| NSF Org: |
CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 3, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 3, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1705770 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Nora Savage
nosavage@nsf.gov (703)292-7949 CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2017 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $329,215.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $329,215.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
940 GRACE HALL NOTRE DAME IN US 46556-5708 (574)631-7432 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
IN US 46556-5612 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Nanoscale Interactions Program |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
Streams and rivers connect landscapes to oceans, moving natural and anthropogenic materials through extensive and heterogeneous systems. Engineered nanoparticles are an emerging class of materials that can be transported in these systems, and with the growing use of nanoparticles for commercial and industrial applications, their release into the environment is inevitable. Feasible management of environmental risks and applications of nanoparticles will require reliable, parsimonious, and accurate models that can predict the fate and transport behavior of nanoparticles. This project aims to produce comprehensive datasets from laboratory and field experiments to develop models that can predict the fate and transport of nanoparticles in the environment. Understanding the fate and transport of nanoparticles is important to numerous research areas, and accurate models are integral for regulatory agencies developing new legislation. While the developed models will focus on nanoparticles, project outcomes are expected to yield significant benefits to understanding and improving transport modeling of other complex substances (e.g., environmental DNA) in realistic hydrologic environments. This project will present numerous educational opportunities for young students (K-12) and adults by establishing modules that use the field-site to highlight the importance of understanding nanoparticle behavior in the environment.
This project will be the first to date that completely integrates laboratory experiments, field experiments, and state-of-the-art mechanistic models to determine the fate of complex nanoparticles in complex streams. The PIs will establish a collection of nanoparticles that have differing physicochemical properties representing various aspects of the nanoparticle life-cycle. The field experiments will be conducted at the University of Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem site, a globally unique research facility that contains two man-made experimental watersheds consisting of an interconnected pond, streams, and a wetland. The outcomes of this project will be (i) comprehensive experimental datasets from nanoparticle transport-related experiments from laboratory scales, (ii) experimental datasets from controlled field experiments looking at nanoparticle transport in realistic streams and (iii) the development of a stochastic-based theoretical framework capable of modeling nanoparticle transport at these and other scales of environmental importance. Data outcomes will provide significant advances in understanding nanoparticle fate and transport in realistic flow environments. By building the models in a hierarchical manner and using a mechanistic framework to translate information from controlled laboratory scales up to field scales, a well-defined methodology will be developed for extension to even larger scales (e.g., entire stream and river networks).
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Overview: Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are widely used in consumer, industrial, agricultural, food, and pharmaceutical products. During their manufacturing, use, or disposal, ENPs can enter the environment, upon which they can move into streams that serve as efficient transport networks for moving contaminants throughout the environment. As such, understanding how ENPs move in streams is vital to understanding their overall environmental impact. Addressing this requires a capable predictive model that can answer ? how far do they travel and how long does it take? Models that describe scenarios as complex as ENPs moving through streams requires datasets from experiments conducted in realistic conditions. The objective of this project was to obtain datasets from lab- and field-scale experiments that were used to develop a computational model that can predict the fate of ENPs in streams.
Intellectual Merit: This project produced lab- and field-scale datasets that describe the transport of ENPs in streams under seasonal variation and in the presence of organic matter. The data were used to build a model that can be used to predict the downstream transport behavior of ENPs. Both outcomes advanced knowledge on the transport of particles in aqueous systems, specifically nano-sized particles in streams.
Broader Impact: ENPs are societally important because they are a part of our daily lives, with a potential negative impact on human health and the environment. This project provided training for a graduate student, numerous undergraduate students, and a postdoctoral scholar. This contributes to advancing education of the next generation work force, preparing them to address complex topics that sit at the interface of environmental engineering and science and materials science. Outcomes of this project were delivered to scientific and general audiences through peer-reviewed literature, conference presentations, and public talks. This project also contributed to educational programs beyond research activities. A YouTube video describing the transport of ENPs in streams was produced by the students for dissemination to K-adult audiences. Experimental and modeling outcomes were incorporated into PI Doudrick?s and Bolster?s graduate-level courses.
Last Modified: 01/17/2022
Modified by: Kyle Doudrick
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