水源中的微生物污染物，并开发和评估监测和消除这些污染物的技术。 该研究计划的长期目标是开发和评估创新的，具有成本效益和能源效率的清洁水技术，为21世纪世纪减少分散式水处理系统的风险。系统方法是首先对问题有一个基本的理解，然后将这些知识应用于新兴技术，以解决特定的工程挑战。在申请人先前工作的基础上，该发现补助金计划将表征源沃茨中的微生物污染物（特别是病毒），包括受地表沃茨直接影响的地下水、有病原体风险的地下水和地下水，然后开发和评估廉价的分散式水处理解决方案。该方案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，以解决原住民社区和国外边缘化社区的饮用水污染问题。该计划的重点是在本地工作并在全球范围内转移解决方案。在这种情况下，与来自东非的博士生和博士后研究员，该计划将扩大对分散式饮用水源水污染的研究重点，并为他们的家庭社区提供潜在的处理解决方案。该计划的另一个重点是准备学员，包括2名博士生，2名MASc学生和1名博士后研究员，进入今天的劳动力市场。今天的毕业生面临着日益复杂的挑战，包括全球人口迅速增长，面临气候变化，微生物和化学污染物，基础设施老化以及缺乏关键的水资源。该计划将使他们准备好用知识，支持，实用技能和独创性来应对紧迫的现实挑战。

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.