MRI: Acquisition of Tekran mercury speciation system for mercury biotransformation and ecotoxicology research and training at UT Tyler

该合同将允许获得一个汞形态分析系统，该系统将推动主要研究者和共同主要研究者的研究领域，使他们能够分析环境样本、微生物培养物以及水生和鸟类生物中汞的不同化学形态。燃煤发电厂的排放是鱼类和野生动物汞污染的主要原因，特别是在德克萨斯州。东德克萨斯州有四座燃煤发电厂，2009年，这些发电厂被列为美国大气汞排放的六大来源。德克萨斯州东部的鱼类普遍受到汞污染，墨西哥湾北方的东部褐派力肯体内汞含量也很高。尽管甲基汞对鱼类和野生动物物种以及人类健康造成了这些影响，但在这些地区还没有可用的甲基汞分析仪器来进行必要的研究，以解决这一问题。为购置汞形态分析系统提供资金，将有助于对主要研究者和共同主要研究者进行研究，以填补在汞的微生物转化机制、形态分析和归宿、生物利用度和生态毒理学方面的知识空白，这将有助于开发潜在的汞减排和补救应用，以创造更健康的水生生态系统，支持人类和野生动物安全食用的鱼类。 汞的生物地球化学归趋分析对于PI实验室研究微生物汞甲基化和甲基汞降解机制至关重要。该仪器系统的研究计划将有助于解开新的汞甲基化机制的甲烷菌和它们的合成营养淡水湖泊，直接影响工业汞源。通过对贫有机碳湖泊和富有机碳湖泊中微生物汞甲基化机制的比较，将有可能得出汞甲基化微生物与沉积物有机碳的相互作用模式。其他受益于该系统的研究包括假单胞菌属的甲基汞降解途径，汞在稻田中的生物转化，汞在褐派力肯体内的残留，以及汞在德克萨斯州南部海岸沿着的繁殖地沉积物中的甲基化来源，金矿开采和汞污染对南美洲鱼类和食物网的影响，来自PI和共同PI的实验室。研究结果有助于联邦和州环境监管机构制定大气汞排放和湖泊汞污染监测计划，并为制定大气汞排放控制策略以解决区域和国家汞污染问题提供科学依据。PI和co-PI将在多达七门环境科学相关课程的教学和实验室培训活动中使用该仪器系统。从研究中获得的知识将传播给高中生，鼓励他们获得大学教育和STEM领域的职业，并将有助于教育公众了解与汞污染有关的问题、大气汞排放与气候变化之间的关系、有毒金属食物链转移引起的食品安全问题，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award will permit the acquisition of a Mercury Speciation System that would advance the research fields of the PI and co-PIs by enabling them to analyze different chemical forms of Hg in environmental samples, microbial cultures, and aquatic and avian organisms. Emissions from coal-fired power plants are the leading cause of Hg contamination in fish and wildlife especially in Texas. East Texas is home to four coal-fired power plants that are ranked in the nation's top six point sources of atmospheric Hg emissions in 2009. Hg contamination is widespread in fishes in East Texas and found at significantly high levels in eastern brown pelican in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Despite these impacts to fish and wildlife species and human health, no MeHg analysis instrument has been available for conducting needed research to address the problem in these regions. Funding of the acquisition of the Mercury Speciation System would facilitate research of the PI and co-PIs that addresses the gaps in knowledge about the microbial transformation mechanisms, speciation and fate, bioavailability and ecotoxicology of Hg that would help develop potential Hg abatement and remediation applications to create healthier aquatic ecosystems that support fish that are safe for human and wildlife consumption. Biogeochemical fate analyses of Hg are crucial for the studies on microbial Hg methylation and MeHg degradation mechanisms in the PI’s lab. The research programs enabled by this instrument system will help unravel new Hg methylation mechanisms in methanogens and their syntrophy in freshwater lakes which are impacted directly by industrial source of Hg. The comparison of microbial Hg methylation mechanisms between the organic carbon poor and organic rich-lakes will likely derive the interaction patterns of the Hg methylating microbes with sediment organic carbon. Other studies which benefit from this system include MeHg degradation pathways by Pseudomonas spp., Hg biotransformation in rice paddies, Hg residues in brown pelican birds and Hg methylation source in their breeding ground sediments along south Texas coasts, effects of gold mining and Hg contamination on fish and food webs in South America from the PI and co-PI’s labs. Results of the research conducted could assist federal and state environmental regulators in developing Hg contamination monitoring program from air emission and in the lakes, and provide the scientific basis for establishing air Hg emission control strategies to address Hg contamination regionally and nationally. The PI and co-PIs would use this instrument system in the teaching and lab training activities of up to seven environmental sciences-related courses. Knowledge gained from the studies will be disseminated to high school students to encourage them to acquire college education and careers in STEM fields, and will help educate the public about the problems associated with Hg contamination, the relationship between atmospheric Hg emission and climate change, food safety concerns from toxic metal food chain transfer, and environmental stewardship.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.