Grantee Research Project Results
Plant Uptake and Mitigation of PFAS Associated with Sewage Effluent and Biosolids Application in Tile-Drained Fields
EPA Grant Number: R840952Alternative EPA Grant Number: 840952
Title: Plant Uptake and Mitigation of PFAS Associated with Sewage Effluent and Biosolids Application in Tile-Drained Fields
Investigators: Zheng, Wei , Lee, DoKyoung , Rajagopalan, Nandaksihore , Men, Yujie , Cheek, Amelia , Oladeji, Olawale
Institution: University of Illinois , University of California Riverside , Illinois Farm Bureau , Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027
Project Amount: $1,599,522
RFA: Research for Understanding PFAS Uptake and Bioaccumulation in Plant and Animals in Agricultural, Rural, and Tribal Communities Request for Applications (RFA) (2024) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: PFAS Detection , Urban Air Toxics , Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil/Water , Environmental Justice , PFAS Treatment
Objective:
Application of sewage effluent and biosolids in agricultural fields is a win-win practice for providing nutrients and organic matter to improve soil health and reduce chemical fertilizer use. However, this practice can load per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into agricultural soils since sewage effluent and biosolids are considered as substantial PFAS sources. The objectives of this project are to (1) enhance the understanding of PFAS uptake and accumulation in crop plants grown in subsurface tile-drained fields irrigated with rural sewage effluent, (2) explore the physical and molecular mechanisms that govern PFAS uptake, translocation, and accumulation in plants grown in biosolids-amended soils, and (3) develop innovative and efficient techniques to mitigate PFAS plant uptake, and thereby reduce their entry into the food chain.
Approach:
To achieve these project objectives, a series of laboratory and field experiments will be performed: (i) monitor the occurrence and abundance of PFAS in subsurface tile-drained fields irrigated with rural sewage effluent by routinely measuring PFAS in irrigation water, groundwater, drainage water, soils, and crops, and thereby evaluate the potential PFAS contamination and bioaccumulation through sewage effluent irrigation; (ii) elucidate uptake, translocation, accumulation, and transformation of PFAS in a soils-plant system with biosolids amendment by conducting a greenhouse experiment; (iii) develop innovative mitigation techniques to prevent PFAS plant uptake from sewage effluent irrigation and biosolids soil amendment by using two types of unique biochars.
Expected Results:
The successful completion of this project will provide information to assess the potential risks of using rural sewage effluent for irrigation of agricultural fields, contribute science-based knowledge to regulators to determine whether biosolids for agricultural use could result in soil contamination and plant uptake, and offer innovative, feasible, and cost-effective approaches to mitigate the loading of PFAS into food crops from sewage effluent and biosolids.
Supplemental Keywords:
PFAS, rural sewage effluent, biosolids, biochar, sorption, plant uptakeThe 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.