Grantee Research Project Results
2008 Progress Report: Biological Fate & Electron Microscopy Detection of Nanoparticles During Wastewater Treatment
EPA Grant Number: R833322Title: Biological Fate & Electron Microscopy Detection of Nanoparticles During Wastewater Treatment
Investigators: Westerhoff, Paul , Rittman, Bruce , Alford, Terry
Institution: Arizona State University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: May 1, 2007 through April 30, 2010
Project Period Covered by this Report: May 1, 2008 through April 30,2009
Project Amount: $398,998
RFA: Exploratory Research: Nanotechnology Research Grants Investigating Environmental and Human Health Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials: a Joint Research Solicitation-EPA, NSF, NIOSH, NIEHS (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Nanotechnology , Safer Chemicals
Objective:
Overall Summary:
The market for nanomaterials is increasing rapidly, and nanoparticles (NPs) present in consumer products, industrial wastes, biomedical applications, etc will become significant in the near future for wastewater treatment, just as nutrients, pathogens, metals, and synthetic organic chemicals have been important for the last few decades. Wastewater (WW) treatment plant (WWTP) discharges (treated effluent, biosolids, and possibly aerosols) may become significant routes for NPs to enter the environment. Today, almost no information is available on the fate of manufactured NPs during biological wastewater treatment.
Objectives: The goal of this project is to quantify interactions between manufactured NPs and WW biosolids. The objectives of this project are: 1) to quantify removal mechanisms and biotransformation of NPs by wastewater biomass/biosolids under different operational regimes (aerobic, anoxic, anaerobic); 2) to verify that low NP dosages have minimal effect on WWTP operations; 3) to develop microscopy techniques to rapidly scan for the presence of NPs in biological matrices and develop extraction techniques to separate NPs from biosolids; 4) to assess the relative significance of WWTP effluents and biosolids as significant environmental loadings of NPs.
Progress Summary:
Preliminary Results: Research on all four objectives has been initiated. Stable solutions of NPs (C60, fullerols, and titanium-, silica-, iron, silver-based) have been characterized. NPs were found to partition/sorb to wastewater biosolids and the results could be modeled using a traditional Freundlich isotherm. Silica-based NPs exhibited the lowest potential to sorb to WW biosolids. Lab-scale and full-scale WW biological systems are currently being tested. One important finding is that in the absence of biomass, submerged membranes remove far more NPs than conventional sedimentation processes. Titanium and silver based NPs have minimal effect on the biological processes (carbon removal or nitrogen transformation) in sequencing batch reactors. Using fluorescent silica NPs we were able to image NPs in wastewater biosolids, and it appears that localized regions of sorption occur. After developing sample preparation techniques suitable for wastewater biosolids and other organic matrices we have a technique now to visualize NPs in complex organic matrices. Using electron microscopy we imaged titanium dioxide NPs in toothpaste and wastewater biosolids of nearly the same morphology, while other titanium, metal oxides were present and indicative of soil particles. This work is leading use towards a working hypothesis that titanium dioxide NPs can be used as “sentinels” for where other NPs will accumulate in the environment. Several papers are in preparation, and one on silver NP leaching from commercial products and their subsequent fate in wastewater treatment has already been published in Environmental Science and Technology (2008).
Journal Articles on this Report : 6 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 7 publications | 7 publications in selected types | All 7 journal articles |
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Kiser MA, Westerhoff P, Benn T, Wang Y, Perez-Rivera J, Hristovski K. Titanium nanomaterial removal and release from wastewater treatment plants. Environmental Science & Technology 2009;43(17):6757-6763. |
R833322 (2008) R831713 (Final) |
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Kiser MA, Ryu H, Jang H, Hristovski K, Westerhoff P. Biosorption of nanoparticles to heterotrophic wastewater biomass. Water Research 2010;44(14):4105-4114. |
R833322 (2008) R831713 (Final) |
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Kiser MA, Ladner DA, Hristovski KD, Westerhoff PK. Nanomaterial transformation and association with fresh and freeze-dried wastewater activated sludge: implications for testing protocol and environmental fate. Environmental Science & Technology 2012;46(13):7046-7053. |
R833322 (2008) R831713 (Final) |
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Wang Y, Westerhoff P, Hristovski KD. Fate and biological effects of silver, titanium dioxide, and C60 (fullerene) nanomaterials during simulated wastewater treatment processes. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2012;201-202:16-22. |
R833322 (2008) R831713 (Final) |
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Westerhoff PK, Kiser MA, Hristovski K. Nanomaterial removal and transformation during biological wastewater treatment. Environmental Engineering Science 2013;30(3):109-117. |
R833322 (2008) R831713 (Final) |
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Westerhoff P, Song G, Hristovski K, Kiser MA. Occurrence and removal of titanium at full scale wastewater treatment plants: implications for TiO2 nanomaterials. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 2011;13(5):1195-1203. |
R833322 (2008) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
water, bioavailability, absorption, bacteria, engineering, exposure, effluent, Health, Scientific Discipline, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, Water, Health Risk Assessment, Physical Processes, Risk Assessments, Wastewater, Biochemistry, nanomaterials, aqueous waste stream, exposure, nanoparticle toxicity, nanotechnology, fate & transportProgress 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.