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（美国），市政废水处理厂每年产生数百万吨的污泥。该污泥的很大一部分被处理，以产生通常称为生物固醇的富含营养的产物。在美国，据估计，每年生产720万吨生物固体，约有55％的生物固体在农业，农业和土地恢复中产生的养分和有机物的来源和有机物。在生物固体中检测到生物固体中的多氟烷基物质（PFA）引起了人们对在农业和农田应用中持续和安全使用这些固体的严重关注。 PFA是氟化有机化学物质，由于对它们的持久性，稳定性和对人类和其他活生物体的毒性的关注日益增加，它们在过去十年中已成为优先污染物。这个协作项目的总体目标是识别，设计和合成可以在生物固体中绑定和隔离PFA的合适吸附剂。该项目的成功完成将通过发展新的基本知识和吸附剂来使社会受益，以减轻和消除在农业和农田应用中使用生物固体时植物对PFA的潜在吸收。将通过外展和教育活动来实现社会的其他好处，包括在奥尔巴尼大学的一名研究生，亚利桑那大学的研究生和坦普尔大学的研究生。来自美国市政污泥的生物固体中约有55％用作农业，农业和土地恢复中养分和有机物的土壤修正，肥料和有机物的来源。生物固体中PFA的检测日益增加，这引起了人们对它们在农业和农田应用中的持续和安全使用的重大关注。该项目的主要研究人员（PIS）的初步工作已经确定，某些吸附剂可以隔离和稳定生物固醇中的全氟烷基酸（PFAA）。但是，关于生物固体中PFA的这种基于吸附的PFA稳定的问题，包括它是否适用于广泛的PFAS前体，是否可以长期固定在土壤中，以及稳定的PFA是否会被植物固定在土壤中。拟议的研究将解决这些关键的知识差距。为了促进这一目标，PI提议执行一项集成的实验和建模研究计划，以测试以下假设：在修正案中，可以在生物固体中稳定阴离子，阳离子或switterion PFAS前体，并在修正案中使用合适的吸附剂，旨在通过旨在增强尾部相互作用（通过头部组相互作用）和尾部相互作用（通过尾部相互作用）（通过尾部相互作用）和PF之间的PREB（通过尾部相互作用）和PF。拟议的研究活动将围绕三个任务进行结构：1）对模型厌氧消化的污泥样品中PFAS前体的转换和分布的研究； 2）研究使用大豆作为模型植物的生物固体土壤系统中PFAS前体的转化和分布； 3）评估13C标签PFAS前体及其混合物的命运，转化和分布。该项目的成功完成通过发展新的基本知识的发展有潜力的变革影响，从而促进了有效且具有成本效益的吸附剂的识别，设计和综合，这些吸附剂可以隔离和稳定生物固体中的PFA，以使其在农业和农业土地应用中持续且安全地使用。为了实施该项目的教育和外展活动，PIS计划在纽约州教育部资助的奥尔巴尼大学（例如，大学科学技术条目计划）中利用已建立的计划，以招募和指导两名中学学生和两名中学生和两名本科生，以在项目研究团队中工作。此外，PIS计划建立一个网站来传播项目研究结果。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。