CAREER: Influence of Soil Morphology, Biosolid Application Rate, and Wind Velocity on the Emission Flux of Biosolid Derived Microbial Aerosols

[03:4845 . 55] peccia现代污水处理厂的流动状况要求对所产生的生物固体有持续的需求和市场。然而，在美国，通过土地应用对生物固体的有益利用是目前环境、公共卫生和公众接受的一个问题。本CAREER提案的研究部分的目的是对土壤类型，生物固体特性和风速对风引起的颗粒物质和相关病原体雾化的影响有一个基本的了解，这些颗粒物质和相关病原体来自应用了生物固体的土壤。本研究的具体目标如下：(i)设计、构建和测试DNA微阵列，以检测土地应用和雾化生物固体中的相关致病微生物和指示微生物；（二）根据土壤、大气和生物固体的特征，开发和测试一种中试风洞方法，以预测可变风速下可吸入颗粒物的排放通量；描述应用生物固体雾化法从土地排放的颗粒物质的微生物部分；开展多年实地抽样活动，以确定可变风速下的细颗粒物排放通量，并确定颗粒物和土壤微生物含量的特征。知识价值。拟议研究的完成将大大促进对导致生物固体大气排放的环境条件的理解，并将提供微生物气溶胶的全面表征。有了这样的理解，合理的工程方法可以应用于决定何时何地以及如何使用生物固体，并导致减缓雾化技术的发展。这种方法是全面的。分子和传统的微生物测量将与中试规模的风洞实验相结合，以建立基本的理解和产生预测能力。全面的多年抽样活动将提供监测数据以及验证在中试规模得出的关系的数据。环境工程专业研究生和本科生关于公众接受问题的教育，以及大学本科生关于当地环境问题的教育，将用于解决这种做法的更大的社会影响。更广泛的影响。通过帮助确认生物固体土地应用的安全性或确定不安全的方面，然后提供缓解策略，本研究将广泛影响美国和国外废水固体处理的必要实践。为预测细颗粒物和生物气溶胶的释放而获得的信息，以及在测量空气中微生物的浓度和类型方面的发展，对公共卫生和生态具有重要意义，并跨越许多学科。可以推进的领域包括检测空气传播的传染性和过敏性疾病，农业和牲畜病原体的传播，以及检测故意释放的空气传播病原体。该教育计划将公众接受问题纳入本科环境工程课程，培养普通学生对环境问题的认识，为研究生提供国际工作机会，并为招募代表性不足的学生进入工程领域提供框架。该教育计划旨在通过培养本科环境工程师来影响社会，除了在技术方面的强大培训外，还培养了相关的全球和社会视角。本职业建议的教育部分的目的是在环境工程教育中建立未来的方法，更广泛地将环境工程技术与社会考虑相结合。

0348455PecciaThe flow regime of contemporary wastewater treatment plants requires a constant demand and market for the resultant biosolids. The beneficial use of biosolids in the United States through land application, however, is a present environmental, public health, and public acceptance concern. The purpose of the research portion of this CAREER proposal is to develop a fundamental understanding of the effects of soil type, biosolid characteristics, and wind velocity on the wind caused aerosolization of particulate matter and associated pathogens from soils in which biosolids have been applied. Specific objectives of this proposed research are the following: (i) design, build, and test a DNA microarray(s) to detect relevant pathogenic and indicator microorganisms in land applied and aerosolized biosolids; (ii) based on soil, atmospheric, and biosolid characteristics, develop and test a pilot-scale wind tunnel method for predicting the emission flux of respirable particulate matter under variable wind velocities; (iii) characterize the microbial fraction of particulate matter emitted from land applied biosolid aerosolization and; (iv) conduct a multiyear field sampling campaign to determine fine particulate matter emission flux under variable wind velocities and to characterize the microbial content of the particulate matter and soil. Intellectual merit. Completion of the proposed research will significantly advance the understanding of the environmental conditions that lead to biosolid atmospheric emissions and will provide a comprehensive characterization of the microbial aerosols. With this understanding, a rational engineering approach can be applied to decisions on where, when and how to land apply biosolids and, lead to the development of techniques that mitigate aerosolization. The approach is comprehensive. Molecular- and classically-based microbial measurements will be mixed with pilot-scale wind tunnel experiments to build a fundamental understanding and produce predictive capabilities. A full-scale multiyear sampling campaign will provide monitoring data as well as data to validate relationships derived at pilot-scale. The education of graduate and undergraduate environmental engineering students on public acceptance issues and university undergraduate students on local environmental issues will be used to address the larger societal implications of this practice. Broader impacts. By helping to confirm the safety of biosolid land application or identifying aspects that are unsafe and then providing mitigation strategies, this research will broadly impact the necessary practice of wastewater solids disposal in the U.S. and abroad. The information gained for predicting the release of fine particulate matter and bioaerosols, as well as, the developments in the measurement of the concentration and type of airborne microorganisms is of fundamental public health and ecological importance and crosses many disciplines. Areas that can be advanced include the detection of airborne infectious and allergenic diseases, spread of agricultural and live stock pathogens, and the detection of intentionally release airborne pathogens. The educational plan integrates public acceptance issues into the undergraduate environmental engineering curriculum, develops an awareness of environmental issues in the general student population, provides opportunities for graduate students to work internationally, and provides a framework for recruiting underrepresented students into engineering. The educational plan is designed to impact society by educating undergraduate environmental engineers that, in addition to a strong training in technology, have developed a relevant global and social perspective of their profession. The purpose of the educational portion of this CAREER proposal is to build future approaches in environmental engineering education that more broadly integrate environmental engineering technology with social considerations.