environmental engineering nsf

7/31/2019 Environmental Engineering NSF

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NSF Directorate for Engineering | Division ofChemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET)

Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Cluster

Environmental EngineeringProgram Director - Paul L. Bishop [email protected]

Trends in Research Education

Program Topical Areas

Research Project Examples


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Tools and techniques in areas of measurements,analysis, modeling, and synthesis are becomingincreasingly sophisticated

This requires interfacing with more science and

engineering areas

Refocusing on large natural systems and on more

holistic (cross-media) studies at large spatial scales

while also expanding in the opposite direction:nano-science, molecular and genetic analysis

Developing broad theoretical/conceptual

underpinnings by embracing concepts of industrial

ecology, sustainability, and ecological engineering

Trends in Research and Education

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Environmental EngineeringProgram at NSF

The Environmental Engineering programsupports innovative science-based engineeringresearch and education with the goals of:

restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical,and biological quality of the Nations water, airand land environment

preventing human exposure to toxic chemicals

and pathogenic bacteria

achieving sustainable development of naturalresources.

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Some hot topical areas in theEnvironmental Engineering programs

Pollutant Fate/Transformation

Environmental fate and reaction kinetics

concerning the persistence of antibiotics,pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, andother emerging contaminants in theenvironment

Nano-technology in Environmental Engineering

Applications of nano-materials in water andwastewater treatment, air pollution control,and ground-water remediation; environmentaland health implications of nano-materials

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Biotechnology in Environmental Engineering

Innovative coupling of physical-chemical

and microbial processes

Information Technology in Environmental Engrg Development of advanced sensors and data

acquisition systems, internet-based datasharing and information processing

Complex Environmental Systems

Ability to model and predict across a widerange of spatial and temporal scales;

real-time measurement and management

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Some hot topical areas in theEnvironmental Engineering programs


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Unsolicited Research Projects:FY 2009 Grants - Selected from 82 awards in FY 2009

Treatment Technology Research

Bacterial adhesion and metabolic activity

Development of highly efficient Aquaporin

based membranes for aqueous separationsIdentifying and quantifying active denitrifiers

in complex environments using functionalgene expression analysis

Complete reductive dechlorination oftrichloroethylene (TCE) bynon-Dehalococcoides microorganisms

Desalinated water and stability of drinking

water distribution systems 6

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Environmental Sensing Research

Rapid, sensitive and sequential detection ofE. coliand

total coliforms

Use of chiral tracers to determine cycling of POPs in

stream ecosystems

TT virus: A potential indicator of human enteric viruses

in source and drinking waters

Stable isotope probing to assess bioremediation ofLUST contaminants

Physiologically-coupled biosensing approaches for

real-time monitoring of environmental contaminants

Functional analysis of biofilms in premise plumbing

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Nanomaterial Research

Environmental impacts of nanomaterials inengineered water systems on microorganisms

Capacitive deionization using asymmetricnanoporous oxide electrodes

Using nanotechnology to identify pollution sourcesin the landscape

Novel activated carbon nanofiber biofilm support

for enhanced wastewater treatment

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Water Resources and Watershed Management

Integrated modeling for watershed management

EDC compounds in a Rocky Mountain stream

Fate and transport of biocolloids in beach sand

Fundamental understanding of mercury cyclingin lakes

The role of sunlight in controlling fecal indicator

bacteria and human virus concentrations inrecreational waters

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Phytoremediation Research

Enhanced phytoremediation using endophytes

Heterotrophic degradation of and bioaugmentationfor emerging trace contaminants in wastewater

Removal of wastewater-derived contaminants intreatment wetlands

Enhancing phytoremediation throughcallus-culture induced variations inwetland plants

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Air Pollution Research

Optimization of urban designs for air qualityand energy efficiency

Effects of volatility and morphology on vehicular

emitted ultrafine particle dynamics

Adsorption and desorption of air pollutants on

engineered nanomaterials

Integrated scheme for treating hydrophobicair contaminants

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Figure 1: Hydraulic residence time(HRT)distributions for 1 completely mixed flowreactor(CMFR), 2 or 6 CMFRs in series

Figure 2: Predicted state(microbial storage productconcentrations)variability in a bacterial populationresponsible for phosphorus removal in an anaerobicreactor. Green squares are glycogen, blue triangles

are polyhydroxyalkanoates, and red circles arepolyphosphate.

Agent-based Modeling ofWastewater BacteriaAndrew Schuler - Duke University

Design and operation of biological wastewatertreatment systems relies on mathematicalmodeling of the biological processes of wastedegradation. This project is pioneering theuse of agent-based modeling in these systems,which entails the modeling of individualbacteria as they move through bioreactors, asopposed to the conventional "lumped"approach, whereby bacteria are modeled withrespect to their bulk concentrations.

The Schuler lab has built and applied a newagent-based simulation program

(DisSimulator), which can model thousands ofbacteria as they move through a given system.Using this program they have revealedseveral "emergent behaviors" that maylead to improved system design andoperation for improved plant performance.

Highlight ID: 15483 CBET-0607248

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Multiple Genomic Targets AdvanceWater Pollution Control TechnologyAmy Pruden - Virginia Tech

Recent advances in molecular biologyhave presented a tremendous opportunityto herald the next generation ofenvironmental science and engineering inwhich biological process design considersthe actual microbial communities involved

in catalyzing treatment.

The Pruden team is developing newgenome-enabled tools and using advancedstatistical approaches to synthesize theinformation obtained in order to determine

which tools best predict the performanceof bioremediation systems. They are alsoapplying these tools for advancingconsideration of inoculum as a viableaspect of engineered design ofbioremediation systems.

CBET-0547342

Figure 1: Schematic overview of a sulfate-reducing permeable reactive zone (SR-PRZ)remediating acid mine drainage. Thelignocelluloses-based matrix (wood chips)provides a slow-release source of organiccarbon for sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB).SRB produce sulfides, which bind heavymetals and remove them from the water

while at the same time neutralizing acidity.

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Debromination of PBDEsin Aquatic Sediments

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)(Figure 1),have been used extensively as flame retardants inconsumer goods for fire protection. As a result,rapid accumulation of PBDEs has occurred literally

everywhere in the environment. In aquatic systems,the majority of the PBDEs are deposited insediments, particularly those with high degrees ofbromination. The basic hypothesis of this proposalis that PBDEs, which have accumulated in theenvironment over the past four decades, havedebrominated in the sediments of

heavily contaminated water bodies. Comparisonbetween PBDEs and polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) in their production history, congenerdistribution patterns in commercial products,carbon-halogen bond energy, and the time scale ofenvironmental contamination, etc, supports theirhypothesis.

CBET-0756428CBET-0756320

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Brx Bry

Figure 1. Structure of PBDEs.

Figure 2. Sampling at Maple Lake,Illinois with a gravity piston corer(Wildco Co.). A push corer (Great LakesWater Institute, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) has

also been used for sediment sampling inthis project. 14

An Li University of Illinois-Chicago

Karl Rockne University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee


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Enhancing Gas-Particle Transport Processesfor Improved Mercury Emissions Controlfrom Coal-fired Power Plants

Figure 1: Helium-Neon laser used forinstantaneous particle Mass loading andparticle agglomeration measurements.

Figure 2: The trajectories of 1, 5, and 10micron particles in a turbulent round jet.Computational resources provided by theMinnesota Supercomputing Institute

Herek Clack - Illinois Institute of Technology

In 2005, the U.S. EPA issued the Clean Air

Mercury Rule (CAMR), making the U.S. the

first country to regulate mercury emissions

from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). The

CAMR emissions caps are designed to reducetotal mercury emissions by 70% by 2018.

This project represents a combined

experimental and numerical modeling

collaboration between research groups at

the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and

the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UM)to provide fundamental understanding of

mercury removal processes and to develop

enhanced mercury removal processes.

Highlight ID: 15480 CBET-0607292

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environmental engineering nsf

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