CAREER: Understanding Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Chemical Behavior of Pollutants in Heterogeneous Environmental Systems

在环境化学科学计划和化学测量和成像计划的支持下，托莱多大学的Emanuela Gionfriddo和她的团队将研究有机污染物在多相环境系统中的分配。工业和农业活动以及药物的使用不断向环境释放有机污染物。这些污染物可以改变环境过程，对人类和野生动物产生深远的影响。有机污染物释放后，与环境中的自然和人为基质分离，建立复杂的多相平衡，影响其化学行为。这项研究的重点是表征驱动这些分配平衡的分子相互作用。这项研究有可能提高对环境和生物群中有机污染物的运输，分布和归宿的理解。Gionfriddo团队使用微萃取方法来探测有机污染物在非均质系统中的分布。特别令人感兴趣的是新出现的有机污染物类别，如农药、药品和全氟烷基物质及其降解产物，以及它们在自然环境条件下如何分配和相互作用。这些研究目标与促进公众参与科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学科的努力相结合。 夏季研究活动将通过指导和实践实验，向代表性不足的少数群体成员介绍科学研究和就业机会。Emanuela Gionfriddo和同事将使用特定任务的微萃取装置研究有机污染物分配到天然聚合物上的分子行为。这将提高我们对自然环境条件下有机污染物和微塑料相互作用的分子机制的理解。有机污染物在人为聚合物、水介质和气溶胶中的分配现象将被量化。 可调微萃取方法的使用，预计能够精确评估的动态分配过程中的多组分系统，而不干扰调查中的平衡。该奖项旨在为环境化学过程和分离科学策略的研究提供解决方案，以评估有机污染物在不同环境分区中的传输和放大现象。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。

With support from the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program and the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Emanuela Gionfriddo at the University of Toledo and her team will study the partitioning of organic pollutants in multi-phase environmental systems. Organic pollutants are continuously released to the environment by industrial and agricultural activities and use of pharmaceuticals. These pollutants can alter environmental processes and have far-reaching effects on humans and wildlife. Upon their release, organic pollutants partition with natural and anthropogenic substrates in the environment, establishing complex multiphasic equilibria that affect their chemical behavior. This research focuses on characterizing the molecular interactions that drive these partition equilibria. This research has the potential to improve understanding of the transport, distribution, and fate of organic pollutants in the environment and biota. The Gionfriddo team uses micro-extraction methodologies to probe the distribution of organic pollutants in heterogeneous systems. Of particular interest are emerging classes of organic pollutants, such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and perfluoroalkyl substances and their degradation products, and how they partition and interact under naturally occurring environmental conditions. These research objectives are integrated with efforts to promote public engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Summer research activities will introduce members of underrepresented minority groups to scientific research and career opportunities through mentoring and hands-on experimentation.Emanuela Gionfriddo and coworkers will study the molecular behavior of organic pollutants partitioning onto natural polymers using task-specific micro-extraction devices. This will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of organic pollutants and microplastics interactions under naturally occurring environmental conditions. Partitioning phenomena of organic pollutants among anthropogenic polymers, aqueous media, and aerosols will be quantified. The use of tunable micro-extraction methodologies is expected to enable precise assessment of the dynamics of partitioning processes in multicomponent systems without disturbing the equilibria under investigation. This aims to provide solutions for the study of environmental chemistry processes and separation science strategies to evaluate phenomena of transport and magnification of organic pollutants in distinct environmental compartments.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.