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Check this page for announcements of WRIP proposal solicitations or grant awards

FY 2008 Grant Awards

The Massachusetts Water Resources Research Center is pleased to announce its Fiscal Year 2008 Proposal awards:

FY 2007 Grant Awards

Three research projects were selected for WRIP funding:

FY 2006 Grant Awards
Three research projects were selected for WRIP funding:

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FY 2005 Grant Awards
Three research projects were selected for WRIP funding:

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Environmental Behaviors of Engineered Nanoparticles in Water
Dr. Baoshan Xing, Dept. of Plant, Soil, Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Nanotechnology is one of the world’s most promising new technologies of the 21st century and is set to have dramatic impacts across the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, material science, engineering, and environmental sciences. The quantity of nanomaterials currently used is about 1,000–2,000 tones per annum worldwide, that will expand to around 10,000-100,000 tones per annum in 2011–2020. Due to the widespread use and large quantity of production in the very near future, engineered nanoparticles will inevitably end up into the environments such as water and soil through waste disposal and unintentional release. Therefore, there are serious environmental and health concerns over these invisible, tiny particles because they are more toxic and chemically active per unit of mass than bulk materials of the same substances. Several very recent studies clearly indicate the toxicity of nanoparticles to animals and human cells. For example, buckyballs (C60 fullerene) are shown to be toxic to water fleas, fish, and rats.

Very little is, however, known about the fate, transport, and transformation of nanoparticles in aqueous systems. How and to what extent nanoparticles influence aquatic ecosystems is not yet clear. As a result, precise assessment of environmental impacts of these nanoparticles on water quality and aquatic systems cannot be made though they can pose significant health and environmental risks. This proposed research will timely address this urgent need to study the physical and chemical behavior of engineered nanoparticles in aqueous phases. The main goal of this work is to generate enough preliminary data for multidisciplinary grant proposals to be submitted to federal funding agencies (e.g., NSF, EPA). The long-term goal is to better understand the environmental behavior of engineered nanoparticles in order to reduce/eliminate their adverse effects and to ensure sustainable development and use of nanotechnology. The specific objectives are: 1) to characterize the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles and their aggregation behaviors under different aqueous conditions using a series of advanced techniques (e.g., NMR, FTIR, AFM, DLS, SEM); 2) to examine the adsorption and desorption of toxic contaminants and dissolved organic matter (DOM) by nanoparticles using a batch equilibration method and to evaluate how DOM affects sorption of contaminants by the nanoparticles; and 3) to determine the mobility and transport of nanoparticles in soils for potential groundwater pollution; and to examine if these nanoparticles enhance the mobility of other toxic chemicals such as PAHs using soil column experiments.  

Quantifying Sediment Transport in Red Brook, Wareham, Massachusetts: Impacts of Dam Removal
Steven Kichefski, Dr. Ellen Douglas, Dr. Allen Gontz, Dept. of Environmental, Earth & Ocean Sciences, UMass Boston

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified sediment as the most widespread pollutant in the
Nation’s rivers and streams, affecting aquatic habitat, drinking water treatment processes, and recreational
uses of rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Dams, dikes and water control structures impound sediment and
impede the natural flow and transport processes within a river. The impact of dam removal on sediment
processes is largely unknown. We propose to study the pre- and post- dam removal sediment dynamics of
the Red Brook, Wareham, Massachusetts, a small coastal stream already identified as a priority for
restoration by the Massachusetts Riverways Program. Our hydrogeomorphic characterization will allow us
to better understand the sediment characteristics of the stream and how restoration activities affect
sediment transport processes. Our dynamic sediment balance will quantify the impacts of dam removal on
sediment redistribution and assist in developing a sediment management plan for the stream. Finally, the
results of our research will help establish a protocol for long-term monitoring of restoration sites at this
and other locations across Massachusetts.

Characterization of wastewater effluent from Western Massachusetts publicly owned treatment works using metaproteomic analysis
Pamela Westgate, Dr. Chul Park, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Proteins constitute a significant portion of POTW effluent organic matter but their identity and nature
remain largely unrevealed and their ecological and environmental impact on receiving waters has been
rarely characterized.

The objective of this research is to conduct metaproteomic characterization of effluent organic matter from
local wastewater treatment plants that discharge their treated wastewaters into the Connecticut River.

Toxicity of Carbon Nanotubes to the Activated Sludge Process: Protective Ability of Extracellular Polymeric Substances
Lauren Luongo, Dr. Xiaoqi (Jackie) Zhang, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered a novel material with growing commercial application due to
their unique properties. Massachusetts is a leader in nanotechnology growth and production; in 2003
alone, nanotechnology companies in Massachusetts received over 100 million in venture capital
investment. The discharge of CNTs from industrial waste or disposal of such materials from commercial
and/or domestic use will inevitably occur with increasing production and enter into wastewater treatment
facilities with unknown consequences. Therefore, a better knowledge of the toxicity of CNTs to biological
processes in wastewater treatment will be critical. The proposed study will attempt to evaluate whether or
not CNTs exhibit toxicity to the activated sludge process with sheared and unsheared activated sludge.
The study will allow for the investigation into whether or not the bacteria in the activated sludge is
protected significantly enough by the EPS and whether or not there is toxicity in the form of respiration
inhibition when exposed to CNTs.

Estimation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Influences on Freshwater Availability
Yushiou Tsai, Dr. Richard Vogel, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Tufts University

Rapid human population growth in the past decades has turned water into a scarce resource in some
Massachusetts watersheds during dry seasons. While water stress issues are in need of immediate
resolution, few assessments have been performed to investigate the relative importance of the two main
anthropogenic influences (land use and water demand) in comparison to the influence of climate on water
availability and their interactions in a comprehensive and systematic fashion. In order to provide
information of freshwater sensitivity regarding these influences and interactions across Massachusetts, this
research will estimate annual and low streamflow elasticity to changes in local climate conditions, land
use, and water demand using (1) a recent multiple regression approach introduced by Vogel et al. (2006)
and (2) a non-linear regression approach. The anticipated results will validate the hypothesis that the
annual and low flows in Massachusetts watersheds are sensitive to changes in local climate, land use, and
human water demand.