Plant-mediated resource recovery-towards closing the waste water loop

Catalyst的这项提案旨在评估利用生物能源作物（即为能源生产而种植的作物，而不是粮食作物）回收和净化污水的可行性。生物能源作物可能是改善水质的宝贵途径，因为它们可以承担或协助几个生态系统过程，例如：1)从受污染的水（和土壤）中去除有毒化学物质；2)利用废水中的营养物质；（三）稳定废弃地，改善废弃地面貌；4)为野生动物提供栖息地；5)通过提供燃料产生低碳足迹。气候变化和人口变化正在增加对世界水资源的压力，这一事实促使我们提出指导研究以评估生物质作物在废水管理中的潜在作用。这意味着未来我们需要重新考虑如何处理家庭和工业废水。特别是，我们需要将这些废水视为一种资源，而不是仅仅将它们视为一个问题，因为它们可能含有过量的营养物质、药物、“微量”金属、纳米粒子和微生物。在这个初始阶段，我们将建立一个伙伴关系，研究利用生物能源作物作为一种机制的适用性：1)收获养分；2)分解污染物；3)降低抗生素耐药基因的丰度；4)减少废水中人类病原体的数量。生物能源作物的选择将不仅基于最大化生物质生产的需要，而且还基于它们对改善水质的潜在适用性以及它们可以提供的额外生态系统服务。我们将与学术界、工业界、非政府组织和政府的专家合作，全面审查与该技术发展有关的问题。我们将举办两个工作坊，详细讨论建议的目标。其中第一个将包括来自不同领域的一系列组织，这些组织在该领域具有利益相关者或受益人的利益。研讨会参与者将被要求考虑两种可能截然不同的应对资源回收挑战的策略：1)注重创新如何补充现有技术的务实方法；2)一种富有远见的方法，旨在更彻底地改变我们处理废水的方式。将对植物修复的大量文献进行全面审查，这将有助于确定最可行的可能（例如，物种的选择、生长条件、污染物和病原体去除的有效性）。这些结果将发表在一篇关于利用生物能源作物回收和补救来自农场、家庭和工业的废水（例如页岩气压裂液）的证据基础的评论文章中。第二次研讨会将由最初研讨会参与者的一部分人参加，他们的任务是向NERC提出以解决方案为导向的研究补助金申请。

This Catalyst proposal aims to assess the feasibility of using bioenergy crops (i.e. crops grown for energy production, rather than food) for the recovery and decontamination of polluted water. Bioenergy crops could be a valuable way forward for improving water quality, as they can undertake or assist in several ecosystem processes such as: 1) removal of toxic chemicals from contaminated water (and soil); 2) using up the nutrient present in waste waters; 3) stabilising wastes and improving the look of derelict land; 4) providing a place for wildlife; 5) generating a low carbon footprint, through the provision of fuel. Our proposal to direct research to assess the potential role for biomass crop in waste effluent management is driven by the fact that climate change and population shifts are increasing pressure on the world water resources. This means that in the future we will need to reconsider how we deal with domestic and industrial waste waters. In particular, we will need to think of these effluents as a resource, rather than just seeing them as a problem due to the excess nutrients, pharmaceuticals, 'trace' metals, nanoparticles, microorganisms they can contain. During this initial phase, we will bring together a partnership that will examine the suitability of using bioenergy crops as a mechanism for: 1) harvesting nutrients; 2) breaking down pollutants; 3) lowering the abundance of antibiotics resistance genes; and 4) decrease the number of human pathogens in waste water effluents. The selection of bioenergy crops will be based not only on the need to maximise biomass production, but also their potential suitability for water quality improvement and also the additional ecosystem service they can provide. We will work with experts from academia, industry, NGOs and government to comprehensively review issues relevant to the development of the technology. We will organise two workshops to discuss the proposal aims in detail. The first of these will include a range of organisations from different fields with a stakeholder or beneficiary interest in the area. The workshop participants will be asked to consider two potentially contrasting strategies for tackling the resource recovery challenge: 1) a pragmatic approach that will focus on how innovation can complement existing technology; and 2) a visionary approach that would aim to more radically change the way we deal with waste effluents. Comprehensive reviews of the extensive literature on phytoremediation will be conducted that will help to identify the most feasible may forward (e.g. choice of species, growing conditions, effectiveness of pollutant and pathogen removal). These results will be published in a review article on the evidence base for using bioenergy crops for the recovery and remediation of waste water originating from farms, households and industry (e.g., shale gas fracking fluid). A second workshop will be attended by a subset of the initial workshop attendees with the remit to produce a solutions-oriented Research Grant application to NERC.