Grantee Research Project Results
2022 Progress Report: Unregulated Organic Chemicals in Biosolids: Prioritization, Fate and Risk Evaluation for Land Applications
EPA Grant Number: R840245Title: Unregulated Organic Chemicals in Biosolids: Prioritization, Fate and Risk Evaluation for Land Applications
Investigators: Olabode, Lola , Lee, Linda S. , Gan, Jay , McAvoy, Drew , Dube, Patrick
Current Investigators: Olabode, Lola , Lee, Linda S. , Gan, Jay , McAvoy, Drew , Lono-Batura, Maile
Institution: Water Research Foundation , University of Cincinnati , Purdue University , University of California Riverside , Water Environment Federation
Current Institution: Water Research Foundation , Water Environment Federation , University of Cincinnati , Purdue University , University of California Riverside
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2024 (Extended to September 30, 2026)
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2021 through September 30,2022
Project Amount: $1,497,907
RFA: National Priorities: Evaluation of Pollutants in Biosolids (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Treatment , Water Quality , Water
Objective:
This research is addressing Research Area #2 of the EPA National Priorities Solicitation - “Better understanding of the occurrence, fate, and transport of chemical pollutants in land-applied biosolids, particularly those that may persist and/or accumulate in soils and biota”
There are five main objectives, each supported by a series of tasks with task leads and research team members:
- Objective 1: Conduct data mining and modeling to prioritize unregulated organic chemicals (UOCs) by identifying chemicals with a higher propensity to be mobile and bioavailable following biosolids land applications.
- Objective 2: Develop rapid standard methods for measuring mobile and bioavailable fractions of UOCs in biosolids.
- Objective 3: Conduct field studies under different application scenarios to determine plant uptake, earthworm accumulation, leaching and runoff of the high-priority UOCs at sites in California, Virginia, Illinois, and Indiana to support a national approach.
- Objective 4: Evaluate risk assessment fate and transport models for their prediction accuracy using literature, laboratory, and field derived data; and
- Objective 5: Work closely with industry partners and community stakeholders to solicit input and develop risk-based optimal management practices to ensure safe land applications of biosolids nationwide.
Progress Summary:
A preliminary list of prioritized UOCs has been produced. Four different scenarios were conducted (1) persistence and mobility, (2) mobility and bioaccumulation, (3) persistence, bioaccumulation, and human toxicity, and (4) persistence, mobility, bioaccumulation, and human toxicity. The scores for the different scenarios were summed and the UOCs were rank ordered from the lowest score (highest priority) to the highest score (lower priority). The overall results from this assessment were presented to stakeholders and will be continually assessed throughout the project period. In support of this exercise, other teams are simultaneously optimizing instrument parameters for analysis, acquiring new standards, assessing UOCs commonly found in biosolids, and performing extraction methodologies.
The teams successfully completed bioavailability assay method optimization, site preparation for the first field study in southern CA, bioavailability assay method validation and application, start of the vegetable plot study in southern CA, and site survey for the feed crop study in Central Valley, CA. With an optimized and modified LC-MS/MS method that includes different mobile phases and gradients, and different MS tune parameters from the EPA Method 1694 for pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), the team is able to analyze priority UOCs, surrogate internal standards (SISs), and two quantitative internal standards (QISs) from a mixture of these chemicals in both methanol and LC-MS grade water via targeted LC-MS/MS analysis. Film extraction methods have been optimized for LC-MS/MS analysis and preliminary results show that CIPS films indeed absorb themajority of the priority UOCs even where PE films did not. Field studies of the high-priority UOCs at sites in California, Virginia, Illinois, and Indiana are underway. Progress has been made in the acquisition of additional standards and surrogates, instrument optimization, testing and optimizing of extraction and clean-up methods for a wide range of UOCs and field preliminary data and study design.
The team is continuously working with other grantees, industry partners, and biosolids community stakeholders to solicit input and develop risk-based optimal management practices to ensure safe land applications of biosolids nationwide.
Future Activities:
- Additional data searches and assessments for determining the highest priority UOCs will continue for the next six months.
- Complete bioavailability method applications, soil slurry kinetics experiment and optimize extraction methods for porewater, soil, and biosolids.
- Complete the field-plot study in southern CA, the validation of the extraction and analysis procedures for non-PFAS UOCs in biosolids, and the UOC analysis for 3 sites on biosolids.
- Complete sampling plans for two sites on PFAS data from the initial exploration samples.
- Conduct field surveys, sample collection, analysis and a VA site visit.
- Initiate sample collection (soil cores, groundwater, and surface soil) from three sites, and sample processing for PFAS and non-PFAS UOCs as samples arrive from the CA and VA sites.
- Add a new field site
- Begin activities on Task 4 – Evaluation of Fate and Transport Risk Model Formulations.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 6 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
sludge, emerging contaminants, contaminant transport, risk assessment, organic chemicalsRelevant Websites:
The Water Research Foundation: Unregulated Organic Chemicals in Biosolids - Overview Exit , The Water Research Foundation: Unregulated Organic Chemicals in Biosolids - Project Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.