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PROJECT TITLE: THE EFFECTS OF PFAS LOADING ON BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLING, FATE, AND TRANSPORT IN WETLANDSPROJECT PERIOD: 1 16 2025 THROUGH 1 15 2028AWARD PURPOSE: PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) ARE PERSISTENT ENVIRONMENTALCONTAMINANTS DETECTED IN ENVIRONMENTAL COMPARTMENTS INCLUDING SOIL, SURFACE WATER, ANDGROUNDWATER. PFAS CONCENTRATIONS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN WASTEWATER EFFLUENT TO CONTINUALLYEXCEED THE EPAS NEW MAXIMUM CONTAMINANT LIMITS (MCLS). WHILE THIS WATER IS NOT INTENDED FORHUMAN CONSUMPTION, DOWNSTREAM LOCATIONS UTILIZE THIS SURFACE WATER FOR DRINKING WATER TREATMENT,PRESENTING AN URGENT CONCERN FOR SOURCE WATER PROTECTION AND TREATMENT METHODOLOGIES FOR PFASREMOVAL. CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS ARE NOW USED EXTENSIVELY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS A MEANS FORMITIGATING NUTRIENT LOSSES TO BOTH SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER. FURTHER, CONSTRUCTED TREATMENT WETLANDSARE A POTENTIAL SUSTAINABLE, LOW-COST ALTERNATIVE FOR TREATING WASTEWATER IN RURAL, LOW-INCOMECOMMUNITIES. RECENTLY STRONG LINKS BETWEEN PFAS AND THE NITROGEN CYCLE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THATARE HYPOTHESIZED TO BE CONNECTED TO MICROBIALLY ACTIVE PFAS UPTAKE. WHILE THE USE OF WETLANDS ASA TREATMENT APPROACH FOR NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS IS WELL KNOWN, THE IMPLICATIONS OFBIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES ON THE POTENTIAL FOR BIOREMEDIATION OF PFAS IN CONSTRUCTED WETLANDSHAVE HAD LIMITED EXPLORATION. THEREFORE, THE PROPOSED STUDY WILL EXPLORE BIOGEOCHEMICAL EFFECTSIN WETLANDS ON PFAS REMEDIATION USING PROCESSES-ORIENTED RESEARCH. ACTIVITIES: SPECIFIC RESEARCHOBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1. IDENTIFY THE IMPACTS OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES IN TREATMENT WETLANDS ONPFAS WATER TREATMENT USING MESOCOSM EXPERIMENTS AND BACTERIAL ARCHAEAL SEQUENCING TO DEVELOPA KINETIC MODEL 2. DETERMINE IMPLICATIONS OF PLANT UPTAKE AND DENITRIFICATION ON PFAS REMOVALUTILIZING 15N ENRICHMENT METHODOLOGIES 3. INVESTIGATE THE FATE OF PFAS IN TWO TREATMENT WETLANDDESIGNS BY ASSESSING PFAS BIOACCUMULATION IN PLANT, SOIL, AND WATER WETLAND COMPARTMENTS 4.CONDUCT OUTREACH TRAININGS FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATORS AND COMMUNITIES, AND 5. TRAINGRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN SAMPLING METHODOLOGY FOR PFAS. THIRTY-TWO WETLANDMESOCOSMS WILL BE ESTABLISHED TO INVESTIGATE PFAS REMEDIATION BASED ON WETLAND DESIGN, SOILTYPE, PFAS CONCENTRATIONS, AND NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS FOR TWO DISTINCT PULSE FLOW TREATMENTWETLAND SYSTEMS USING WATER QUALITY MONITORING, BACTERIAL SEQUENCING, AND ISOTOPIC ENRICHMENTAPPROACHES TO DEVELOP PREDICTIVE MODELS. PFAS PLANT UPTAKE AND SOIL ABSORPTION WILL BE ASSESSEDTHROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH TWO UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) RESEARCHERS AND THEUNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH STATION FORAGE ANIMAL PRODUCTIONRESEARCH UNIT (USDA-ARS-FAPRU) USING SAMPLE EXTRACTION AND ISOTOPE DILUTION ANALYSIS.OUTCOMES RESULTS WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT FOR PFAS REMOVAL IN TREATMENT WETLANDS WITH VARYINGBIOGEOCHEMICAL CONDITIONS ALONG WITH POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE REMEDIATION STRATEGIES FOR CONTROLLINGPFAS USING DEVELOPED KINETIC MODELING APPROACHES. THE DEVELOPED USER-FRIENDLY MODEL FOR PFASAND NUTRIENT REMOVAL IN TREATMENT WETLANDS WILL BE HOSTED PUBLICLY ONLINE. BENEFICIARIES: FINDINGSWILL BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS, HIGH IMPACT JOURNAL ARTICLES, LOCAL ANDNATIONAL CONFERENCES, WASTEWATER TREATMENT OPERATOR WEBINARS, PRE-K AND 4-H PROGRAMS, ANDUNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE COURSES. THE PROJECT WILL FOSTER COLLABORATIONS WITH AN ESTABLISHED USGSHYDROLOGIST, USGS PHYSICAL SCIENTIST, AND USDA-ARS-FAPRU. ONE PHD STUDENT AND THREEUNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (ONE PER SUMMER) WILL BE TRAINED IN ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRYAND STABLE ISOTOPE METHOD DEVELOPMENT TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL FOR PFAS REMEDIATION IN WETLANDS.FURTHER, THIS PROJECT WILL BE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY EFFORT BETWEEN AN ECOLOGICAL ENGINEER, BIOPROCESSENGINEER, PLANT SCIENTIST, HYDROLOGIST, PHYSICAL SCIENTIST, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMIST.
$309.9k 1/16/25