Collaborative Research: ERASE-PFAS: Stabilization of Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances in Sewage Sludge Intended for Land-application

合作研究：ERASE-PFAS：用于土地应用的污水污泥中全氟和多氟物质的稳定化

• 批准号: 2225535
• 负责人: Erica McKenzie
• 金额: $ 8万
• 依托单位: Temple University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2225535&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; ERASE; PFAS; Stabilization

In the United States (US), municipal wastewater treatment plants generate millions of tons of sludge per year. A significant fraction of this sludge is treated to produce a nutrient-rich product commonly referred to as biosolids. In the US, it is estimated that 7.2 million dry metric tons of biosolids are produced annually with approximately 55% of the biosolids generated used as soil amendments and sources of nutrients and organic matter in agriculture, farming, and land restoration. The detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in biosolids has raised serious concerns about the continuing and safe use of these solids in agricultural and farming land applications. PFAS are fluorinated organic chemicals that have emerged as priority pollutants during the last decade due to increasing concerns about their persistence, stability, and toxicity to humans and other living organisms as they accumulate in the environment. The overarching goal of this collaborative project is to identify, design, and synthesize suitable sorbents that can bind and sequester PFAS in biosolids. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the development of new fundamental knowledge and sorbents to mitigate and eliminate the potential uptake of PFAS by plants when biosolids are used in agriculture and farming land applications. Additional benefits to society will be achieved through outreach and educational activities including the mentoring of a graduate student at the University at Albany, a graduate student at the University of Arizona, and a graduate student at Temple University. Approximately 55% of the biosolids derived from municipal sludge in the US are used as soil amendments, fertilizers, and sources of nutrients and organic matter in agriculture, farming, and land restoration. The increasing detection of PFAS in biosolids is raising significant concerns about their continuing and safe use in agricultural and farming land applications. Preliminary work by the Principal Investigators (PIs) of this project has established that certain sorbents can sequester and stabilize perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in biosolids. However, there are a number of unanswered questions about this sorption-based stabilization of PFAS in biosolids including whether it is applicable to a wide range of PFAS precursors, whether the stabilized PFAS will remain immobilized in soils in the long term, and whether the stabilized PFAS will be taken up by plants. The proposed research will address these critical knowledge gaps. To advance this goal, the PIs propose to carry out an integrated experimental and modeling research program to test the hypothesis that anionic, cationic, or zwitterionic PFAS precursors can be stabilized in biosolids upon amendments with suitable sorbents designed to enhance covalent binding (via head group interactions) and adsorption (via tail group interactions) between the target sorbents and PFAS precursors. The proposed research activities will be structured around three tasks: 1) Investigation of the transformations and distributions of PFAS precursors in model anaerobically digested sludge samples with or without added sorbents; 2) Investigation of the transformations and distributions of PFAS precursors in biosolid-soil systems with or without added sorbents using soybeans as a model plant; and 3) Evaluation of the fate, transformations, and distributions of 13C-label PFAS precursors and their mixtures in real sludge samples. The successful completion of this project has the potential for transformative impact through the development of new fundamental knowledge to advance the identification, design, and synthesis of efficient and cost-effective sorbents that can sequester and stabilize PFAS in biosolids to enable their continuing and safe use in agricultural and farming land applications. To implement the education and outreach activities of the project, the PIs plan to leverage established programs at the University at Albany (e.g., the Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program) funded by the New York State Department of Education to recruit and mentor two middle or high school students and two undergraduate students to work on the project research team. In addition, the PIs plan to set up a website to disseminate the project research findings.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.

在美国，城市污水处理厂每年产生数百万吨污泥。该污泥的很大一部分经过处理后产生营养丰富的产品，通常称为生物固体。在美国，估计每年生产 720 万干吨生物固体，其中约 55% 的生物固体用作土壤改良剂以及农业、耕作和土地恢复中的养分和有机物质来源。生物固体中全氟烷基物质和多氟烷基物质 (PFAS) 的检测引起了人们对这些固体在农业和农田应用中持续和安全使用的严重担忧。 PFAS 是氟化有机化学品，在过去十年中已成为优先污染物，因为人们越来越担心它们在环境中积累时的持久性、稳定性和对人类和其他生物体的毒性。该合作项目的总体目标是识别、设计和合成能够结合和隔离生物固体中的 PFAS 的合适吸附剂。该项目的成功完成将通过开发新的基础知识和吸附剂来减轻和消除生物固体用于农业和农田应用时植物对 PFAS 的潜在吸收，从而造福社会。通过外展和教育活动，包括对奥尔巴尼大学的一名研究生、亚利桑那大学的一名研究生和天普大学的一名研究生进行指导，将给社会带来额外的好处。在美国，大约 55% 的源自城市污泥的生物固体被用作土壤改良剂、肥料以及农业、耕作和土地恢复中的养分和有机物来源。生物固体中 PFAS 的检测量不断增加，引发了人们对其在农业和农田应用中持续和安全使用的严重担忧。该项目主要研究人员 (PI) 的初步工作表明，某些吸附剂可以隔离和稳定生物固体中的全氟烷基酸 (PFAA)。然而，关于生物固体中基于吸附的 PFAS 稳定化，还有许多悬而未决的问题，包括它是否适用于广泛的 PFAS 前体、稳定化的 PFAS 是否会长期固定在土壤中，以及稳定化后的 PFAS 是否会被固定在土壤中。 PFAS 将被植物吸收。拟议的研究将解决这些关键的知识差距。为了推进这一目标，PI建议开展一项综合实验和建模研究计划，以测试阴离子、阳离子或两性离子PFAS前体在使用旨在增强共价结合的合适吸附剂修正后可以稳定在生物固体中的假设（通过头基）目标吸附剂和 PFAS 前体之间的相互作用）和吸附（通过尾基相互作用）。拟议的研究活动将围绕三项任务进行：1）研究添加或不添加吸附剂的模型厌氧消化污泥样品中 PFAS 前体的转化和分布； 2）以大豆为模型植物，研究添加或不添加吸附剂的生物固体-土壤系统中PFAS前体的转化和分布； 3) 评估真实污泥样品中 13C 标记 PFAS 前体及其混合物的归宿、转化和分布。该项目的成功完成有可能产生变革性影响，通过开发新的基础知识来推进高效且具有成本效益的吸附剂的识别、设计和合成，这些吸附剂可以隔离和稳定生物固体中的 PFAS，使其能够持续、安全地使用在农业和农田应用中。为了实施该项目的教育和推广活动，PI 计划利用纽约州教育部资助的奥尔巴尼大学既定项目（例如大学科学与技术入门项目）来招募和指导两名中层或高中生和两名本科生在项目研究团队中工作。此外，PI 计划建立一个网站来传播该项目的研究成果。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。