Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Assessing biosolid treatment processes on pollutant environmental fate and plant uptake following land application
EPA Grant Number: R840252Title: Assessing biosolid treatment processes on pollutant environmental fate and plant uptake following land application
Investigators: Li, Hui , Carignan, Courtney , Huang, Qingguo , Zhang, Wei , Ippolito, James , Norton, John
Institution: Michigan State University , University of Georgia , Ohio State University , Great Lake Water Authority
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2021 through August 31, 2024 (Extended to August 31, 2026)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2023 through August 31,2024
Project Amount: $1,498,000
RFA: National Priorities: Evaluation of Pollutants in Biosolids (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Quality , Water , Water Treatment
Objective:
The overall objective is to fill the knowledge gaps in occurrence, fate, transport, and plant uptake of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at the nexus of biosolids, soil, water, and crops via performing systematically designed laboratory and field experiments, and to effectively communicate the results through extension and outreach activities.
Progress Summary:
We made good progress in all six tasks. For Task 1 (surveillance of impacts of biosolids treatment processes on PPCPs and PFAS concentration), during year 3 we were analyzing the data of PPCPs and PFAS in the biosolids samples collected from twelve major wastewater treatment plants across the nation. The results included the measurements of PPCPs and PFAS in both liquid and solid fractions of sludge and biosolids. One peer-reviewed paper has been published, and two more manuscripts are being drafted. For Task 2 (environmental fate and transport of PPCPs and PFAS in soils amended with biosolids), we evaluated the contribution of cation-bridging interaction to the overall sorption of PFAS by soils. A speciation model has been developed and validated to quantify cation-bridging sorption of PFAS by soils. For Task 3 (accumulation of PPCPs and PFAS in agricultural crops from biosolids-amended soils and relation with their presence in soil pore water), a series of greenhouse experiments have been conducted to evaluate uptake and bioaccumulation of PFAS in corn, wheat, soybean, tomato and cucumber from soils. The collected plant, soil, and water samples are being analyzed for PFAS concentration. For Task 4 (field experiments to measure the accumulation of PPCPs and PFAS in crops from biosolids application), we have measured PFAS in the historically archived soil and crop samples collected from long-term biosolids-applied plots. We found PFAS are still presented in the soil, but not in wheat and corn grains at detectable levels. Short-chain PFAS can leach down to 180 cm below the ground. For Task 5 (modeling human exposure to PPCPs and PFAS through biosolids application pathway), several datasets have been collected for developing models to assess human exposure to PFAS and PPCPs. For Task 6 (community engagement and communication through extension), several presentations have been delivered to Midwest biosolids communities, Michigan Water Environment Association, and related stakeholders.
The trainees from the project delivered their research results to 2024 International Annual Meeting of American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) at San Antonio, Texas. Two project investigators serve on the committee appointed by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies): Assistance to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Building a Framework for Addressing PFAS on Agricultural Land (2024-2025); Jim Ippolito chairs the committee, and Hui Li serves as a committee member. Hui Li also serves on EPA Chartered Science Advisory Board, and on EPA Agricultural Science Committee (2024 to 2027). Hui Li served as a guest editor for special issue of PFAS in Agroecosystems: Sources, Impacts, and Opportunities for Mitigating Risks to Human and Ecological Health, Journal of Environmental Quality.
Future Activities:
We will analyze the results of PPCPs and PFAS in the biosolids samples collected from the wastewater treatment plants across the nation, and submit the manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication. We have developed a speciation model to quantify PFAS sorption by soils through cation-bridging interaction, and we will refine the model and validate the model with more experimental data. We will analyze the samples collected in the greenhouse experiment to better understand plant uptake and accumulation of PFAS from soil. More greenhouse experiments will be conducted to evaluate PFAS uptake by plants from soils that receive biosolids. In this year, we will initiate field plot trials on plant uptake of PFAS and PPCPs from the soils that received industry-impacted biosolids. We will further analyze human exposure to PFAS and PPCPs through the pathway of land application of biosolids, and continue to engage stakeholders and seek their input for our research program and simultaneously disseminate the research results to these groups.
References:
Journal Articles
- Heather E. Preisendanz, Hui Li, Michael Mashtare, Odette Mina, 2025, PFAS in Agroecosystems: Sources, Impacts, and Opportunities for Mitigating Risks to Human and Ecosystem Health, Journal of Environmental Quality, 54: 1-5.
- Shubhashini Oza, Katherine Y. Bell, Zhiliang Xu, Yifei Wang, Martha J.M. Wells, John W. Norton, Jr., Lloyd J. Winchell, Qingguo Huang, and Hui Li, 2025, Surveillance of PFAS in Sludge and Biosolids at 12 Water Resource Recovery Facilities. Journal of Environmental Quality, 54: 6-19.
Conference Presentations
- Zhiliang Xu, Qianqian Dong, Jim Ippolito, Wei Zhang and Hui Li, 2024, Fate and Transport of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Soils following Long-term Land Application of Biosolids. International Annual Meeting of ASA/CSSA/SSSA, San Antonio, Texas, November 10-13.
- Qianqian Dong, Zhiliang Xu, Wei Zhang and Hui Li, 2024, Immobilization of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil amended with geosorbents. International Annual Meeting of International Annual Meeting of ASA/CSSA/SSSA, San Antonio, Texas, November 10-13.
- Andrew C. Huang, Wei Zhang, Brian J. Teppen, and Hui Li, 2024, Evaluation of Cation-Bridging Sorption of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Acids by Soils. International Annual Meeting of International Annual Meeting of ASA/CSSA/SSSA, San Antonio, Texas, November 10-13.
- Hui Li, 2024, Fate and Impacts of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Agricultural Soils Receiving Biosolids, The 14th Biennial Asia-Pacific Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Tianjin, China, September 21-25. (Keynote)
- Hui Li, 2024, Fate and Transport of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Agricultural Environment, 2024 Michigan Water Environment Association Conference, Bath township, Michigan, August 22.
- Hui Li, 2024, Emerging Contaminants in Biosolids from Wastewater Resource Recovery Facilities and their Land Applications, The 2nd International Conference on Eco-Environment & Health, Hong Kong, June 16-20.
- Hui Li, Zhiliang Xu, Qianqian Dong, Wei Zhang, Yifei Wang, Qingguo Huang, Shubha Oza, Katherine Bell, and John Norton, 2024, PFAS and PPCP in Biosolids from Municipal Wastewater Resource Recovery Facilities in the USA, Centennial of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), 100 years of Soil Science Past Achievements and Future Challenges, Florence, Italy, May 19-21, 2024.
- Hui Li, 2024, Assessing Biosolids Treatment Processes on Pollutant Environmental fate and Plant Uptake following Land Application. 2024 Midwest Biosolids Conference, West Lafayette, Indiana, March 26.
- Hui Li, 2024, Beneficial Use of Biosolids in Agricultural Production versus Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Biosolids. 2024 Biosolids Conference, Michigan Water Environment Association, Pontiac, Michigan, March 6-7.
Journal Articles on this Report : 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 17 publications | 5 publications in selected types | All 5 journal articles |
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Oza S, Bell K, Xu Z, Wang Y, Wells M, Norton JJ, Winchell L, Huang Q, LI H. Surveillance of PFAS in sludge and biosolids at 12 water resource recovery facilities. Journal of Environmental Quality 2024. |
R840252 (2023) R840252 (2024) |
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Preisendanz HE, Li H, Mashtare M, Mina O. PFAS in Agroecosystems:Sources, Impacts, and Opportunities for Mitigating Risks to Human and Ecosystem Health. Journal of Environmental Quality. 2025;54:1-5. |
R840252 (2024) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
Biosolids, Land Application, Bioavailability, Exposure Assessment, Sorption, Exposure AssessmentProgress 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.