United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research And Development
(RD-675)
21R-1004
January 1991
FY1990
Annual Report Of The
Research Grant Program
Printed on Recycled Paper
V EPA
21R-
1004
^ c.2
-------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Profile of the FY '90 Fiscal Year Research Grants
Program 2
Available Documents 2
V Summary of Awards 3
V*
v Environmental Health 4
v {'
Environmental Biology 5
Environmental Chemistry & Physics Water 8
H Environmental Chemistry & Physics Air 9
Environmental Engineering 11
Super fund 12
Index by Principal Investigator Name 13
Index by Institutions 13
-------
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible
for implementing laws designed to mitigate or prevent environmental
pollution. Central to the execution of its responsibility is the
need for reliable scientific and technical information and easy
access to the American community of scientists and engineers.
Recognizing this need the Agency established an exploratory
research program whose objectives are:
To have the environmental research community aware of and
working on problems of interest to EPA;
To promote close interaction and mutual awareness between EPA
researchers and the environmental research community;
To provide general support to the research community for work
on fundamental environmental research, thereby promoting a
solid foundation of knowledge and a cadre of scientific and
technical personnel in the environmental sciences.
The Office of Exploratory Research (OER) meets these
objectives by managing a program of research through grants to
qualified investigators and by operating a system of peer review
for competitively selecting and awarding research projects in
environmental chemistry, physics, engineering, biology and health
science. Topics supported include the identification and
characterization of hazardous substances, intermedia transport,
and fate of pollutants (all media), human and ecological risk
assessment, incineration, emission reduction, and wastewater
treatment.
Investigator-initiated research applications are received in
response to an annual general solicitation and special
solicitations called "Request for Applications" (RFA). The RFA is
a mechanism by which proposals are solicited for a one-time
competition in a well defined high priority research area. Grants
from both mechanisms are selected on the basis of technical merit,
and the contribution toward a balanced research program.
The grants selection process uses a dual system of review.
Ad Hoc panels, chaired by scientists or engineers from outside EPA,
meet approximately twice annually to discuss reviews of each
proposal, which are conducted by at least three experts in the
relevant field.
Project progress is reported in technical reports or by the
publication of scientific papers in peer reviewed journals.
Grantees may be required to participate in EPA sponsored workshops
and seminars which feature work accomplishments from their
projects.
-1-
-------
A PROFILE OF THE FT 1990 RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM
In FY 1990, the Grants Program received 16.1 million dollars
under its general appropriation, which represented 7.4% of ORD's
non-Superfund extramural budget. In addition, 2.2 million dollars
of Superfund monies were allocated to engineering studies of
hazardous substances at Superfund sites.
The Research Grants Staff received a total of 612 applications
(both Superfund and general appropriation). Of this total, 209
were approved for funding by peer review panels and 156 were
awarded as grants, giving an overall passing rate (applications
approved to applications received) of 34%, and a funding rate
(grants funded to applications received) of 25%. Approximately 75%
of the applications approved for funding in FY 1990 by technical
review panels received some level of support.
Grants are currently funded at an average of 106 thousand
dollars per year, have an average project period of 2.4 years, and
a maximum project period of 3 years.
In FY 1990, over 100 refereed journal articles were published
by grantees supported all or in part by the Research Grants
Program.
AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS
The following documents related to the Research Grants Program
may be obtained by writing to:
Research Grants Staff
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(RD-675)
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20460
Solicitation for Research Grant Proposals - 1991
Exploratory Research Grants - September 1990
United States Environmental Protection Agency - Application Kit for
Assistance (Research or Demonstration Assistance) The application
kit is also available from:
Grants Operation Branch
Grants Administration Division (PM-216F)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20460
-2-
-------
SUMMARY OF AWARDS FOR FT-1990
The following collection of abstracts pertains to research
grants awarded by OER during the fiscal year 1990.
Additional information on any individual project may be
obtained from OER upon request by writing to:
Virginia Broadway
Environmental Protection Agency
RD-675
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
-3-
-------
OFFICE OF EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
SUMMARY OF AWARDS - 1990
Grant No.
ENVIRONMRNTAT.
R81-4702-01
R81-4750-01
R81-5066-01
R81-5488-01
R81-5580-01
R81-5604-01
R81-5605-01
R81-5612-01
R81-5866-01
R81-5867-01
R81-5915-01
Title
Altered DNA-Protein Binding induced
by the Carcinogen Chromate
Immunotoxicology by Carbon Tetra-
chloride and Structurally Related
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
Metabolism of Arsenicals by Alcaligenes
Faecalis
Structural Basis of the Mutagenicity
and Carcinogenicity of Chemicals
Heavy Metal Effects on Gene Expression
in Human Cells
Melanoma Induction by Environmental
Ultraviolet Radiation
Bulky Metabolite Modification of
Transcriptionally Active Genes
Fate of DNA Damage in Human Fetal Cells
Investigations on the Mechanism of
Sunlight-Induced Immune Suppression:
The impact of Stratospheric Ozone
Depletion
Analysis of Animal Cancer Tests
Metabolism of Polychlorinated Dioxins
and Dibenzofurans in the Rat and Human
Page No
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
-4-
SuBBary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
R81-6557-01
R81-6603-01
R81-6825-01
Title
Genetic Susceptibility and Mechanisms
of Ozone-Induced Airway Inflammation
The Role of Basic Fibroblast Growth
Factor in Human Malignant Melanoma
Development of Rapid, Quantitative
In vitro Carcinogenicity Assays in
Human Mammary Epithelial Cells and
Their Relevance to Breast Cancer
Page No
25
26
27
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
R81-4960-01
R81-5076-01
R81-5592-01
R81-5597-01
R81-5610-01
R81-5621-01
R81-5921-01
R81-5949-01
Mechanism of UVB Induced Ion Leakage
Through Plant Plasma Membrane
Quantitative Modeling of Gene Transfer
from Recombinant Bacteria in an
Agricultural Soil
Molecular Biology of Chlorobiphenyl
Degradation Genets) from
Pseudomonas Putida
Influence of Sorption/Desorption
Processes on the Bioavailability
of Aged Organic Contaminants in
Soil and Subsurface Materials
Regulation of Genetic Transfer Into
and Between Indigenous Bacteria in
Wastewater
Regio- and Stereoselective Metabolism
of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons
by Fish
Fish Behavior Tests, Ecological Foraging
Models and Bioenergetics Models for
Risk Assessment
28
29
30
31
Gaseous Deposition in Canopies:
Role of Epiphytic Lichens
The
32
33
34
35
-5-
Samary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
R81-5995-01
R81-6023-01
R81-6168-01
R81-6277-01
R81-6393-01
R81-6467-01
R81-6531-01
R81-6701-01
R81-6834-01
R81-6872-01
R81-6879-01
R81-6919-01
R81-7000-01
Title Page No
Environmental Stress and Isoprene 36
Emissions in Forest Trees
Assessment of Endocrine Indices as 37
Early-Warning Indicators of
Reproductive Dysfunction in Female
Fish Exposed to Pollutants
Glutathione Metabolism and Utilization 38
in the Channel Catfish
A Molecular Bioassay for Environmental 39
Carcinogenesis
Quantitation of Heavy Metals by Immune- 40
assay
Effects of Nitrate Loading on Great Lakes 41
Degradation of Halogenated Hydrocarbons 42
by Nitrifying Bacteria
Bioremedation of Xenobiotic Wastes: 43
Selection Pressures on Microbial
Consortia in Biofilm Treatment Systems
Comparative Movement in the Environment 44
of Nuclear and Extranuclear Genetic
Elements in a Microbial System
Biological Reduction of Hexavalent 45
Chromium
Scaling Xenobiotix Pharmacokinetic 46
Models in Fish
Genotoxicity Evaluation of Poly- 47
chlorinated Biphenyls and Their
Metabolites
High Density Culture of Meiobenthos 48
for Sediment Bioassay and Trophic-
Transfer of Sediment-Bound Toxicants
-6-
of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
R81-7034-01
R81-7196-01
R81-7198-01
R81-7206-01
R81-7217-01
R81-7219-01
R81-7239-01
R81-7252-01
R81-7283-01
R81-7285-01
R81-7302-01
Title
Testing Wright's Theory of Olfaction
on Insects by Selectively Deuterating
2E-Hexen-l-al
A Proposal for a Microbial Early Warning
System for Organic Pollution in
Estuarine Systems
Diminished Transport Capacity: A New
Index of Stress Measured in Mvtilus
edulis (Mollusca: Bivalvia) Blood
Plasma
Temporary Pond Communities as Model
Systems for Evaluting Anthropogenic
Stresses
Evaluation of Multiple Bio-indicators
and Endpoints in Stream Toxicity
Assessments
Characterization of Stress Proteins
as Indicators of Biological Effects
and Exposure
The Evaluation of Indicators of Wetland
Vegetation Stress and Their Relationship
to Biological Endpoints
A Tri-species Indicator of Organic
Enrichment in Estuaries: Individual,
Population and Community Approaches
Use of Demographic Theory to Determine
Impact of Disease and Chemical
Contaminants on Soft Shell Clam
Population Properties
Algal Phytochelatins as Indicators of
Metal Stress in Natural Waters
Biomarkers for Sediment-Associated
Genotoxins in Benthic Fish
Page No
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
-7-
Samary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
Title
Page No
ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY (WATER)
R81-5544-01
R81-5574-01
R81-5701-01
R81-5953-01
R81-5957-01
R81-5990-01
R81-5991-01
R81-6002-01
R81-6050-01
R81-6180-01
R81-6282-01
Non-Destructive Evaluation of Macropore- 60
Scale Processes in Organic Contaminant
Transport Through Soil Using Computer
Tomography
Integrated Extraction and Chromatographic 61
System for Monitoring of Trace Organic
Pollutants
Detoxication of Xenobiotic Compounds 62
Through Polymerization and Binding
to Humic Substances
Adsorption and Photochemistry of Molecular 63
Adsorbed on Clays
Homogeneous Abiotic Hydrolysis of 64
Halogenated Ethanes and Propanes in
Ground Water and Water Treatment
Development of Methods For The Analysis 65
of Organic Chloramines and Inorganic
Mono-Chloramine in Natural and
Engineered Systems
Field Screening of Organic Priority 66
Pollutants Using Handheld Ion Mobility
Spectrometry
Theory of Preferential Flow And Its 67
Monitoring In Sandy Soils Overlaying
Aquifers
Theoretical Studies of the Transport 68
of Kinetically Adsorbing Solutes
Through Three-Dimensional Heterogeneous
Aquifers
Biotic and Abiotic Carbon-Phosphorus 69
Bond Cleavage
Microscale Kinetic Effects and the 70
Subsurface Transport of Volatile
Organics
-8-
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
Title
Pace No
R81-6743-01
R81-7098-01
R81-7137-01
R81-7145-01
R81-7149-01
R81-7160-01
R81-7170-01
R81-7182-01
R81-7276-01
R81-7278-01
Movement of Contaminated Sediments From
the Detroit River Through Lake Erie
Resuspension, Deposition, Flocculation,
and Transport of Fine-Grained Sediments
in Aquatic Systems
Anaerobic Transformation of Aromatic
Pollutant Compounds by Sedimentary
Manganese- and Iron-Reducing Bacteria
Impact of Sorption Kinetics, Porewater
Colloids, and Bioturbation on the
Transport of Pollutants in Freshwater
and Estuarine Sediments
A Biogeochemical Model for Methylmercury
(MeHg) Production in Lacustrine and
Estuarine Sediments
Chemical and Biological Determinants of
Hydrocarbon Bioaccumulation from
Contaminated Sediments
Flow-Induced Fluidization and Resuspen-
sion of Soft Bottom Sediment
Cohesive Sediment Resuspension and
Deposition in Tidal Estuary Flows
Microbial Recycling of Contaminants at
the Sediment Water Interface in Fresh-
water
Laboratory Radiotracer Studies of
Biological Mixing in Shallow Marine
Sediments
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY (AIR)
R81-4876-01
R81-5170-01
Time-Resolved Measurements of Gas-Phase
Indoor Air Pollutants by In-Situ Long
Pathlength Spectroscopy
Aqueous Phase Photocatalytic Production
of Hydrogen Peroxide
-9-
Sumnary of Awards - 1990
81
82
-------
Grant No.
Title
Page No
R81-5469-01
R81-5534-01
R81-5871-01
R81-6198-01
R81-6211-01
R81-6329-01
R81-6353-01
R81-6395-01
R81-6434-01
R81-6486-01
R81-6491-01
R81-6559-01
R81-6672-01
R81-6678-01
Entry of Gas Phase Pollutants Into 83
Fog Droplets
Spectroscopic and Photometric Measure- 84
ment of Novel Chemiluminescence and
Flame Systems
An Investigation of Hydroxyl Radical- 85
Chloromethane-Chloroethane Reaction
Rates at Elevated Temperatures Using
a Modified Laser Photolysis/Laser -
Induced Fluorescence Technique
Atmospheric Chemistry of Dichlorobi- 86
phenyls, Dibenzo-p-dioxin, Dibenzofuran
and Related Compounds
A Search for Surface Enhanced Chemical 87
Kinetics in Aqueous Microplets
M-I-M Diodes as Solid State Sensors 88
Study of Atmospheric Gas/Particle 89
Distribution
Global Climate Model Development & 90
Sensitivity Experiments
Phthalocyanine Thin Film Sensors 91
The Impact of Lake Michigan Upon Summer 92
Regional Oxidant Precursor Concentrations
in the Lower Lake Michigan Basin
Solid State Sensors for Air Pollution 93
Control
Laboratory Investigations of Free 94
Radical Chemistry in Cloud Water
Gas/Particle Distributions and Particle 95
Size Distributions of Trace Organics
in the Ambient Atmosphere
Heterogeneous Organic Reactions on 96
Atmospheric Aerosols
-10-
Smnary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
Title
Page No
R81-6829-01
Inorganic Tracers for Motor Vehicle
Emissions
97
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
R81-5040-01
R81-5041-01
R81-5124-01
R81-5483-01
R81-5740-01
R81-5861-01
R81-5883-01
R81-6327-01
R81-6449-01
R81-6459-01
R81-6464-01
R81-6476-01
Formation of Heavy Metal Oxide Particulate 98
in Atmospheric Pressure Methane Flames
Photocatalytic and Sonolytic Degradation 99
of Hazardous Wastes
Effect of Reactor Configuration on 100
Stability of Xenobiotic Compound Bio-
degradation in Activated Sludge
Flue Gas Desulfurization by Calcium 101
Silicate Reagents
Electrostatic Precipitator Performance 102
Improvement with a Barbed Plate
Discharge Electrode
Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOX 103
with Ammonia over Vanadia/Titania
Catalysts
An Investigation of Mixed Surface Media 104
Filtration
NOx, SOx and Solid Waste Minimization 105
in a Staged N-CFBC. Phase I: Cold
Flow Measurements
Control of Disinfection By-Products 106
and Biodegradable Organic Carbon
Destruction of Toxic Compounds by 107
Plasma-Augmented Combustion
Treatment of Textile Dye Waste Waters 108
by Means of Chemical Reduction Coupled
With Biological and Sorption Processes
Ripening in Water and Wastewater Filtra- 109
tion: Effects of Particle Size
-11-
Sunary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
R81-6490-01
R81-6856-01
R81-6861-01
R81-6873-01
R81-6876-01
R81-6887-01
R81-6927-01
R81-6928-01
R81-6932-01
Title Page No
Role of Organic Carbon in Slow Sand 110
Filters
An Experimental And Theoretical Study 111
On The Influence Of Methyl Chloride
On The Structure And Extinction Of
Hydrocarbon Flames
Suspension Loading Effects on Coal 112
Nitrogen Conversion During (PF) Firing
Proposal for Investigation of the Chemical 113
Mechanism of the Raprenox Process for No
Reduction In Combustion Products
Ozone Production With Contaminated 114
Electrodes In Electrostatic Air
Cleaners
Kinetic Studies of Key Intermediate C2 115
and C4 Chlorocarbons Implicated in the
Thermal Destruction of Chlorinated
Hazardous Wastes
Low Temperature, Heterogeneous Formation 116
of Dioxins and Furans in Incinerators:
The Role of Precursors
A Novel Fluid/Particle System for Solid 117
Fuels Combustion (Draft Tube Spouted
Bed Combustor)
A Pilot Scale Study Using High Energy 118
Electrons for the Treatment of Poly-
chlorinated Biphenyls in Water,
Wastewater, and Sludge
SUPERFUND
R81-6483-01
R81-6722-01
Novel Bioremediation Strategies for
the Degradation of Alkylbenzenes
Removal of Arsenic from Waste Solutions
and from Copper Smelter Solid Waste
119
120
-12-
Stmary of Awards - 1990
-------
Grant No.
Title
Page No
R81-6903-01
R81-6914-01
R81-6922-01
R81-6935-01
R81-7438-01
R81-7440-01
R81-7450-01
Use of Hudson River Sediment Inoculum 121
for the Bioremediation of PCBs at an
Anaerobic Site and Factors Required
to Induce and Enhance Anaerobic
Biodegradation and Dechlorination
Development of Enzyme Technology for 122
Selective Removal of Phenolic
Pollutants from Aqueous Mixtures
The Use of Ozone in In-Situ Vapor 123
Stripping for the Removal of
Contaminants from the Vadose Zone
Removal and Concentration of Pollutants 124
Based on Electrochemically Modulated
Complexation
Heavy Metal Decontamination: Some Unique 125
Properties and Application Potentials
of Chelating Polymers with Nitrogen
Donor Atoms and Composite Membranes
Removal of Heavy Metals from Contaminated 126
Water Using Immobilized Biomass Beads
Removal of Toxic Anions from Ground Water 127
by Ultrafiltration & Precipitation
Index by Principal Investigator's name
Index by Institution
128
140
-13-
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
EPA Project NO: R81-4702-01
Altered DNA-Protein Binding Induced by the
Carcinogen Chromate
institution: Principal Investigator
New York University Medical Center Max Costa
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $561,087
SUMMARY
The DNA-protein crosslink is a lesion produced by a wide
variety of chemical agents. The nature of this lesion and its
biological significance are poorly understood. Chromate-induced
DNA protein crosslinks are stable and persistent and probably are
important for chromate toxicity and carcinogenicity. Mechanisms
and specificity of chromate- induced DNA-protein crosslinks will be
determined as follows:
a) Potassium chromate-induced DNA-protein crosslink formation
will be studied in intact cultured human cells (HeLa) to study
the stability of the crosslinks to various reagents that
disrupt specific chemical bonds;
b) Hela cells will be exposed in vitro to CrCl3 or with K2Cr04
to determine whether reduction products or the trivalent form
of chromium mediate the formation of DNA-protein crosslinks;
c) Antibodies will be developed to study the proteins involved
in the chromate-induced DNA-protein crosslink; and
d) The immunological reactivity of the antibodies for the
protein involved in the crosslink will be utilized to isolate
specific classes of DNA sequences involved in the
crosslinking.
-14-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-4750-01
Immunotoxicology by Carbon Tetrachloride and
Structurally Related Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Virginia Commonwealth University Michael P. Holsapple
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $221,203
**********
SUMMARY
The focus of this proposal is to test the following
hypothesis: Exposure to carbon tetrachloride (CC14) and other
structurally related chlorinated hydrocarbons (CH) results in
suppression of immune function and immunocompetence. This
hypothesis will be tested through the completion of three major
research objectives: (1) By characterizing the effects of CC14 on
immune function and immune surveillance in B6C3F1 mice; (2) By
investigating structure activity relationships of CH congeners
which are structurally related to CC14 on humoral immune responses;
and (3) By determining if additive or synergistic effects on the
immune system occur following combined exposure to CC14 and other
structurally similar CH. These research objectives will be
addressed utilizing assay systems which assess cellular function.
Studies will include the determination of a comprehensive profile
on the effects of CC14 on humoral, innate and cell mediated immune
responses. Greatest emphasis will be placed on the T-dependent
antibody response to sRBC, and assay system which we have been
found to be most sensitive in detecting chemically-induced immune
perturbations including those mediated by CC14. This model will
be utilized to assess the immunotoxicological potency of selected
CH alone and in combination with CC14. To date the immunotoxicity
of CC14 has not been evaluated, however, preliminary data from our
laboratory demonstrates that CC14 can markedly suppress both
humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.
-15-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5066-01
Metabolism of Arsenicals by Alcaligenes Faecalis
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Ohio State university C. Russell Hille
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $371,833
**********
SUMMARY
The overall goal of the proposed research is to examine the
biochemical processes whereby arsenite is oxidized to arsenate and
subsequently methylated, in order to better understand arsenic
metabolism in the biosphere and its environmental significance.
The specific aims of the proposed research are:
To characterize the arsenite oxidase from Alcaligenes faecalis
and its interaction with azurin and cytochrome 0553. This
work will include an analysis of the steady-state and rapid
kinetics of arsenite oxidase catalysis as well as the rates
of electron transfer among the three proteins and the
identification of any complexes formed between them;
To purify and characterize the enzyme(s) responsible for the
methylation of arsenate to its mono- and dihydroxymethyl
derivatives. This aspect of the proposed work will entail a
steady-state kinetic analysis of the enzymes as well as an
examination of their cofactor requirements and mechanism of
action; and
To characterize the molecular biology of arsenic resistance
in A. faecalis. Specific aspects to be pursued include a
determination of the number and organization of genes involved
in arsenic resistance and their localization (chromosome or
plasmid), the functioning of the corresponding gene products
(including their inducibility), and the engineering of the
organism in such a way as to obtain overexpression of these
gene products (either as a group or individually) so as to
facilitate the protein chemistry and enzymology studies of the
system.
-16-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5488-01
Structural Basis of the Hutagenicity and
Carcinogenicity of Chemicals
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Case Western Reserve University Herbert S. Rosenkranz
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $421,429
**********
SUMMARY
The hypothesis to be investigated is based upon the
expectation that there is a structural basis to carcinogenesis by
chemicals - which albeit it may be subtle and difficult to
elucidate by ordinary means - can be recognized by the CASE method,
an artificial intelligence structure-activity system recently
developed by us. Additionally, it is expected that these
structural features will yield mechanistic information when
analyzed by expert human intelligence. Ultimately, in future
studies by this or other laboratories, the mechanistic information
can be tested experimentally. It is theorized further that
differing activities of chemical carcinogens, such as sex, tissue
or species specificity may have a structural basis which can be
identified by CASE. Finally, it is surmized that this method can
recognize structural (mechanistic) similarities between
carcinogenesis and particular in vitro systems.
To achieve the aims of this proposal, the following avenues
of research will be pursued:
To identify the structural determinants responsible for the
carcinogenicity of chemicals in rodents and in subsets thereof,
i.e., species, sex, and organ-specificity;
To determine which short-term predictive tests have structural
determinants similar to those that have been recognized for
carcinogenicity (Aim #1, above). This should result in the
recognition of cellular systems that resemble mechanistically the
process of carcinogenicity and hence should (a) be more predictive
of carcinogenicity and (b) be useful for mechanistic studies to
understand the carcinogenic process;
To ascertain the prevalence of carcinogens in a sample
representative of the "chemical universe."
-17-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5580-01
Heavy Metal Effects on Gene Expression
in Human Cells
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California-San Diego Michael Karin
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $319,411
**********
SUMMARY
The overall objective of this proposal is to understand the
molecular basis for the regulation of essential and toxic trace
metals in human cells. The investigator has chosen to study the
regulation of the human metallothionein gene family. The product
of these genes are low molecular weight heavy metal binding
proteins which play a central role in maintaining the homeostasis
of essential trace metal ions, such as Cu and Zn, and in protection
of various organisms against the toxic effects of ions such as Cd
and Hg.
-18-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5604-01
Melanoma Induction by Environmental Ultraviolet Radiation
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Lovelace Medical Foundation Ronald D. Ley
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $295,021
**********
SUMMARY
An understanding of the role of ultraviolet radiation (UVR)
in the etiology of melanoma will be essential to assess the impact
of any potential decrease in stratospheric ozone concentration on
the incidence of melanoma in humans. Unlike the case with the non-
melanoma skin cancers, it has been proposed that factors such as
intensity, duration, frequency, and age at time of exposure are
more important than a cumulative dose in the induction of cutaneous
melanoma by solar radiation. However, the ability to test various
exposure regimens and the influence of age at time of exposure on
the induction of melanoma has been impossible, until now, by the
lack of a suitable animal model with which to conduct the studies.
Researchers observed recently that chronic exposure of the
South American opossum MondeIphis domestica to UVR resulted in a
22% incidence of cutaneous melanotic tumors in 46 surviving
animals, some of the tumors have been classified as malignant
melanoma based on metastasis to lymph nodes. The effect of various
UVR exposure regimens on the induction of melanoma in M. domestica
will be studied. Exposure conditions to be tested include:
1. dose per exposure;
2. frequency of exposure;
3. intermittent exposure to high (sunburning) doses of UVR;
and,
4. age (neonate, juvenile, adolescent or adult) at time of
UVR exposure.
A complete understanding of the role of UVR exposure in the
etiology of melanoma will be beneficial in that activities or
factors which increase the risk of melanoma can be reduced or
avoided.
-19-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5605-01
Bulky Metabolite Modification of Transcriptionally Active Genes
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Ohio State University George Milo
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $438,443
**********
SUMMARY
When human cells receive a carcinogenic insult in the early
S phase of the cell cycle, a heightened response to the insult was
observed as evidenced by the increased expression of an abnormal
phenotype. Moreover, when a non-toxic concentration of benzamide
(BZ) is added to the cells at the onset of S phase followed by
treatment with a carcinogen, the expression of the abnormal
phenotype is inhibited. Measurement of carcinogen-DNA adducts of
BPDE modified bulk DNA did not show any difference between the BZ
and non-BZ pretreated carcinogen treated samples. Studies on the
binding of B[a]P diol epoxide (BPDE I) revealed ca. three times
more binding of BPDE I to the linker DNA when compared to the core
region of the chromatin in the presence of BZ (2). There was equal
binding to the linker and core DNA when cells in S phase were
treated with BPDE I alone. The confluent cells in Gi cell arrest
treated only with BPDE I also had the carcinogen bound
preferentially to the linker region. These data suggest that BZ
somehow alters the integrity of the linker and core region of the
DNA during replication, by masking the DNA sites that are
vulnerable to the initiating agent BPDE I, the modification of
which is necessary for transformation.
The primary objective of this effort is to study the induction
of DNA lesions and the repair of these lesions at specific regions
of the chromatin DNA. The specific sites of interest will be
DNasel hypersensitive sites of carcinogen adducted
transcriptionally active genes. The genes of interest to us will
be a-actin, cellular H-ras and c-royc. The adducted DNA in these
genes will be isolated and analyzed by the 32p_pOStlajDel^ng
technology. Lastly, transformation modifiers that alter
transcription activity will be studied to observe what effects
wither down- or upregulation of the genes does to carcinogen
modification of the DNA in the gene sites.
-20-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5612-01
Fate of DNA Damage in Human Fetal Cells
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Ohio State University Steven M. D'Ambrosio
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $505,177
**********
SUMMARY
DNA damage can cause structural changes that interfere with
the functional integrity of the DNA. These alterations occurring
in target cells and/or genes may lead to the biological
consequences following exposure to environmental agents. The focus
has been on understanding how specific DNA base alterations; O6-
alkylguanine, 04-alkylthymidine and pyrimidine dimers are
recognized and processed in the cellular genome in epithelial cells
derived from human fetal liver, lung and intestine. To date,
results indicate that: (a) the level of DNA repair enzymes are
tissue specific and may be cell type specific; (b) although the
mechanism, i.e., alkyltransferase, for repairing 0^-alkylguanine
is similar to bacterial cell and some transformed mammalian cells,
the acceptor protein may be regulated differently in normal human
epithelial cells; and (c) normal human epithelial cells actively
repair 04-alkylthymidine by a process that may be different from
an alkyltransferase mechanism.
This research will now focus on the hypothesis that DNA repair
in normal human epithelial cells is dependent upon the
proliferative and differentiated state of the cell and the level
of gene transcription. The objectives will include: (a) the
quantitation and characterization of DNA repair enzymes responsible
for repairing the premutagenic O4-alkylthymidine in normal human
fetal liver cells. This will determine whether the mechanism of
repairing 04-alkylthymidine is via an alkyltransferase, N-
glycosylase endonuclease or other process. (b) Determine whether
the repair of 0-alkylation damage is regulated in normal human
epithelial cells as a function of DNA replication and
differentiation and, if so, the signals involved. (c) Study how
cellular damage is processed in selected transcribing and non-
transcribing genes within the cell.
-21-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5866-01
Investigations on the Mechanism of
Sunlight-Induced Immune Suppression:
The Impact of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
Institution: Principal Investigator:
George Washington University Edward C. DeFabo
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $436,579
**********
SUMMARY
Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in vivo causes a selective,
systemic immunosuppression. The researchers will investigate the
mechanism by which this suppression is initiated, who previously
put forward the hypothesis that UVB-induced suppression is
initiated by the photoisomerization in skin of urocanic acid (UCA,
de-aminated histidine) to its cis isomer. It is proposed that cis
UCA is immunoreactive, initiating events leading to suppressor T
cell formation. This hypothesis will be tested further by making
use of a unique strain of mouse genetically deficient in UCA which
does not show UVB-induced suppression. For those parts of the
experiment which require ultraviolet B irradiation the investigator
will utilize a specialized light source capable of generating
narrow bands of UV over a large size field. These will be employed
to limit UVB radiation to biologically relevant wavelengths; to
regulate intensity so as to minimize inflammatory effects and to
prevent contamination by other unwanted wavelengths of radiation.
-22-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5867-01
Analysis of Animal Cancer Tests
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California, Lois Gold
at Berkeley
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $302,713
SUMMARY
The investigators propose to analyze their Carcinogenic
Potency Database (CPDB), which contains results for over 1,000
chemicals analyzed for carcinogenic potency by a consistent method.
The objectives are to compare results as a function of species
(rodent vs. primate), route of administration, and strain; to
assess human exposures in order to rank carcinogenic hazards; and
to investigate mechanistic information provided by mutagenicity and
toxicity. The rationale is the CPDB provides opportunities in
investigate correlations in a large database. The experimental
methods are essentially straightforward comparisons of carcinogenic
potency values grouped to investigate each hypothesis. The
expected results are a more complete description of the responses
of experimental animals in cancer bioassays and a ranking of
chemicals as potential causes of human cancer.
-23-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5915-01
Metabolism of Polychlorinated Dioxins and
Dibenzofurans in the Rat and Human
Institution: Principal Investigator:
State University of New York, J.R. Olson
Buffalo
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $562,204
**********
SUMMARY
The objective of this application is to compare the metabolism
and disposition of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and other dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)
and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in rat and human hepatocytes in
suspension culture. The resulting data will then be employed along
with other information for the development of physiologically based
pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) models for the various PCDDs and PCDFs in
the rat and human. Seven radioactive PCDDs and PCDFs will be
studied, including: 2,3,7,8-TCDD; 2,3,7,8-TCDF; 1,2,3,4,7-penta-
CDD; 2,3,4,7,8-penta-CDF. The proposed research is divided into
three major phases. initially, freshly isolated hepatocytes in
suspension culture from 8-10 week old male and female Sprague-
Dawley rats and from human surgical patients will be used to
measure: 1) the uptake and subcellular distribution of different
concentrations of the various labeled PCDDs and PCDFs; 2) the
apparent Km and Vmax values for metabolite formation; and 3) the
effect of 2,3,7,8-TCDD pretreatment (in vivo for the rat and in
vitro for both species) on cytochrome P-450 induction and on the
uptake, metabolism and subcellular distribution of selected PCDDs
and PCDFs. In the second set of studies, the experimental
parameters necessary to develop the PB-PK models for the various
PCDDs and PCDFs in the rat and human will be obtained and the
models then constructed.
-24-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6557-01
Genetic Susceptibility and Mechanisms of
Ozone-Induced Airway Inflammation
Institution: Principal Investigator:
The Johns Hopkins University Steven R. Kleeberger
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $144,257
**********
SUMMARY
The primary objective of the proposed research which is to
investigate the molecular and genetic mechanisms which influence
the pulmonary inflammatory response to ozone inhalation. Pulmonary
inflammation will be assessed following exposure by morphological
examination and by differential cell count and albumin
concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. The specific
aims are: 1) to determine whether strain differences exist between
C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ mice in the magnitude and time course of the
inflammatory responses to ozone, and whether the inf locus
determines these differences; 2) to determine the role of
arachidonic acid metabolites in the inflammatory response to ozone;
and 3) to determine the cellular sources of the chemotactic
mediators which contribute to susceptibility to ozone-induced
inflammation. Differences in these mechanisms between C57BL/6J and
C3H/HeJ mice will be evaluated further for the patterns of
inheritance among progeny of crosses between the strains. We
believe that this simple genetic model will be of general
usefulness in understanding the complex molecular mechanisms
involved in the inflammatory response to ozone.
-25-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6603-01
The Role of Basic Fibroblast Growth
Factor in Human Malignant Melanoma
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Texas D. Becker, Ph.D.
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $164,409
SUMMARY
This research involves the role of basic fibroblast growth
factor (bFGF) in the proliferation and tumor promotion of advanced
stage melanomas. It seeks to demonstrate bFGF gene expression in
advanced stage melanomas, to determine if insertion of human bFGF
in three cell types will enable production of bFGF and growth
independence from exogenous bFGF, and to determine if the synthesis
of bFGF by human melanocytes and nevus cells is sufficient to
induce signs of malignant progression. The significance of this
work is in mitogenic potency of bFGF in normal human melanocytes
in culture. Preliminary results indicate: (a) a melanoma cell
line and four metastatic melanomas express bFGF gene to a greater
extent than normal human melanocytes, and (b) an antisense oligomer
(15-mer) complementary to bFGF was taken up (perhaps by a non-
specific mechanism) by and had reversible, specific growth-
inhibitory properties in melanoma cells. The investigators have
had preliminary success with plasmid and retroversal expression
constructs of bFGF and can propagate infectious amphotropic
pSVX(s)bFGF retroviruses.
-26-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6825-01
Development of Rapid, Quantitative In Vitro Carcinogenicity
Assays in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells and Their
Relevance to Breast Cancer
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California, Berkeley Shahnaz Dairkee
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 year $61,845
SUMMARY
The overall purpose of the continued proposed work is to
develop rapid, quantitative in vitro predictive assays for
carcinogenicity in humans. This will be accomplished by using
markers developed against normal and transformed human mammary
epithelial cells in culture.
To accomplish the above objectives, several specific aims will
be targeted. These include: (1) the development of a quantitative
transformation assay for detection of organ-specific carcinogens
and (2) the demonstration of the relevance of the transformation
event to human mammary cancer. These specific tasks involve: (1)
the screening of lipophilic cationic dyes fpr differential
retention in extended life (EL) cultures versus untreated NHME
cells; (2) examination of the temporal relationship between
treatment, acquisition of dye markers and the percentage of cells
acquiring such markers; (3) determination of the specificity of the
transformation assay by treating NHME cells to known carcinogens
(DMBA and Aflatoxin B^) and examining the treated cultures at times
after treatment for specific markers; (4) testing the potential of
fluorescent lipophilic dyes to distinguish between normal, benign
and malignant breast tissues; (5) development of monoclonal
antibody against antigens in tumor specimens or breast carcinoma
cell lines; and (6) using the specific monoclonal antibodies as
screening agents to quantitate the transformation assay.
-27-
-------
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
EPA Project No: R81-4960-01
Mechanism of UVB Induced Ion Leakage Through
Plant Plasma Membrane
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California-Davis T.M. Murphy
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $113,414
SUMMARY
Increased ion leakage from plant cells is a nearly ubiquitous
response to environmental stresses. Increased ion leakage is
usually a nonspecific response to membrane damage or alteration of
ionic gradients. However, ultraviolet (UV) stress results in a
more specific ion flux, such that UV-stressed cells lose Potassium
ion (K+), but do not lose other cytoplasmic components. This
suggests that UV stress affects specific components of membrane
function, and that an understanding of the molecular effects of UV
stress may help elucidate mechanisms of resistance to UV stress.
The proposed project is to continue the work on UV effects on ion
flux, particularly to address the role of ion channels in UV-
stimulated K+ efflux. The mechanism by which UV stress promotes
K+ loss is not known. The hypotheses proposed are that UV alters
ion channels indirectly by depolarizing the membrane through
stimulation of anion efflux, or by synthesis and decay of new K+
channels. Cells can be desensitized by translation inhibitors and
by agents which reduce glutathione content. Sulfhydryl reagents
also inhibit UV-induced efflux. The mechanisms of these processes
are unknown. The approach in the proposed experiments is to use
plasmalemma vesicles from Phaseolus leaves and from cultured rose
cells. The ability to prepare purified plasma membrane vesicles
is a recent advance. 86Rb+ will be used as a tracer of K+ efflux,
and 36C1~ will be used as a tracer of anion efflux. K+ efflux will
also be linked to influx of Oxonol V, a fluorescent anion. These
techniques will allow the hypotheses to be addressed in a simple
system, obviating the problems created by use of multicompartmental
intact cells or tissues.
-28-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5076-01
Quantitative Modeling of Gene Transfer from Recombinant
Bacteria in an Agricultural Soil
institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Idaho Guy R. Knudson
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $39,355
**********
SUMMARY
This project will generate a mathematical and verifiable model
for use in the risk assessment of releasing genetically engineered
microorganisms. The model will be adaptable and testable for other
microorganisms and/or gene sequences proposed for environmental
release. It will be a necessary step in the development of
quantitative estimates of the possibility of gene transfer and
possible adverse ecological consequences following release of
recombinant microbes. As such, it will be a contribution to the
methods and protocols available to the scientific community for
ecological risk assessment.
The specific objectives of this project are:
1) Further develop and validate a computer simulation model to
predict bacterial survival and plasmid transfer, under different
environmental conditions, in a rhizosphere system containing an
agricultural soil and crop plants.
2) Quantify these gene transfer events: conjugative plasmid
transfer and mobilization of a non-conjugative plasmid, in a three-
tiered approach (laboratory conditions, simple soil microcosm,
rhizosphere). Experiments will be done with well-characterized
"benchmark" plasmids, two bacterial species with agricultural
significance.
-29-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5592-01
Molecular Biology of Chlorobiphenyl Degradation
Gene(s) from Pseudomonas Putida
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Oakland University Satish K. Walia
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $174,945
**********
SUMMARY
The long range goal of this project is to understand the
molecular mechanisms of the degradation of xenobiotics such as
chlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and to develop bacterial technology for
the purpose of the safe disposal of hazardous chemical pollutants
from the environment. The success in cloning Chlorobiphenyl
degradation (cbph) genes puts this research in a unique position
to study structural organization, gene order, physical linkage and
location of biological functions of the cloned DNA by the analysis
of Bal 31 and exonuclease III deletion mutants, complementation
studies with subcloned DNA fragments and transposon mutagenesis.
The induction of PCB degradation pathway by intermediary
metabolites and other haloaromatic compounds will be determined by
estimating the levels of specific enzymes of cbph pathway. Another
important question of the transfer, survival and expression of cbph
genes in naturally occurring bacteria (NOB) in the environment will
be addressed by transferring the cbph genes into NOB and then
measuring the levels of enzyme activities (Chlorobiphenyl
dioxygenase and 3-phenylcatechol dioxygenase) and specific RNA.
The size of the mRNA transcripts will be determined by Northern
blot hybridization, SI mapping and primer extension analysis. The
regulatory region, operator-promoter region, ribosome binding site,
transcription initiation site and translation initiation site of
cbph genes will be determined by DNA sequencing and cloning
promoter region into promoterless plasmid vector such as pKT 240.
The information obtained from the proposed experiments will aid in
constructing new hybrid pathways by fusing cbph genes with
chlorobenzoate degradation genes.
•30-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5597-01
Influence of Sorption/Desorption Processes on the
Bioavailability of Aged Organic Contaminants in Soil and
Subsurface Materials
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Michigan State University Stephen A. Boyd
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $136,677
SUMMARY
The proposed project focuses on the role and significance of
sorption/desorption processes in the biological processing of
organic contaminants in soil systems. The basic premise is that
bioavailability of these organic contaminants is controlled by
sorption/desorption processes. Organic molecules sorbed to soil
particulates are unavailable to microbes and thus are not subject
to degradation until desorption into the solution phase occurs.
These organic contaminants may persist for long times sorbed to
soil particulates and are slowly released to leach into water
supplies.
The project will test the validity of models of biodegradation
of sorbed and dissolved contaminants, assess and compare sorption
of fresh vs. aged contaminants, determine release of aged
contaminants, and evaluate degradation rates of residual and
freshly added contaminants.
-31-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5610-01
Regulation of Genetic Transfer into and Between
Indigenous Bacteria in Wastewater
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Drexel University Michael Gealt
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $531,002
**********
SUMMARY
The introduction of genetically modified bacteria into the
environment potentiates the establishment of gene sequences not
present in an ecosystem into a stable microbial population. At
present the ability to predict the change(s) which will result from
this introduction of DNA is extremely limited. Environmental
conditions affect the rate of transfer with aqueous, highly-
nutritive locales, such as wastewater, being especially favorable
to bacterial genetic interchange. Researchers have recently
demonstrated that genetically engineered DNA sequences (GEDS) from
laboratory strains of Escherichia coli do transfer by conjugation
into indigenous species in a (non-sterile) wastewater treatment
plant microcosm. In order to develop predictive models for gene
transfer into indigenous bacteria it is necessary to understand how
bacteria regulate the gene transfer process and how environmental
conditions affect this regulation. Therefore, the proposed
research will (a) isolate and analyze chromosomal genes involved
in conjugation and transduction, (b) isolate indigenous transducing
phage from wastewater and demonstrate the effects of environmental
conditions on their transfer of GEDS, (c) construct fusion plasmids
of promotors critical to conjugal or transductional gene
mobilization with an indicating gene, e.g., B-galactosidase, to
monitor gene activity as a function of environmental conditions,
and (d) perform quantitative analysis of the rates of gene transfer
by conjugation and transduction in a waste treatment facility
microcosm, comparing conditions which affect gene mobilization
rates.
-32-
-------
EPA Project NO: R81-5621-01
Regio- and Stereoselective Metabolism of Polynuclear
Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Fish
Institution: Principal Investigator:
State University of New York-Buffalo Harish Sikka
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $334,799
SUMMARY
The overall objective of the proposed research is to obtain
a better understanding of metabolic transformations of PAHS in
fish.
The specific aims of the proposed research are: (1) to
elucidate the regio- and stereoselectivity of the liver microsomal
enzymes of control and 3-MC-treated brown bullhead (a fish species
known to be susceptible to the carcinogenic action of PAHs) in the
metabolism of BP, chrysene and phenanthrene; (2) to determine the
stereoselectivity involved in the metabolism of enantiomerically
pure BP, chrysene and phenanthrene dihydrodiols with a bay-region
double bond to their corresponding bay region diol epoxides by the
fish liver microsomes; and (3) to compare the regio- and
Stereoselective metabolism of the PAHs by the fish liver microsomes
with other data published in the literature for rat liver
microsomes.
-33-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5921-01
Fish Behavior Tests, Ecological Foraging Models and
Bioenergetics Models for Risk Assessment
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Iowa State University Gary Atkinson
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $131,981
**********
SUMMARY
The specific objectives of this research are: (1) to develop
quantitative and sensitivity behavioral and physiological tests
that yield data applicable to current optimal foraging and
energetics models. Models will predict effect of toxicant exposure
on fish foraging (diet) and growth; (2) to compare the sensitivity
of cadmium-induced changes in mechanistic measures of foraging
(reaction distance, handling time) to more commonly used empirical
measures of foraging (number of prey captured, capture efficiency,
behavioral response to food).
-34-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5949-01
Gaseous Deposition in Canopies: The Role of
Epiphytic Lichens
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Arizona State University, Tempe Thomas H. Nash III
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $270,169
SUMMARY
The studies described in this proposal are intended to provide
more information on the ability of lichens to intercept both wet
and dry deposition of air pollutants, to search for evidence of
phenomena involving surface area interactions, and to follow the
fate of leachates from the lichen to the soil media. It was
pointed out that lichens are extremely important canopy components
that may contribute as much as 50% under some conditions, to the
canopy surface area. The study will involve four genera of
epiphytic lichens collected from the Pacific coastal region. They
will be exposed, under highly controlled conditions to S02, NC>2,
NO, and 03. Tissue samples from each of the treatments will be
used to determine absorption rate as influenced by specific
environmental conditions; to determine leachability of ions, and
to determine dose-response of the lichen species. Special emphasis
will be placed on Mg leaching.
-35-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5995-01
Environmental Stress and Isoprene Emissions
in Forest Trees
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Colorado Richard R. Fall
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $190,390
**********
SUMMARY
The emission of volatile compounds from ecosystems is emerging
as a major environmental issue. Plants produce a bewildering array
of hydrocarbons and inorganic gases, some of which play important
roles in atmospheric chemistry. Despite the importance of these
compounds, we know remarkably little about the processes which
regulate the emissions of hydrocarbons, particularly in trees,
which are the major sources of plant-emitted hydrocarbons. The
total production of hydrocarbons from vegetation is thought to
exceed the emission of anthropogenic hydrocarbons by several orders
of magnitude. It is becoming increasingly clear that, even in
urban areas, plants emit more hydrocarbons than does human
activity. Many of these hydrocarbons are reactive and contribute
to the production of secondary pollutants, particularly ozone.
Isoprene is a particularly important compound, accounting for
about 40% of all plant hydrocarbon emissions. The mechanisms of
production of isoprene by plants are not known, nor do we know much
about environmental factors which regulate emissions. The
investigators plan to address the key question of whether
environmental stress alters isoprene emission. At the same time,
the experimental design will allow much to be learned about the
fundamental mechanisms and regulation of isoprene biosynthesis in
plants.
The investigators propose to use a sophisticated real-time
system in controlled environments, which allow continuous
monitoring, simultaneously, of isoprene emissions, gas exchange,
conductance, electron transfer, and reaction center turnover. The
model plants, aspen and red spruce, will be exposed to the
following stressors: high temperature, high light, drought, low
nitrogen, and the air pollutants, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrous
oxide and nitrogen dioxide.
-36-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6023-01
Assessment of Endocrine Indices as Early-Warning
Indicators of Reproductive Dysfunction in Female
Fish Exposed to Pollutants
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Texas-Austin Peter Thomas
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $160,440
**********
SUMMARY
It is proposed to determine the chronic effects of several
model pollutants on a broad range of indices of female reproductive
endocrine function, and two reproductive endpoints, ovarian growth
and hatching success in a marine teleost, Atlantic croaker
(Micropogonias undulatus). The sites of mercury, naphthalene and
petroleum oil actions on the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis
and the mechanisms of chemical interference with hormone secretion,
hormone metabolism and hormone action will be compared. In
addition, the possible involvement of the mechanism of vitellogenin
uptake by growing oocytes and a novel ovarian metal-binding protein
in the accumulation and sequestration of heavy metals by oocytes
will be investigated.
The purposes of these studies are to (1) understand the nature
of pollutant-induced perturbations of reproductive endocrine
function in female teleosts and their significance in terms of
ovarian recrudescence and hatching success; (2) select promising
reproductive indices for further evaluation in croaker and other
teleost species as early-warning indices of a pollutant-induced
decline in the reproductive success of natural fish populations.
Thus, the eventual aims of this research are to develop early-
warning indices of pollution damage to fish which accurately
reflect the potential long-term hazards to the population as a
whole, rather than those which may merely reflect short-term
impairment in an individual, and to provide the reproductive
toxicity data essential for environmental risk assessments.
-37-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6168-01
Glutatnione Metabolism and Utilization in the
Channel Catfish
Institution:
Duke University
Principal Investigator:
Richard T. Di Giulio
Project Period:
3 years
Project Amount:
$192,567
SUMMARY
This proposal is a three-year investigation to examine
glutathione synthesis and utilization, both as a phase II substrate
and as an antioxidant, and its role in protecting against
chemically-induced tissue injury in the channel catfish. The three
major objectives of this study are the following: (1) to assess
glutathione's role in protecting against biochemical responses and
tissue injury in catfish exposed in vivo to chlorothalonil
(glutathione S-transferase substrate) and diquat (redox active
prooxidant); (2) to analyze basal activities and kinetic parameters
for key enzymes involved in glutathione metabolism; and (3) to
determine the single and combined effects of the above two
compounds on glutathione metabolism and correlate these
perturbations to morphological and functional indices of tissue
damage.
-38-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6277-01
A Molecular Bioassay for Environmental Carcinogenesis
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Duke University Van Beneden, Rebecca J.
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 Years $339,975
SUMMARY
Neoplastic transformations of cells are often associated with
genetic alterations of cellular oncogenes. Studies of oncogenes
and tumor production in fish are proposed which will contribute to
our understanding of mechanisms of oncogene activation. The
characterization of fish oncogenes may also allow identification
of homologous oncogene sequences in other species, including man.
It is proposed that knowledge of oncogene activation mechanisms
operative in vivo in the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) can also
be applied to the development of a sensitive system for the
detection of potentially harmful environmental contaminants.
Proposed work will examine the mechanism(s) of activation of
oncogenes in medaka tumors induced by exposure of medaka to known
carcinogens and potentially carcinogenic aquatic contaminants. DNA
will be isolated from tumors and used to transfect mouse NIH3T3
cells. Transforming genes identified by this method will be
characterized as to their expression, sequence homology to known
oncogenes, and their method of activation in tumor cells. Cell
lines will be developed from tumors for in vitro work. The assays
using medaka as an appropriate non-mammalian model system will thus
allow the development of new carcinogen tests and the examination
of basic mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis.
-39-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6393-01
Quantitation of Heavy Metals by Immunoassay
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Meharry Medical College Diane A. Blake
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $297,563
**********
SUMMARY
The objective of this project is to construct a prototype
immunoassay for the monitoring of heavy metals in the aquatic
ecosystem. The contamination of plants, animals and humans by
trace toxic elements poses a continuing and increasing threat to
our environment. Heavy metals (including cadmium, cobalt, copper,
lead, mercury, and nickel) are of particular concern because of
their widespread production and use, and their subsequent discharge
and persistence in the environment. Most of the current methods
available for the assay of heavy metals require complex
instrumentation. In this proposal, the researchers will develop
a prototype assay which may be used at the testing site to
immediately detect the presence of trace heavy metals in aquatic
samples.
It is proposed to take advantage of the unique properties of
the protein, metallothionein, to assemble an immunoassay of very
high sensitivity. Metallothioneins are nonenzymatic, low molecular
weight proteins which bind with very high affinity to a wide
variety of mono- and divalent metal ion. Polyclonal and/or
monoclonal antibodies which show specificity for specific metal-
metallothionein complexes will be prepared; the metal binding
properties of metal-lothionein and the specificity of the antibody
recognition event will subsequently be linked to a colorimetric or
fluorimetric readout. A variety of heterogeneous enzyme
immunoassay formats will be assembled and assay parameters will be
optimized. The final prototype assays will be assessed for
sensitivity, precision, reproducibility, specificity, and the
effects of interfering substances present in normal aqueous test
solutions.
-40-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6467-01
Effects of Nitrate Loading on Great Lakes
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Michigan Eugene F. Stoermer
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 Years $256,770
**********
SUMMARY
The proposed investigation is designed to evaluate the present
and future impact of the substantial and continuing increase in
dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentration on the composition of
the primary producers in the Great Lakes. The research is designed
to show whether or not increased inorganic nitrogen loading will
change the composition of the phytoplankton flora in the Great
Lakes.
-41-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6531-01
Degradation of Halogenated Hydrocarbons
by Nitrifying Bacteria
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Oregon State University Daniel J. Arp
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $372,139
**********
SUMMARY
Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria use ammonia monooxygenase to
initiate the oxidation of ammonia. This enzyme has a broad
substrate range which extends to a number of priority pollutants.
Preliminary results indicate that several classes of chlorinated
hydrocarbons including chloromethanes, chloroethanes and
chlorinated ethylenes are oxidized by ammonia monooxygenase. In
many cases, the oxidations lead to dehalogenation reactions. The
objective of the proposed research is to provide a quantitative
basis upon which to assess the usefulness of nitrifying bacteria
in bioremediation schemes. The research will focus on Nitrosomonas
europaea, a well-studied, autotrophic, nitrifying bacterium. The
range and rates of halogenated hydrocarbon oxidations will be
investigated, as will the reactivity of ammonia monooxygenase
towards mixtures of halogenated hydrocarbons. The tolerance of N.
europaea to these hydrocarbon substrates will be quantified. Other
bacteria that are capable of oxidizing ammonia (autotrophic and
heterotrophic nitrifiers and methylotrophs) will be investigated
for their ability to oxidize halogenated hydrocarbons. The studies
will make use of whole cells which will be incubated with ammonia
(as co-metabolite) and a halogenated hydrocarbon. Rates of
substrate depletion and/or product formation will be monitored by
standard analytical techniques (gas chromatography, high pressure
liquid chromatography, etc).
-42-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6701-01
Bioremediation of Xenobiotic Wastes: Selection
Pressures on Microbial Consortia in Biofilm
Treatment Systems
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Duke University Dr. James Bryers
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $223,686
**********
SUMMARY
Use of enriched microbial consortia in immobilized cell
systems for xenobiotic compound detoxification (i.e., on-site
biotreatment reactors or reclamation of contaminated groundwater
and soil) will require a fundamental understanding of the major
selection pressures affecting the survival and performance of
multiple microbial populations in biofilm treatment systems.
Previous experimental work on biofilm development will be extended
here to investigate multispecies biofilm ecodynamics. Proposed
biofilm research will use a defined mixed consortia, comprising
several known bacterial species, that collectively biotransform the
known class of xenobiotic compounds, s-Triazines.
Under constant and transient loading of the xenobiotic
compound, experiments will quantify the survival and performance
of member species in the consortia. Biofilms of the consortia will
be cultivated aerobically in (1) special microscale study reactors
of well-characterized hydrodynamics and controllable environmental
conditions and (2) within a pilot scale biofilm treatment system
(i.e.. a fluidized bed of either contaminated soil or silica sand).
The spatial distribution of consortia members in a biofilm will be
quantified with time using several existing analyses (e.g.^
immunofluorescence and dual-radio-labelled tracers, membrane
phospholipid signatures) refined for biofilm systems. The combined
influence of hydrodynamics, suspended cell concentration, and
xenobiotic loading on microbial consortia ecodynamics will be
investigated; both experimentally and with mathematical models.
This research will increase the general understanding of various
selection pressure effects on the population dynamics in any
biofilm treatment system; thus providing a generic means to control
biofilm processes and specifically increase our ability to
bioremediate soil environments contaminated by organic xenobiotics.
-43-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6834-01
Comparative Movement in the Environment of Nuclear and
Extranuclear Genetic Elements in a Microbial System
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Texas A&M University Neal K. Van Alfen
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $236,214
**********
SUMMARY
This proposal is for a project to study cytoplasmic gene flow
in filamentous fungi. The organism to be studied is Crvphonectria
parasitica. the chestnut blight fungus. It possesses cytoplasmic
genes, in the form of strain-specific double stranded RNA (dsRNA),
that are present in high copy number and cause a reduction of
virulence in the pathogen, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The
investigators have developed new methods to study cytoplasmic gene
flow, including probes and colony blot hybridization. They found
that dsRNA moves rapidly within and between strains of fungus
although mtDNA does not, and concluded that the fungal cytoplasm
contains few barriers to gene flow.
In this proposal, they will develop methods to identify unique
populations of C. parasitica, determine the extent to which
cytoplasmic gene flow occurs within and between natural
populations, and determine if gene flow can occur between sexually
incompatible fungal species. The first phase of the work will
determine how applicable the restriction fragment length
polymorphism (RFLP) method of identification is in distinguishing
among different strains. Three sites have been selected for study:
California, based on a single introduction; and two in the East
where sexual reproduction is known to occur. They will examine
both mtDNA and nuclear DNA using probes. mtDNA from EP155 will be
screened for probes which identify mtDNA RFLPs. This will be done
using EcoRI cuts. Nuclear DNA RFLPs will be identified by
combining the data from these subclones and those from mapping
restriction endonucleases.
-44-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6872-01
Biological Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Kentucky Yi-Tin Wang
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 Years $82,397
**********
SUMMARY
The overall objective of the proposed research is to
characterize the reduction of hexavalent chromium by microbial
activities. Hexavalent chromium is highly toxic and is released
to the environment by a large number of industrial operations.
The potential for biological transformation of hexavalent chromium
to the less toxic trivadent chromium has been discovered only
recently. Trivalent chromium is less soluble in most water
systems. Consequently, great potential exists for ultimate removal
of chromium by biological processes.
This research is directed at gaining a better understanding
of biological reduction of hexavalent chromium. The effect of
environmental factors on the rate and extent of chromium reduction
will be evaluated using both pure and mixed cultures of
microorganisms. Environmental factors to be evaluated include
redox potential, temperature, electron donors and acceptors, and
microbial species. Analytical techniques include gas
chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, mass
spectrometry, and atomic adsorption spectrophotometry.
-45-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6879-01
Scaling Xenobiotic Pharmacokinetic Models in Fish
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Ohio State University William L. Hayton
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 year $74,244
**********
SUMMARY
The proposal describes a three-year investigation to examine
the effects of fish body size on the pharmacokinetics of
trifluralin, di-2-ethylphthalate, and pentachlorophenol. The
specific aims are to: (1) determine binding isotherms for the test
compounds in blood and blood plasma of rainbow trout, and in an
aqueous solution of humic acid; (2) determine the influence of the
degree of blood binding on the capacity of the rainbow trout gill
to extract the test compounds from water; (3) determine the
influence of blood binding on the capacity of the rainbow trout
gill to eliminate the test compounds from blood perfusing the gill;
(4) extend the consideration of binding effects on gill transport
to binding in the exposure water; i.e., to humic acids; (5) develop
a method to relate pharmacokinetic model parameters determined
using blood concentration and time kinetics in large fish to
parameters determined using whole-body level and time kinetics in
small fish; and (6) measure the effective blood flow through and
water flow across the secondary lamellae of 5 g rainbow trout,
sheepshead minnow, fathead minnow, goldfish and bluegill.
-46-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6919-01
Genotoxicity Evaluation of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls and Their Metabolites
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Oakland University Satish K. Walia
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $399,076
SUMMARY
Bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated
waste provides no assurance that the metabolic intermediates will
not be toxic. Furthermore, current knowledge of the genotoxicity
of PCBs and PCB-metabolites is inconclusive. Therefore, the aim
of this research is to evaluate the genotoxicity of selected
isomers of chlorinated biphenyls and their intermediary metabolites
produced by degradative enzymes of bacteria and of eukaryotes and
of combined enzymes of both systems. Eight compounds: 2,2',4,4'-
tetrachlorobiphenyl, 2,3,4-trichlorobiphenyl, 4,4'-dichloro-
biphenyl, 4-chlorobiphenyl and four bacterial metabolites of 4-
chlorobiphenyl will be tested in three genotoxicity assay systems:
bacterial (Salmonella/89 microsome assay), eukaryotic (Drosophila
Wing-spot test), and a chimeric (bacterial-eukaryotic) system. The
eukaryotic system has powerful features not found in other systems.
This system not only allows the detection of chromosomal and point
mutations, but also exposes the test compounds to high levels of
metabolic activation in situ. Besides the normal inducible strain
of Drosophila, two other strains of test animals one with
"suppressed" cytochrome P-450 enzymes system and another
constitutively over-expressing P-450 enzymes system will also be
included. The third assay will be a chimeric, bacterial-eukaryotic
system produced by using molecular-genetic constructs where the P-
450 inducible, suppressed and constitutively over-expressed strains
will be made transgenic for chimeric plasmids containing bacterial
PCB-degrading genes previously cloned in our laboratory. All
extracts that are mutagenic will be fractionated by high
performance liquid chromatograph, retested for genotoxicity and
characterized by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy.
-47-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7000-01
High Density Culture of Meiobenthos for Sediment
Bioassay and Trophic-Transfer of Sediment-Bound Toxicants
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of South Carolina Bruce C. Coull
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $238,746
SUMMARY
A number of studies have demonstrated the effects of sediment-
bound pollutants on the macrobenthos. However, there are few
studies that have utilized meiobenthos (benthic invertebrates <1.0
mm in size) to determine impacts on the population dynamics of
sediment-dwelling infauna. The objectives of the proposed study
are twofold. First, the investigators propose to test the utility
of using two species of mono-cultured meiobenthic harpacticoid
copepods (Microarthidion littorale and Amphiascus minutus) to
determine the lethal and sublethal (growth and reproduction)
effects of sediment-bound endosulfan (organochlorine pesticide),
hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB) and cadmium (heavy metal). Seven-day
static bioassays will be conducted on the adults and copepodites
of each species.
In the second phase of the study, the investigators propose
to use the PCB bioassay results to develop a methodology for
estimating trophic-transfer of sublethal levels of sediment-bound
toxicants through the benthos to juvenile fish using 14C-hexa-
chlorobiphenyl labelled meiobenthic copepods as prey for juvenile
spot.
-48-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7034-01
Testing Wright's Theory of Olfaction on Insects
by Selectively Deuterating 2E-Hexen-l-al
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Kansas State University Clifton E. Meloan
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $229,893
SUMMARY
Insects rely on their ability to detect chemicals, via
olfaction, to survive. This includes locating food, mating, where
to lay eggs, defense, etc. An understanding of the mechanism by
which insects detect chemicals could be used to control many of
their activities and reduce the use of pesticides. According to
the proposer, at least 22 theories of olfaction have been presented
during the last four decades. Wright's vibrational theory of
olfaction is the most promising theory to date. Wright's theory
states that if combinations of fundamental vibrational frequencies
on incoming molecules match similar vibrational frequencies on the
receptor site, then a resonance transfer of energy can initiate the
nerve signal.
The investigator proposes to use a single compound that
affects more than one species of insect, deuterate it extensively,
and see what effect it has on those species. According to the
proposer, if the responses are significantly altered or eliminated
this would indicate that the effects due to deuteration are not an
isolated phenomenon with one specie of insect. If the compound is
then partially deuterated, to alter different frequency
combinations, and the species differ in their response, then that
would show that combinations of vibrational frequencies are related
to olfaction. Based on previous work, the investigator proposes
to deuterate 2(E)-hexen-l-al in five positions and in 15
combinations and test it as a repellent in the American cockroach,
as an oviposition stimulant in the alfalfa weevil, and as an
attractant in the western corn root worm.
-49-
-------
EPA Project NO: R81-7196-01
A Proposal for a Microbial Early Warning
System for Organic Pollution in Estuarine Systems
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Maine Robert H. Findlay
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $222,556
SUMMARY
In estuarine sediments the most common form of pollution is
organic. Yet assessing its impact is still problematic. The goal
of this work is to develop a Microbial Early Warning System for
Organic Pollution (MEWSOP). Specifically, it will evaluate the
response of the microbenthic community to organic loading and will
utilize sterol analysis to determine the origin of organic
stressors.
The approach will be to utilize a suite of lipid-based assays.
For routine environmental monitoring, phospholipid phosphates will
be used to determine total microbial biomass. This technique
provides convenient and inexpensive estimates of microbial biomass.
If unusual changes in microbial biomass are detected, phospholipid
fatty-acid analysis will be used to determine microbial community
structure. If the microbial community structure suggests organic
enrichment, sterol analysis will be used to determine its source.
This approach has several advantages: 1) A single extraction yields
all three lipid fractions, 2) both the stressor and its effects are
identified, and 3) only when environmental stress is suspected are
fatty acid and sterol analyses required.
Development of this protocol will use salmon net-pens as a
monospecific source of organic enrichment. The efficacy of this
protocol will be determined by surveying organically impacted
estuaries.
-50-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7198-01
Diminished Transport Capacity: A New Index of
Stress Measured in Mytilus edulis (Mollusca: Bivalvia)
Blood Plasma
Institution: Principal Investigator:
New England Aquarium Corporation William Robinson
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $163,067
SUMMARY
This proposal is to evaluate in the blue mussel (Mytilus
edulis) a novel early-warning index of contaminant stress called
the "Diminished Transport Capacity" (DTC). It is an easy and
sensitive measure of the ability of plasma proteins to transport
substances in the blood, a function analogous to that of mammalian
serum albumin. Toxic substances, including metals, bind weakly to
them as do normal physiological compounds. The DTC of the plasma
proteins is measured easily and inexpensively with a cadmium ion-
specific electrode. At low cadmium (Cd) concentrations, very
little of the total Cd in the plasma is in the free ion. As the
concentration of Cd is increased, more of it is free, since the
binding sites on the proteins are increasingly occupied. The index
of diminished transport capacity (DTC) is based on Cd titrations,
but represents the general ability of the plasma to transport
substances, normal or foreign. Stresses from disease and other
sources cause the proteins to decline, and therefore should cause
diminished transport capacity.
-51-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7206-01
Temporary Pond Communities as Model Systems for
Evaluating Anthropogenic Stresses
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Pennsylvania State University William A. Dunson
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $184,355
SUMMARY
This two-year study is designed to provide assessment of water
quality on amphibian breeding in naturally occurring temporary
ponds. The study will provide a comprehensive experimental
demonstration of the effects of long and short term acidification
on the communities of larval amphibians. The objectives of the
study are:
1. To monitor key physical and biological parameters in 35
woodland ponds;
2. To use a combination of laboratory, microcosm, simulated
field, managed mesocosms and naturally occurring woodland ponds to
demonstrate the physiological and interspecific effects of
acidification on selected immature amphibians;
3. To evaluate the effects of short and long term pH
reductions on amphibian communities;
4. To demonstrate which measured abiotic parameters can
affect amphibian distributions; and
5. To examine the comparability of the results between the
various sized test systems.
-52-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7217-01
Evaluation of Multiple Bio-indicators and Endpoints
in Stream Toxicity Assessments
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Wright State University G. Allen Burton
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $188,767
SUMMARY
This two-year study is designed to evaluate multiple
bioindicators of water quality to determine which are best to use
when evaluating stream sediment quality. A triad type approach in
which the results of sediment chemistry, laboratory bioassays with
an array of single species and various in situ ecological endpoints
are measured. Measurement of habitat is also integrated into the
proposed research.
The objectives of the proposed research are:
1. To determine which indicators or combination of indicators
are best at detecting anthropogenic induced stress;
2. To determine the advantages and weaknesses of each
indicator;
3. To compare the results of the proposed study with those
recently generated by USEPA in the Great Lake region;
4. To determine the optimal combination of indicators and
endpoints to routinely detect early stages of ecosystem stress; and
5. Conduct stream profile studies comparing among
bioindicator responses, chemical and physical descriptors and
ecological endpoints.
-53-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7219-01
Characterization of Stress Proteins as Indicators
of Biological Effects and Exposure
Institution: Principal Investigator:
California State University Brenda M. Sanders
Long Beach
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 Years $199,476
**********
SUMMARY
The stress protein response (SPR) is a cellular response to
stress which is characterized by the preferential synthesis of a
suite of proteins, referred to as stress proteins, in response to
a wide variety of environmental stressors. SPR's will be examined
as the basis of indicators for: (i) adverse biological effects,
i.e., to diagnose the "stress load" in an organism, which is
designated as a tier I indicator; and, (ii) exposure to specific
contaminants, a tier II indicator. To understand the extent to
which specific characteristics of the response are conserved across
broad phylogenic groups we will conduct a comparative study of two
species, the sea urchin Strongvlocentrotus purpuratus and the
fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. For each species the study
will: (1) characterize the response elicited by diverse stressors
which have different mechanisms of toxicity, and to which the two
species have different sensitivities; (2) determine to what extent
the response is sustained over time upon continuous exposure; (3)
examine induction of the SPR upon exposure to multiple stressors
simultaneously; (4) determine the reliability of using the SPR as
an early warning for damage at higher levels of biological
organization; and, (5) carefully analyze the SPR elicited by each
stressor for unique stressor specific induction patterns.
-54-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7239-01
The Evaluation of Indicators of Wetland Vegetation
Stress and Their Relationship to Biological Endpoints
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Louisiana State University Irving A. Mendelssohn
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $192,083
SUMMARY
The impact of anthropogenic stressors on our fragile coastal
and estuarine environments is of major societal concern. Man-
induced stressors are generated from many activities including: (1)
dredge and fill operations, (2) oil and gas exploration and
drilling, (3) industrial and waste discharge, (4) agricultural and
residential runoff, and (5) acid rain, to mention a few. Many of
these stressors have sublethal effects that, while not killing the
plant community, gradually reduce its vigor and productivity.
Techniques that provide a measure of stress under a variety of
conditions are essential to any program of environmental impact
assessment. The early detection of plant stress is imperative if
mitigation is to succeed in saving the habitat. The overall goal
of this research is to evaluate several methods of detecting and
quantifying stress in wetland vegetation and to use this
information to determine whether wetland ecosystems and their
vegetation component are sufficiently stressed by anthropogenic
agents to cause damage. Specifically researchers will compare
several types of physiological and biochemical indicators to
quantify anthropogenic stress in wetland macrophytes to include:
the adenylate energy charge ratio, leaf spectral reflectance,
chlorophyll fluorescence, carbon dioxide uptake and proline
accumulation (for brine stress). Evaluation of the stress indices
will be conducted in growth chamber experiments with two wetland
plant species, Typha domingensis (cattail) and Spartina
alterniflora (smooth cordgrass), each dominant in freshwater or
salt marsh habitats, respectively. The response of the plants will
be monitored with the above stress indicators and the results
compared to growth effects.
-55-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7252-01
A Tri-species Indicator of Organic Enrichment in
Estuaries: Individual, Population and Community
Approaches
Institution: Principal Investigator:
North Carolina State University Lisa A. Levin
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $142,364
**********
SUMMARY
The project will examine the effects of various forms of
organic enrichment (sewage effluent, blue-green algae, fuel oil and
natural marsh sediment) on growth, fecundity, and population growth
of three common species of estuarine polychaetes frequently found
in enriched or disturbed environments. The target species are
Capitella sp. 1, Polvdora ligni, and Streblospio benedicti. The
aim is to develop a tri-species indicator index number of organic
enrichment stress that addresses individual, population, and
community-level features. The investigator will evaluate
individual responses (adult growth rate, size of eggs/embryos, life
time fecundity, C and N content of eggs/embryos, larval
survivorship, and larval growth rates) and population responses
(population growth rates as determined by life table response
experiments) in an experimental laboratory setting. Comparisons
will be made among species and among organic treatment types to
test the a priori predictions of hypotheses. From the comparisons
among the species, community-level effects will be assessed by
generation of a model for assessing organic-pollution induced
stress.
-56-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7283-01
Use of Demographic Theory to Determine Impact of
Disease and Chemical Contaminants on Soft
Shell Clam Population Properties
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution James Weinberg
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $210,428
**********
SUMMARY
The objective of this study is to identify and evaluate the
stress from disease and contamination on a commercially important
bivalve at its population level. Results will provide a basis for
determining whether environmental impact is severe enough for
society to care about (i.e., an "ecological endpoint"). The
demographic theory and experimentation used in this study could
serve as a model for how to study other commercially important
species whose life cycles are perturbed by disease and chemical
contaminants.
The specific problem to be addressed is a leukemia-like
disease, hematopoietic neoplasia, that is prevalent in Mya arenaria
from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay. Being both a filter feeder and
sediment dweller, M. arenaria is sensitive to both water and
sediment quality. Because M. arenaria is a major commercial
species in estuaries, it is important to determine how much of an
impact disease and contamination have in nature on number of clams,
their sizes, and on the ability of populations to maintain
themselves.
-57-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7285-01
Algal Phytochelatins as Indicators of Metal Stress
in Natural Waters
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Francis M.M. Morel
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $210,000
SUMMARY
It is proposed to use the phytochelatins of phytoplankton as
indicators of metal pollution and metal stress in natural waters.
These specific metal detoxifying polypeptides are induced in plants
by elevated intracellular concentrations of various trace metals.
Microalgae are ideal organisms to monitor metal pollution since
they accumulate metals and respond rapidly to changes in their
external milieu. The proposed work encompasses three parallel
complementary efforts: i) laboratory physiological studies to
establish the quantitative link between phytochelatin synthesis and
metal stress; ii) field studies to demonstrate that elevated
phytochelatin concentrations in situ provide a measure of metal
pollution; iii) development of a convenient and sensitive technique
for phytochelatins in natural samples.
-58-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7302-01
Biomarkers for Sediment-Associated Genotoxins
in Benthic Fish
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Duke University Dr. Richard T. DiGiulio
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $208,015
SUMMARY
The overall goal of this project is to provide the basis for
a biomonitoring strategy for genotoxins in aquatic systems that
exploits biochemical indices of DNA damage and associated metabolic
disturbances. The specific objectives are: (1) to quantify five
responses that provide indices of DNA damage in two benthic fish
species in laboratory and field exposures to contaminated
sediments; (2) concomitantly, to determine correlations between
indices of genotoxicity and associated biochemical responses
indicative of phase I metabolism and oxidative stress; (3) to
evaluate the relative utility of these responses as indices of
exposure, DNA damage, and cellular stress in fish exposed to
genotoxic sediments; and (4) from the information obtained in this
study, to design a practical, cost-efficient biomonitoring strategy
for sediment-associated genotoxins. Five indices of genotoxicity
have been selected for this study—32phosphorous post-labelling
analysis of hydrophobic xenobiotic-DNA adducts (PPL), levels of 8-
hydroxydeoxyguanosine in DNA, levels of 5-methyldeoxycytosine in
DNA, DNA strand breaks as determined by alkaline unwinding, and
flow cytometric analysis of DNA content. Mechanistically-related
activities of ethoxyresorufin 0-deethylase, concentrations of bile
metabolites of selected PAHs, concentrations of reduced and
oxidized glutathione, and concentrations of malondialdehyde, which
is an index of lipid peroxidation. The model organisms for this
project are two related benthic fish species, the channel catfish
(Ictalurus punctatus) and the brown bullhead (I. nebulgsus), and
the Niagara River system will serve as the model aquatic system for
the study.
-59-
-------
ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY (WATER)
EPA Project No: R81-5544-01
Non-Destructive Evaluation of Macropore-Scale
Processes in Organic Contaminant Transport Through
Soil Using Computer Tomography
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Missouri-Columbia Stephen H. Anderson
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $172,463
**********
SUMMARY
This project will investigate the spatial variability of pore-
water velocity, dispersivity and retardation factor on a macropore
scale using X-ray computed tomography, a state-of-the-art
technology in medical and materials science. The project will (1)
investigate the suitability of organic contaminants as tracers in
X-ray computed tomography studies in soil, (2) determine the
frequency distributions for pore-water velocity, dispersivity and
retardation factor on a macropore scale in 30 soil cores from each
of two soils using an organic contaminant and (3) evaluate the
influence of a range of sample volumes for estimating the
distributions of transport parameters.
-60-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5574-01
Integrated Extraction and Chromatographic System
for Monitoring of Trace Organic Pollutants
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Brigham Young University Milton L. Lee
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $372,621
**********
SUMMARY
Extraction, fractionation, cleanup, and other sample
preparation procedures are the most time-consuming steps in the
analysis of environmental pollutants. Furthermore, the possibility
of sample degradation or loss increases with the number of sample
manipulations.
It is proposed in this study to develop integrated
instrumentation for the rapid, sensitive, and selective detection
of specific target organic analytes at trace levels in complex
environmental matrices. Specifically, supercritical fluid
extraction, capillary gas and supercritical fluid chromatography,
and element-selective detection will be uniquely combined to
facilitate high sample throughput, high sensitivity, and
automation, while at the same time ensuring maximum sample
integrity. Continuous extraction without sample concentration,
multiplex Chromatographic methods, and plasma emission based
element-selective detection are the individual elements that will
be studied and combined in this proposed work.
The expected product is specific analytical instrumentation
and techniques for wide-ranging application to rapid and
quantitative determination of organic pollutants in environmental
samples.
-61-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5701-01
Detoxication of Xenobiotic Compounds Through
Polymerization and Binding to Humic Substances
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Pennsylvania State University Jean-Marc Bollag
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $330,275
SUMMARY
Because no indication exists, to date, of any immediate or
remote hazards involved in the binding of xenobiotics to humus
materials, the use of such binding for detoxification purposes has
potential as a new technology for managing pollution. To evaluate
this possibility, a study will be made of the polymerization and
binding of xenobiotics to various humic materials in the presence
of immobilized oxidoreductive enzymes which mediate an oxidative
coupling reaction through the formation of free radicals. The
feasibility of using the procedures developed in the laboratory to
decontaminate soil, water, and industrial waste waters under field
and industrial conditions will then be determined. To determine
the mechanisms of detoxication and thus allow designing of optimal
conditions for in situ detoxication, the products formed by
oxidative coupling or cross-coupling of xenobiotics and humic acid
constituents will be analyzed using chromatographic and
spectroscopic techniques. The stability of the polymerized and
bound xenobiotics will be examined by exposing them to the activity
of various microorganisms and analyzing any released products.
-62-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5953-01
Adsorption and Photochemistry of Molecular
Adsorbed on Clays
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Notre Dame J.K. Thomas
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $413,637
SUMMARY
The projected research is basic in its concepts, and will
advance the understanding of the photochemistry of environmental
pollutants on surfaces found in the environment. Later the
knowledge gained will be used to suggest adsorption and practical
radiation methods for the removal of contaminants in natural
materials. This end-goal will be kept in mind in all fundamental
studies.
The basic concept of the study is to chemically modify
molecules adsorbed on solid surfaces. The direct parallel being,
contaminants on soils and in the environment. The initial approach
is to study the adsorption of model compounds (i.e., those similar
to contaminants). These have been and will further be identified
by discussions with the EPA laboratory. The second stage will be
the radiation induced destruction of the contaminant or adsorbed
molecule. The primary area of research here is photochemistry
(i.e., eventual use of sunlight). However, the program will be
alerted to any new and interesting effects that will certainly
develop during the studies.
-63-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5957-01
Homogeneous Abiotic Hydrolysis of Halogenated
Ethanes and Propanes in Ground Water and Water Treatment
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Florida International University William J. Cooper
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $34,219
SUMMARY
The proposed work is an investigation of the homogeneous
abiotic reactions of halogenated organic compounds. Specific
compounds to be studied are 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloro-
ethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, and 1,2-
dichloropropane, with additional compounds to be added if
necessary. Reactions will be studied as a function of pH,
temperature, ionic strength, buffer composition, and presence of
metal ions to completely characterize the behavior of each compound
in the aqueous environment. Additional experiments will examine
the transformation of the compounds in ground waters and water
treatment. The results will be of use in determining the fate of
halogenated organic compounds in ground water and other aqueous
environments, both in terms of specific information obtained for
the compounds investigated, and in developing general guidelines
for predicting the reactions of halogenated organic compounds.
-64-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5990-01
Development of Methods For The Analysis Of Organic
Chloramines And Inorganic Mono-Chloramine in
Natural And Engineered Systems
Institution: Principal Investigator:
State University of New York James N. Jensen
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 year $52,185
**********
SUMMARY
It is proposed to do method development in two ways with
approximately equal effort. In one, organic Chloramines formed by
the reaction of free chlorine with organic nitrogen will be
separated by reverse phase HPLC and reacted with iodide in a
postcolumn derivatization system. Detection will be
spectrophotometric measurement at 353 run of the triiodate formed.
Organic Chloramines constitute the least available and least
effective form of sanitizing chlorine (monochloramine and free
chlorine being of increasing value), yet, methods generally
employed for measuring available chlorine for drinking, waste, or
cooling water treatments do not separate the organic chloramine
contribution. Available chlorine readings are thus higher than
concentrations actually available. Having this method operational
will allow for determination of both the type of organic chloramine
species being formed and the total amount of chlorine represented
by those species.
The other approach would develop a nonchromatographic method
based upon the Berthelot reaction wherein inorganic chloramine, a
known intermediate in the reaction between ammonia, hypochlorite
and phenol, reacts directly with phenoiate anions under controlled,
possibly catalyzed, conditions to form a measurable colored
complex. Organic Chloramines cannot react or interfere under these
conditions, nor are other water constituents expected to cause
undue analytical problems in this indophenol method.
These methods are predicted to be faster, cheaper, more
accurate, more selective and more sensitive than existing
technology.
-65-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5991-01
Field Screening of Organic Priority Pollutants Using
Handheld Ion Mobility Spectrometry
Institution: Principal Investigator:
New Mexico State University Gary A. Eiceman
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $168,725
SUMMARY
Field-screening of organic priority pollutants in industrial
effluent, streams, and water supplies using rapid, sensitive, and
rugged chemical analyzers would greatly facilitate private
compliance and legal enforcement of clean water laws. Existing
instrumentation based on GC and GC/MS methods are expensive, slow,
and not well-suited for operation by non-specialists. Ion mobility
spectrometry (IMS) is a technology in which the sensitivity of
electron capture detectors is combined with selectivity afforded
through ion separation based on gaseous mobility. Instrumentation
for IMS can be made completely portable (handheld) and has become
highly refined for military airborne vapor sensing. However,
response characteristics governed by atmospheric pressure
ionization chemistry are not well-known for common priority
pollutants and completely unexplored for even simple chemical
mixtures typical of effluent discharges. The proposed research is
divided into three phases of 1) development of predictive-
interpretive models for IMS response, 2) creation and refinement
of interfaces for IMS to aqueous samples for volatile and semi-
volatile organic compounds and to flowing streams for continuous
monitoring of effluent constituents, and 3) field demonstration of
IMS for water screening/monitoring.
-66-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6002-01
Theory of Preferential Flow And Its Monitoring
In Sandy Soils Overlaying Aquifers
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Cornell University Tanuno S. Steenhuis
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $146,450
SUMMARY
It is proposed to investigate experimentally the phenomenon
of flow instability in unsaturated media which can give rise to the
development of preferential flow paths for water in porous media.
This "fingering" pattern has been observed in both the laboratory
and the field and seems to arise from instabilities in flow,
induced by discontinuities between media of different hydraulic
conductivities (specifically fine grained over coarse grained).
The growth and behavior of these fingers are strongly influenced
by variations in initial moisture content, matric potential, and
the presence of root hairs, etc. Previous work by the Principal
Investigator and his co-workers established that the phenomena can
also be induced in a single homogeneous medium by varying the rate
and position of application of the water.
The experimental program will consist of four phases. First,
a variable application rate will be investigated in both 2-D and
3-D chambers. This phase of the work is intended to observe the
behavior of the fingering over the long term, specifically their
coalescence to a few preferred flow paths.
The second phase will consist of a similar series of
experiments using inclined linear and concave layered systems to
induce the instabilities; systems which occur naturally but have
not been extensively studied.
The third phase will address the transport of conservative
tracers during unstable flow, the output of the experiments being
the effective diffusion coefficients for transport of solutes into
micropore structures.
Finally, flow and solute transport will be addressed in the
field at existing monitoring sites. The goal of this phase is to
establish the proper monitoring techniques able to detect the onset
of flow instabilities and provide an "early warning" when such
preferred channels are developing.
-67-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6050-01
Theoretical Studies of the Transport of Kinetically
Adsorbing Solutes Through Three-Dimensional
Heterogeneous Aquifers
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Illinois Albert J. Valocchi
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $152,196
**********
SUMMARY
Realistic cases of groundwater pollution share two important
characteristics. First, reactions such as adsorption and ion
exchange are important due to the enormous solid-water interfacial
area of natural porous media. Second, aquifers exhibit small-
scale, three-dimensional variability in permeability. Although
each of these two phenomena has been examined separately, reactive
solute transport can be affected significantly by interactions
between the processes. For example, recent field results reported
in the literature indicate that special variability may lead to
apparent nonequilibrium adsorption behavior even when laboratory-
scale experiments conducted with homogeneous soil samples indicate
that the reaction is governed by local equilibrium. Nonequilibrium
effects can be important in practice, and can lead, for example,
to greatly increased time requirements for pump-and-treat
restoration operations.
The overall goal of the proposed research is to enhance
understanding of the transport of reactive pollutants in realistic,
heterogeneous field settings. Particular objectives include:
determination of critical adsorption reaction rates for which the
assumption of local chemical equilibrium is valid; examination of
how these critical rates depend upon the degree of heterogeneity;
and examination of the relative impacts of spatial variability and
desorption kinetics upon the performance of pump-and-treat methods
for aquifer decontamination. The research methodology is based
upon the development and use of theoretical and numerical models
of fluid flow and reactive solute transport.
-68-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6180-01
Biotic and Abiotic Carbon-Phosphorus Bond Cleavage
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Purdue University John W. Frost
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $261,278
SUMMARY
Glyphosate and glufosinate are widely used in agriculture as
plant-killing pesticides and are representative of a class of non
esterified organophosphorus molecules distinguished by a carbon to
phosphorus (C-P) bond. Loosely defined as organophosphonates,
these molecules will likely be introduced into the environment in
steadily increasing levels.
This proposal focuses on the potential pathways of
environmental degradation of organophosphates by studying the
metabolism of these compounds by the bacterium E. coli both in vivo
and in vitro as a model system for their degradation by microbes
in the environment. The second part of the study will examine the
chemistry of the carbon-phosphorous bond under a variety of
molecular environments to provide clues to it's stability and thus
capacity for abiotic breakdown. This line of research will also
yield information for chemical modelling of more effective
organophosphate herbicides whose environmental persistence can be
more accurately controlled prior to it's synthesis and
introduction.
-69-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6282-01
Microscale Kinetic Effects and the Subsurface
Transport of Volatile Organics
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Arizona Roger c. Bales
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $218,963
**********
SUMMARY
Slow mass transport between phases (e.g. , air-water-solid) and
within soil grains limits the rate of contaminant movement relative
to that of a mobile fluid in many important soil, sediment and
groundwater situations. In most observations of slow grain-scale
transfer (e.g., sorption/desorption) the cause of the non-
equilibrium behavior is not well known. The current research uses
model sorbents to distinguish situations where chemical versus
physical processes are rate limiting. The research involves
laboratory column experiments, carried out under water-saturated
and unsaturated conditions, with substituted-benzene and alkyl-
halide compounds, and mathematical modeling of the resulting
breakthrough curves. Experimental variables include: 1) modifying
the sorbent surfaces with organic groups to investigate surface-
reaction control, 2) using granular sorbents with different
internal porosities to examine immobile-fluid diffusion, and 3)
having a pure phase present to study transfer from the non-aqueous
to aqueous phase. Results at different temperatures give
enthalpies and activation energies; these help provide a
"mechanistic" understanding of the rate-limiting processes. One-
dimensional advection-dispersion models are used to describe solute
breakthrough. Model results test the ability of the "microscale"
kinetic parameters in the models to completely describe the slow
process, i.e., are the parameters independent of velocity, moisture
content and system geometry. These results provide a better,
quantitative understanding of the importance of microscale physical
versus chemical processes that are the rate limiting steps in
solute transfer between sorbents, water and air in soil and
groundwater. The primary data products from this work are
partition coefficients and enthalpies for the sorption, and rate
coefficients and activation energies for phase-transfer (e.g.,
sorption and desorption) processes.
-70-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6743-01
Movement of Contaminated Sediments From the
Detroit River Through Lake Erie
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Indiana University Ronald A. Hites
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $203,900
**********
SUMMARY
The presence of toxic organic compounds in the Great Lakes is
a major international problem. This proposal focuses on a part of
this problem: the movement of toxic organic contaminants on
sediments from the Detroit River into Lake Erie. Previous work in
our laboratory has identified several alkyl phenols coming from a
single, industrial source on the Trenton Channel of the Detroit
River. These compounds will be used as markers for the movement
of contaminated sediment. Researchers will also develop
information on the total loadings and residence times of
contaminated sediments in various parts of Lake Erie. The
experimental approach is based on measuring four different alkyl
phenols in sediment cores from 20-25 locations in Lake Erie. These
sediment cores will be obtained with the cooperation of the
Canadian government on board the C.S.S. Limnos. The sediment
samples will be analyzed using a technique which we have developed
based on gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. This study will
provide important information on the movement of contaminated
sediments in one of the most highly utilized of the Great Lakes.
This information, could, in turn, have considerable regulatory
impact.
-71-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7098-01
Resuspension, Deposition, Flocculation, and
Transport of Fine-Grained Sediments in Aquatic Systems
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California, Wilbert Lick
Santa Barbara
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $199,351
**********
SUMMARY
In order to alleviate the problem of contaminated bottom
sediments and to evaluate possible management alternatives for the
disposal of these sediments, the resuspension, transport, and fate
of these sediments and their associated contaminants must be known.
The present project is meant to assist in solving this problem; its
objective is to further develop, extend, and verify quantitative
numerical models of sediment and contaminant transport which, with
a minimal number of parameters from laboratory and field
experiments, will be valid for river, lake, estuarine, and oceanic
waters. This modeling includes quantitative, time- and space-
dependent descriptions of the sediment bed and its properties as
well as quantitative, time- and space-dependent descriptions of the
suspended soils concentration.
The proposed work is experimental and theoretical in nature
and can be categorized as (a) measurements of the resuspension of
undisturbed sediments at high shear stresses; (b) laboratory
experiments on flocculation and settling speeds, especially the
investigation of larger floes and the effects of organics on
flocculation; and (c) numerical modeling, including extensive
verification and comparison of deterministic and probabilistic
modeling for long-term calculations.
The project emphasizes the transport and fate of fine-grained
sediments. This knowledge is essential in predicting the transport
and fate of contaminants, most of which are associated with these
sediments. The results of the proposed work will make significant
contributions to our understanding of contaminant flux at the
sediment-water interface and the subsequent transport of
contaminants away from this interface.
-72-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7137-01
Anaerobic Transformation of Aromatic Pollutant Compounds
by Sedimentary Manganese- and Iron-Reducing Bacteria
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Medical College of Wisconsin John J. Lech
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $282,987
**********
SUMMARY
The long-term goals of the proposed research are to understand
the potential roles of manganese- and iron-reducing bacteria in the
transformation of xenobiotic compounds in anaerobic sediments.
Since these microbes act as important biogeochemical agents for the
cycling of these metals, we are interested in the metabolism, and
the regulation thereof, of these organisms, with particular
emphasis on those factors which may affect the ability of these
microbes to mediate the anaerobic transformation of pollutant
chemicals in their natural environments. The more immediate
objectives will include the study of two freshwater estuaries,
Green Bay and the Milwaukee Harbor, with respect to the following:
(1) determination of the presence and distribution of manganese-
and iron-reducing bacteria in anaerobic sediments and which can
mediate the transformation of aromatic pollutants either as pure
isolates or as microbial consortia; (2) determination of the
presence and distribution of bacteria, within the sediment zones
of manganese and iron reduction, which can mediate the anaerobic
dehalogenation of halogenated aromatic pollutants either as pure
cultures or as microbial consortia; (3) characterization and
identification of the bacteria mediating these processes; (4)
determination of the stoichiometries linking aromatic compound
transformation to manganese and iron reduction; (5) determination
of electron acceptor versatility of these isolates with respect to
anaerobic pollutant transformation; and (6) determination of the
effect of the presence of alternate carbon substrates on anaerobic
pollutant transformation. These studies, as a whole, should
provide some valuable insight into the potential transformation of
aromatic pollutants by these metal-reducing bacteria.
-73-
-------
EPA Project NO: R81-7145-01
Impact of Sorption Kinetics, Porewater Colloids, and
Bioturbation on the Transport of Pollutants in
Freshwater and Estuarine Sediments
Institution:
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Project Period:
3 years
Principal Investigator:
Philip M. Gschwend
Project Amount
$418,940
SUMMARY
To evaluate the continuing hazard posed by sedimentary
accumulations of toxic chemicals, there must be identification of
the processes maintaining their chemical activities in surface
sediment layers and enabling their transport to overlying waters.
For cohesive beds this includes (1) the microscale processes
controlling sorptive interchanges between solution, porewater
colloid, and larger particle phases and (2) linkage of these to
macroscale processes, especially bioturbation, which govern
relative movements of these phases. Consequently, it is proposed
to study the rates of release of contaminants from sediments long
exposed to hydrophobic chemicals using a flow interrupt methodology
and to seek to identify critical governing factors. There also
will be an assessment of the magnitude of sorption coefficients of
Rn-222 to sediments and Pb-210 to colloids to enable accurate
interpretation of these natural tracers of bioturbation. Tracer
techniques using fluorescent materials applied under bell jars and
monitored for their appearance in the bed will be validated against
the natural tracers for their effectiveness in indicating
bioturbation processes. Finally, a numerical modeling routine
which incorporates suitable sorption formulations (equilibrium or
kinetic) together with descriptions of relative phase movements,
will be assembled.
-74-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7149-01
A Biogeochemical Model for Methylmercury (HeHg)
Production in Lacustrine and Estuarine Sediments
Institution: Principal Investigator:
The Academy of Natural Sciences Cynthia Gilmour
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $342,454
SUMMARY
Methylmercury (MeHg) production has been identified as a key
process in Hg bioaccumulation. The major objectives of this
proposed study are 1) to acquire the necessary data and develop a
model for predicting MeHg production rates and concentrations in
lacustrine and estuarine sediments and 2) to develop methods to
measure net in situ MeHg production and diffusive flux in various
sediments types.
Researchers will conduct a comparative study of about 30
lacustrine and estuarine sediments, building on an ongoing project
which examines the relationships between certain biogeochemical
parameters and MeHg. The parameters chosen for examination are
based on the hypothesis that sulfate-reducing bacteria mediate MeHg
production in sediments, and that factors which affect their
metabolism, or which affect Hg speciation influence net methylation
rates.
Controlled microcosm studies will be used to more carefully
assess the influence of pH, DOC and sulfate on methylation in three
types of ecosystems. Recently developed analytical techniques will
be used to measure in situ MeHg production and flux rates in
sediments. Method development and initial rate estimation will be
done in intact sediment core microcosms.
Information provided by this project will provide critical
information to ongoing development of lake and ecosystem models of
Hg bioaccumulation.
-75-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7160-01
Chemical and Biological Determinants of Hydrocarbon
Bioaccumulation from Contaminated Sediments
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Maryland D.P. Weston
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $254,743
**********
SUMMARY
This study is intended to provide an improved understanding
of the mechanisms and controlling variables of pollutant transfer
from contaminated sediments to deposit-feeding macrofauna, and will
seek to determine quantitatively the role of organic carbon in
mediating bioaccumulation. The ultimate objective is development
of a predictive framework for assessment of the potential for
bioaccumulation of pollutants from sediments.
The importance of organic matter in bioaccumulation of
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene)
will be evaluated by preparing several sediment mixtures in which
organic content and hydrocarbon concentrations are simultaneously,
and proportionately, manipulated. The extent of bioaccumulation
among these treatments will be contrasted with the concentration
of hydrocarbon within several environmental phases (particle-
associated, the fraction associated with dissolved organic matter,
and freely dissolved). This analysis should provide insight into
the route and mechanisms of pollutant uptake, as well as the
predictive utility of such concentration data in assessing
bioaccumulation potential.
Digestion and assimilation studies are proposed that use the
same sediment mixtures, but rather than trying to predict
bioaccumulation based on chemical parameters alone, the studies
will examine how the test species alters its feeding and digestive
strategies (and consequently hydrocarbon uptake) in response to
varying levels of sediment organic content. By measuring changes
in assimilation efficiency among the sediment mixtures, it will be
established if ingestion is a significant route of hydrocarbon
uptake, and if bioaccumulation rate varies directly with net
digestive and absorptive gains.
-76-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7170-01
Flow-Induced Fluidization and Resuspension
of Soft Bottom Sediment
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California, Berkeley M. Fonda
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $274,340
**********
SUMMARY
The objective of the proposed research is to develop
mechanistic models to quantify the amount and the extent of flow-
induced resuspension of cohesive bottom sediments in aquatic
systems. We will focus on the physical-chemical mechanisms
controlling soft sediment rheology and dynamics. A combined
analytical-experimental approach will be adopted in this study.
First, we will examine the nature of energy transfer across the
mudline, from water waves and water currents to the fragile surface
sediments. A recently proposed sideband energy transfer mechanism,
which predicts significantly larger proportion of frictional energy
transfer to the surface sediments, as compared to earlier models,
will be examined in the laboratory. The fate of the transferred
energy and its role in fluidizing surface sediments and
resuspending them up into the water column will be measured and
analyzed. Predictive models will be developed, relating incoming
wave energy to an expected distribution of resuspension energy, and
for a given rheology to an expected fluidization depth. The effect
of salinity changes on the fluidization process will also be
investigated. Lowered salinity due to fresh-salt water exchanges
will weaken the cohesive structure of the sediments and thus may
accelerate the erosional process. Controlled flume experiments
with gradually varying water-column salinity will help quantify
this important effect, especially for estuarine environments. The
stability problem of water current flow over a gel-like bottom mud
will be studied both analytically and experimentally. The
objective of the analytical study is to derive a finite amplitude
equation for the evolution of a perturbed mudline interface between
a shear water current and a compliant viscoelastic bottom. The
experimental part will be conducted to examine the onset of
instability, and most importantly the corresponding mixing scales
near the mudline. Understanding the structure of developed eddies
will help in determining the sediment suspension profile in the
water column. This phase of the study will extend the developed
models to account for sediment resuspension and depth of
fluidization due to both currents and waves. Another important
component of the developed model will be to quantify the magnitude
of fluid flow induced into the fluidized sediments, which is
critical in assessing redox levels and contaminant release.
-77-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7182-01
Cohesive Sediment Resuspension and Deposition in
Tidal Estuary Flows
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Virginia Institute of Marine Albert Kuo
Science
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $218,904
**********
SUMMARY
The proposed research is directed toward obtaining a better
understanding of the physical processes responsible for cohesive
sediment transport in estuaries and tidal bays. Particular
attention will be directed toward experimental, theoretical and
numerical investigations of the two primary physical mechanisms for
water column/sediment bed exchange, resuspension and deposition.
It is anticipated that this study will produce both a deeper
understanding of these processes and improved mathematical
parameterizations for their representation in sediment-contaminant
transport models.
-78-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7276-01
Microbial Recycling of Contaminants at the
Sediment Water Interface in Freshwater
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Minnesota D.L. Swackhamer
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $224,337
**********
SUMMARY
The overall goal of this research is to understand the role
of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in the recycling of hydrophic
organic compounds (HOCs) of biodegradation of natural organic
matter at the sediment-water interface in the Great Lakes. Recent
evidence indicates that a substantial amount of particulate-
associated HOCs leaving the water column by sedimentation are not
incorporated into the sediments and are recycled back to the water
column, in the dissolved phase. (See section B. below.) Thus
permanent burial is delayed, and the water column residence time
is increased, allowing for longer exposures of HOCs to the aquatic
foodchain.
The hypothesis is that particulate associated HOCs are
released/desorbed (not biodegraded) from particles at the sediment
water interface by decomposers during the normal course of the
biodegradation of natural organic matter. The final output will
be a model which predicts the recycling of HOCs to the dissolved
phase as a function of the above variables.
This project will use polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as
model hydrophic compounds and as representative contaminants in
aquatic systems and foodchains, and will focus on the sediment
water interface at a site in Lake Superior.
-79-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7278-01
Laboratory Radiotracer Studies of Biological
Nixing in Shallow Marine Sediments
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Case Western Reserve University G. Matisoff
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $254,366
**********
SUMMARY
The fate of particle-bound pollutants is closely tied to the
fate of sediment particles and their rates of burial in bottom
sediments. In addition, bottom sediments may act as a pollutant
source because post-depositional processes may cause release back
into water. Mixing by macroinvertebrates is one of the major
processes affecting the fate and transport of pollutants. The
proposed work aims to quantify the nature of mixing processes of
the major macrobenthos in shallow subtidal marine sediments and
their effects on solute and particle transport and organic
pollutant degradation. Hypotheses to be tested are: 1) mixing in
subtidal muds is dominated by non-local mixing of a few higher
order successional species; 2) mixing rates are sediment depth- and
particle size-dependent; 3) particle selective feeding influences
contaminant (DDT) concentration; 4) passive mixing due to fill of
relict burrows by surface sediment is a significant process. The
approach would involve field and laboratory experiments in which
bioturbation of tracer-layered sediments by eight dominant species
and two major species assemblages is followed by non-destructive
gamma scanning of particles of different size classes, solutes and
reactive particles. Bioturbation effects on vertical transport of
DDT and the role of relict burrows on mixing would also be
examined.
-80-
-------
ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSICS & CHEMISTRY (AIR)
EPA Project No: R81-4876-01
Time-Resolved Measurements of Gas-Phase Indoor
Air Pollutants by In-Situ Long Pathlength Spectroscopy
Institution: Principal Investigator
University of California - Los Angeles Arthur M. Winer
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $258,567
SUMMARY
In this two-year program, it is proposed to assemble a
simplified, compact and portable, third-generation differential
optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) system and to apply it
toward the following objectives:
To measure simultaneously, with high time- and spatial-
resolution, the short-term peak concentrations of NC>2, HONO, and
HCHO within suitable selected, occupied residences over 24 hour
diurnal cycles, and to correlate the resulting concentration
profiles with activity patterns and the influence of environmental
factors such as air exchange rates.
To investigate the utility of the DOAS method for identifying
and measuring other potential indoor air pollutants, including
aromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, for which the DOAS
technique has good sensitivity.
To further investigate the mechanisms of formation and
destruction of nitrous acid, and its emissions from gas appliances.
Results from this research will provide critical information
on human exposure to potentially high, short-term levels of key
air pollutants in typical occupied residences.
-81-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5170-01
Aqueous Phase Photocatalytic Production
of Hydrogen Peroxide
Institution: Principal Investigator:
California Institute of Technology Michael R. Hoffman
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 Years $280,441
**********
SUMMARY
The photocatalytic oxidation of organic acids and aldehydes
to organic peroxides with the coupled reduction of molecular oxygen
to hydrogen peroxide in aqueous suspensions of small semiconductor
particles, clay and sand particles will be investigated. Colloidal
preparations of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and hematite will be
used as the primary focus of study since these materials are
chemically stable, readily available, abundant in the environment,
and frequently found in sand and clay matrices. Oxidation of S(IV)
in clouds and haze aerosol if often limited by the availability of
hydrogen peroxide (H202). In addition to the gas phase, H202 may
be generated in the liquid phase within irradiated clouds.
Photocatalytic production of H2O2 on metal oxide and metal silicate
surfaces has been demonstrated. The researchers propose to
investigate these systems in detail in order to assess their
possible role in the generation of H202 in humid atmospheres.
Initial studies will focus on the oxidation of low molecular weight
organic acids such as acetate, while subsequent experiments will
focus on a variety of organic molecules as electron donors with a
special emphasis on atmospherically relevant compounds such as the
water soluble aldehydes and ketones.
The results of this research will allow models for the liquid-
phase production of hydrogen peroxide and organic peroxides to be
developed. It is anticipated that this research will help to
uncover additional pathways that govern the fate of H202 in
atmospheric systems.
-82-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5469-01
Entry of Gas Phase Pollutants into Fog Droplets
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Boston College Dr. Paul Davidovits
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 Years $325,386
**********
SUMMARY
Recent measurements have shown that in addition to acid
forming species, fog droplets in populated areas often contain high
concentrations of toxic species among them volatile organic acids,
aldehydes, alkyl sulfonates, trace metals and pesticides. It has
also been shown that some of the organics in fog droplets are
enriched by a factor of several thousands compared to Henry's Law
equilibrium distributions.
Little is known about the processes associated with the
formation of toxic fog. An understanding of these processes is
required in order to assess the environmental effect of the various
sources of pollution. A program is proposed to answer the
following questions. How do gas-phase pollutants enter liquid
droplets? and what is the mechanism of species enrichment in
liquid droplets?
Central to answering these questions is a knowledge of the
mass accommodation coefficient (7) and the desorption coefficient
(7*) for the given species. The coefficient 7 is the probability
that a molecule which hits the surface enters the bulk liquid and
7' is the probability of the reverse liquid to gas transition.
These two are often the key kinetic parameters determining the
transfer rate of species between the gas phase and the liquid drop.
The ratio of these two parameters determines the steady state
liquid phase density of the species.
A technique has been developed using a controllable stream of
droplets to measure accurately these parameters. In the proposed
program, first the mass accommodation and desorption coefficients
of selected representative pollutants will be measured using pure
droplets, acidifed droplets and droplets containing formaldehyde,
methanol, benzene and metals such as iron. Then, the uptake and
desorption measurements for these species will be performed with
controlled droplets produced from collected fog water. The aim of
the project is to identify what factors enhance the uptake of
specific pollutant species by atmospheric droplets and what
combinations of species and conditions favor enrichment.
-83-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5534-01
Spectroscopic and Pnotometric Measurement of Novel
Chemiluminescence and Flame Systems
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Tennessee Technology University Robert J. Glinski
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $109,888
SUMMARY
A special chemiluminescence survey system will be assembled
to efficiently and thoroughly survey a large number of potentially
chemiluminescent reactions under a wide range of reactant
pressures. In addition, a system will be assembled to inject
chemiluminescence reagents directly into the postcombustion zone
of a diffusion flame. The relatively high radical concentrations
in this zone suggest that chemiluminescence will occur efficiently
between the reagent and certain radicals. This work will provide
a basic plan for improving detection methods for gas-phase sulfur
and selenium compounds as well as yield other data on their basic
participation in the combustion process. Precise photometric
measurements will yield absolute photon yields such that ultimate
detection limits of future instrumentation employing the new
reactions can be quantitatively predicted.
-84-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5871-01
An Investigation of Hydroxyl Radical-Chloromethane-Chloroethane
Reaction Rates at Elevated Temperatures Using a Modified
Laser Photolysis/Laser - Induced Fluorescence Technique
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Dayton Barry Bellinger
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $242,866
SUMMARY
The growing use of high-temperature incineration to dispose
of toxic organic wastes has generated an interest in the combustion
of chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs). Emissions of undestroyed feed
material and toxic by-products appear to be kinetically controlled;
thus, the successful modeling of the process requires knowledge of
the high-temperature gas-phase oxidation mechanisms. The knowledge
of high-temperature oxidation kinetics of CHCs is sparse because
of barriers imposed by past experimental techniques. This is
particularly important at temperatures above 480 K where
experimental data are not presently available.
Under stoichiometric and oxidative conditions, hydroxyl (OH)
radical is probably the dominant species responsible for initiation
of the decomposition of organic molecules in high-temperature
combustion environments. Laboratory flow reactor and full-scale
emissions data have shown that the chlorinated methanes and
chlorinated ethanes (CM/CEs) are among the prevalent high-
temperature by-products from the thermal oxidation of CHCs.
Therefore, researchers propose to measure the high-temperature
reaction rates of OH radicals with the CM/CEs using a laser
photolysis/laser-induced fluorescence technique. This technique
will be used in conjunction with a specially fabricated high-
temperature quartz test cell operating under atmospheric pressure,
slow flow, single reaction conditions. In the absence of reactant
thermal decomposition, precise rate constant measurements may be
obtained with this apparatus from ambient temperatures up to 1373
K.
Acquisition of the rate coefficients will significantly
augment knowledge of the high-temperature oxidation kinetics of
aliphatic CHCs. This high temperature rate data will also be used
to validate or modify currently used calculational techniques for
the transition state theory of bimolecular reaction rates.
Researchers will also compare these results to other empirical and
semi-empirical models and investigate methods of modeling and
predicting any experimentally observed non-Arrhenius behavior.
-85-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6198-01
Atmospheric Chemistry of Dichlorobiphenyls,
Dibenzo-p-dioxin, Dibenzofuran and Related Compounds
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California, Roger Atkinson
Riverside
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $137,352
SUMMARY
As a result of human activities, polychlorobiphenyls (PCB's),
polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD's) and polychlorodibenzofurans
(PCDF's) are emitted into the environment. It is recognized that
these chlorinated organics are transported primarily through the
atmosphere, where they are partitioned between the gas and particle
phases. For the PCB's, PCDD's and PCDF's present in the gas phase,
it is expected that photolysis and reaction with the hydroxyl (OH)
radical will lead to their atmospheric removal and the formation
of products. For regulatory purposes and for health effects
assessments, it is essential to have a detailed knowledge of the
atmospheric lifetimes and fates of the PCB's, PCDD's and PCDF's.
To provide the necessary data base concerning the atmospheric
chemistry of gas-phase PCB's, PCDD's and PCDF's, the investigators
will carry out a two year research program involving the following
elements: (a) Determination of the kinetics of the gas-phase
reactions of OH and N03 radicals, 03 and N20^ with the 2,2'-
, 3,3'- and 3,5-dichlorobiphenyls, dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran,
1-chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, 9,10-dihydroanthracene, fluorene,
dibenzothiophene and, possibly, related nitrogen heterocycles, (b)
Refinement of presently available techniques used to calculate OH
radical rate constants for hetero-atom containing polycyclic
compounds, based upon correlation of the rate constants with
electrophilic substituent constants. These techniques will be used
to derive upper limits to the atmospheric lifetimes for the more
chlorinated PCB's, PCDD's and PCDF's which are not presently
amenable to experimental investigation and (c) Investigation of the
products formed from the atmospherically important gas-phase
reactions of the compounds listed in (a) above. The data resulting
from this study will provide a data base concerning the atmospheric
lifetimes and fates of gas-phase PCB's, PCDD's and PCDF's and
related compounds which will be critical to the assessments of the
potential health impacts of these compounds.
-86-
-------
EPA Project NO: R81-6211-01
A Search for Surface Enhanced Chemical Kinetics
in Aqueous Microplets
Institution: Principal Investigator
Aerospace Corporation L.R. Martin
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $216,998
SUMMARY
The National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)
will make use of computer models to evaluate control strategies for
pollutants that lead to acid deposition. In particular, the
Regional Acid Deposition Model (RADM) has been constructed to mimic
the chemical, physical, and meteorological behavior of the
troposphere in the northeastern part of the United States for this
purpose. If the model is to make reliable and credible predictions
about acid deposition, then it must be based on a realistic,
complete and verifiable set of chemical processes.
A recent review of RADM has identified several areas of
potential weakness in the model. Two of those areas of interest
are 1) the completeness and accuracy of the wet chemical module,
and 2) the difficulty of verification of the wet chemical module.
The wet chemical component is of central importance to modeling
acid deposition not only because aqueous chemistry is an important
pathway for the formation of acids but also because this pathway
is likely to be the source of any nonlinearities in the model.
In the proposal, questions are raised about the presently
accepted picture of the chemical kinetics taking place in cloud
droplets. In the present treatment of the aqueous chemistry, the
liquid phase is assumed to have homogeneous properties, and bulk
chemical kinetics is assumed to apply to the droplets (after
corrections for possible concentration gradients caused by mass
transfer limitations). There are reasons to believe that the
presently accepted picture of a liquid phase with uniform
properties may not be correct. Aerosol droplets have a high
surface-to-volume ratio, and chemical reactions taking place at or
near the phase boundary may have rates or mechanisms different from
those in the bulk phase. If this proves to be true, then a more
complex picture of cloud microphysics and chemistry will have to
be considered. In this proposal experiments will be conducted on
microdroplets to test selected systems (HCHO/S02 and HN03/S02) for
surface enhanced kinetics.
-87-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6329-01
M-I-M Diodes as Solid State Sensors
Institution:
Washington State University
Project Period:
3 Years
Principal Investigator:
K.W. HippS
Project Amount:
$172,173
SUMMARY
The objective of this research is the development of a
practical understanding of the basic physics and chemistry
necessary to design and construct inexpensive, sensitive, and
selective metal-insulator-metal (M-I-M) diodes as chemical sensors.
Thus, it is basic research strongly tied to applied technology.
These devices will ultimately be used for both gas and solution
phase detection applications. At the heart of these sensors is an
infusible metal layer serving as the top electrode of the M-I-M
device. Migration of gas or solution phase species through this
porous metal into the barrier region of the device produces changes
in the device which are detected as electrical signals. Special
emphasis will be placed on chemical capture devices and/or
thermally cycled reading to improve selectivity.
The specific goals of the proposed research are:
1) To develop infusible M-I-M diodes having
environmentally stable electrodes and useful lives
of the order of months.
2) To develop methods for analyzing tunneling spectra
obtained in the 77 to 300K temperature range.
3) To initiate research on the chemistry and physics
of M-I-M tunnel diodes containing chemical traps
for use as 'smart fuse' sensors at T>270K.
-88-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6353-01
Study of Atmospheric Gas/Particle Distribution
Institution: Principal investigator:
Oregon Graduate Center James F. Pankow
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $299,257
SUMMARY
This project will seek to improve the fundamental
understanding of gas/particle partitioning processes in the
atmosphere, particularly as regards non-urban air masses. It will
utilize controlled laboratory experiments with representative model
particulate materials and model sorbates. It will examine how
species sorb to and desorb from particles of: 1) "soot" and
elemental carbon; 2) clays and silts; 3) ammonium sulfate and sea
salt; and 4) urban particulate matter. These particulate materials
will be subjected to detailed physical and chemical
characterizations. Urban particulate matter has been included
since it is of great interest to investigate how small amounts of
it (as may be present in the non-urban atmosphere) affect the
sorption properties of the other model particulate materials. The
model sorbate species will include: 1) alkanes; 2) organic mono-
and diacids; 3) PAHs; 4) organochlorine compounds; and 5) elemental
mercury. Single and multiple-sorbent systems will be examined for
additivity of sorption properties. Other experimental parameters
will include concentration, temperature, equilibration time, and
relative humidity. Measuring partition constants at different
temperatures will yield the thermodynamic heats of desorption. A
study of the effects of equilibration time will reveal important
information concerning the nature of the partitioning process,
e.g., the relative roles of adsorption and absorption.
-89-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6395-01
Global Climate Model Development & Sensitivity Experiments
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Columbia University R. Levenson
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 Years $700,000
**********
SUMMARY
This research is needed to improve the adequacy and
reliability of a Global Climate Model (GCM). The objective is to
improve climate simulation and thus allow for better quantitative
analysis of possible future climate change, especially at regional
scales. The approach used will improve the representation of land-
surface and ocean processes in the OKGCM to incorporate improved
versions of these and other sub-models into the next generation of
the GCM, and to carry out climate change sensitivity tests with the
improved model at higher resolutions.
With previous support from EPA we have developed improved
formulations of land surface processes and have tested an advanced
ocean model for possible coupling with an atmospheric GCM. With
these and other improvements the researchers seek to make the GCM
a better tool for studying problems of global importance, such as
climate change, drought, desertification, and deforestation. To
this end the researchers will carry out experiments with the new
GCM of transient and doubled C02 equilibrium climate change, and
investigate the issue of possible drought intensification. A broad
range of climate parameters generated in these new simulations will
be made available to the "climate change impact community."
-90-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6434-01
Phthalocyanine Thin Film Sensors
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Arizona State University Veronica Burrows
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $188,964
**********
SUMMARY
The proposal calls for further study of metal substituted
phthalocyanine (Pc) Blodgettt-Langmuir (B-L) films for hazardous
gas sensor applications. The approach presented explores
simultaneously the optical and electrical properties of this class
of thin film material. The goal is to elucidate the fundamental
mechanisms responsible for the changes in the electrical properties
of these materials. Past research has demonstrated that this class
of materials can be deposited on a variety of substrates and that
they have stable chemical physical properties even after repeated
thermal cycling from 77-400K. The observation of gas sensitivity
by several authors indicate that the chemical interactions with
reactive gases such as N02, H2S, and CO tend to be history
dependent and somewhat irreproducible. Rapid chemisorption and
subsequent transport of active species into the bulk of the film
appears to be an important process.
In light of this, there are questions about the character of
the chemisorption sites, the effect of film structure on the
properties and gas response of the films, and the chemical activity
of the various surface and bulk site, and the overall reversibility
of the various processes arising in these interactions. To address
these issues, Professor Burrows proposes to use both infrared
reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and attenuated total
reflection spectroscopy (ATR) to determine the nature of the
surface species on the PC films. These results will be correlated
with both in-the-plane and through-the-plane electrical
measurements on these films.
The goals of the proposed work include:
1. determining the degree of crystallinity of the B-L films
using polarized light measurements;
2. observing changes in the IR and UV-visible spectra with
gas uptake;
3. Simultaneous measurements of the electrical properties
of the films with gas uptake.
-91-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6486-01
The Impact of Lake Michigan Upon Summer Regional
Oxidant Precursor Concentrations in the Lower Lake
Michigan Basin
institution: Principal Investigator:
Colorado State University Walter A. Lyons
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 year $124,362
**********
SUMMARY
The primary objective of this research is to develop
techniques that will allow for quantitative assessments of the
impact of a large body of water (in this case Lake Michigan) on
the transport, entrapment and retention of photochemical oxidant
precursors. An eventual goal will be to provide mesoscale
numerical model-derived data as input into upgraded versions of
the Urban Airshed Model or other photochemical grid models for
application in developing improved ozone implementation plans for
the Lower Lake Michigan Basin [LLMB]. Large portions of Illinois,
Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan are currently experiencing major
difficulties in attainment of the ozone NAAQS.
In spite of reductions in NOx and VOC emissions in the region,
oxidant standards still appear to be in violation during certain
summer synoptic meteorological regimes (stagnant high pressure
systems, frequently associated with lake breezes). It is now
generally assumed oxidants and their precursors are routinely
"trapped" and "concentrated" over Lake Michigan and other similar
bodies of water. Yet this has never been investigated in any
quantitative manner. This exploratory research marks a first
attempt at the application of a new generation of nested-grid
mesoscale numerical models in a detailed investigation of the
meteorological factors contributing to the build up of regional
oxidant levels in the LLMB. It is believed the resulting
techniques would eventually have general applicability to most
urban coastal areas, including the Northeastern US.
-92-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6491-01
Solid State Sensors for Air Pollution Control
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Utah Jiri Janata
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $388,000
**********
SUMMARY
Monitoring of pollutants in air requires miniaturized
analytical instrumentation. The broad objective of this proposal
is to carry out basic research and development of miniature solid
state sensors for a variety of pollutants in air in a broad range
of concentrations. These gases may include traffic combustion
products, gasses emitted during industrial production and gaseous
products resulting from the decomposition of waste materials.
There are two major goals: (1) improvement of the structure
of the basic device and (2) optimization of chemically selective
layers with respect to their selectivity and dynamic range. The
primary material which will be used in this work is polyaniline
(PAN). This material will serve as a host matrix into which
binding sites specific to gases of interest will be incorporated.
In the first instance these binding sites will be anionic metallic
and organometallic complexes which will be ion-exchanged into the
polymer. These materials should provide selectivity for the
gas/solid interactions necessary for any gas sensors. The dynamic
range will be tuned in two ways: (1) by controlling the density of
the selective binding sites in the PAN through the control of the
degree of its protonation/oxidation and (2) by controlling the
operating temperature of individual sensors. The latter will be
done by the integrated on-chip semiconductor heating/cooling
system.
-93-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6559-01
Laboratory Investigations of Free Radical
Chemistry in Cloud Water
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Georgia Tech Research Corporation Paul H. Wine
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $353,923
**********
SUMMARY
This research program will use laboratory studies to elucidate
the aqueous phase chemistry of a number of free radicals which are
thought to play an important role in the oxidation of S(IV) in
cloud water. The radicals of primary interest include OH, H02, 02~
, S03~, S04~, S05~, Cl, C12-, and N03. Emphasis will be placed
on direct, sensitive, and selective observation of reactive
intermediates, since only through such observations can results
with a unique interpretation be obtained. The experimental
methodology will couple radical production by laser flash
photolysis with time-resolved radical detection by long pathlength
UV-visible absorption (very sensitive) and resonance Raman
spectroscopy (very selective).
Specific experimental investigations which will be undertaken
include kinetics studies of reactions of the formaldehyde-S(IV)
adduct (HMSA) with a number of free radicals, kinetics studies of
potentially important atmospheric reactions of chlorine radicals
(Cl and Cl2~), kinetics studies of potentially important
atmospheric reactions of the SQ$~ radical, and kinetics studies of
free radical reactions with the S(IV) species HS03~ and S032~.
Where appropriate, temperature dependences of reaction rates will
be investigated.
-94-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6672-01
Gas/Particle Distributions and Particle Size
Distributions of Trace Organics in the Ambient Atmosphere
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Minnesota Peter McMurry
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $266,912
SUMMARY
Improved techniques for measuring gas/particle distributions
and particulate size distributions of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) ranging from 2 to 7 ring compounds and
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) ranging in substitution from 1 to
8 chlorines will be developed and applied to atmospheric aerosols.
A new sample extraction and analysis procedure involving the use
of supercritical fluid (C02 and N20) extraction and chromatography
will be developed and used to process collected gas and particle
samples. This procedure reduces the required air sample volume by
a factor of 100, and reduces sample processing times by a factor
of 10 to 30. Typical sample volumes and sample handling times will
be 0.5 to 5 m3 and 1 to 3 hours, respectively.
Gas/particle distributions will be measured by using a new
diffusion separator with polyurethane foam (PUF) adsorber to
collect gas phase samples and a dichotomous sampler followed by a
PUF adsorber to collect total samples. The diffusion separator
will permit the separation of gases from particles without
"blowoff," which is a concern with filter separators. With this
approach the magnitude of sampling artifacts that might occur with
the conventional filter plus adsorber method can be evaluated.
This method will avoid problems of large surface area and uncertain
collection efficiency that are inherent with the measurement of
trace organic gases by denuders.
Measurements of PAH and PCB size distributions in atmospheric
particles will also be made. Microorifice uniform deposit
impactors (MOUDIs) will be used for these measurements. The first
objective will be to investigate possible sampling artifacts. This
will be done by comparing MOUDI data with independent, parallel
measurements of gas/particle distributions. The second objective
is to determine whether trace organic species are preferentially
associated with hygroscopic or hydrophobic particles.
-95-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6678-01
Heterogeneous Organic Reactions on Atmospheric Aerosols
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of North Carolina Stephen R. McDow
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 Year $144,996
**********
SUMMARY
Model predictions have consistently underestimated the
importance of heterogeneous atmospheric reactions. For example,
recent research indicates that heterogeneous reactions lead to more
rapid stratospheric ozone destruction. In the troposphere two of
the most important reactions, oxidation of sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides occur more rapidly in the presence of carbonaceous
particle surfaces. Since many classes of reactions are catalyzed
by particle surfaces, including many potential atmospheric
reactions on soot surfaces, it is important that heterogeneous
surfaces be considered to understand and accurately model
atmospheric processes. The purpose of this work is to create a
methodology to study rates of heterogeneous organic reactions on
atmospheric aerosols. This requires a thorough investigation of
the effects of aerosol chemical and physical characteristics which
are known or suspected to affect reaction rates and mechanisms.
-96-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6829-01
inorganic Tracers for Motor vehicle Emissions
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ilhan Olmez
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 Years $157,602
**********
SUMMARY
Because of the phase-out of leaded gasoline, the traditional
marker elements for emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles, Pb
and Br, are quickly losing their value for receptor-model studies
of the sources of atmospheric particles. Recently, studies in
Japan have suggested that huge amounts of La and/or Ce are emitted
from vehicles equipped with modern catalytic converters. Emissions
from a wide range of vehicles will be collected, both individually
and collectively in a traffic tunnel, and analyzed for rare earths
and many other trace elements (including Pb and Br) to identify
those associated with gasoline-powered vehicles. Samples from
ambient, urban air will be analyzed to search for high
concentrations of the identified elements at locations heavily
influenced by motor vehicles. The ambient data will be treated by
various receptor-modeling methods, e.g., factor analysis, multiple
linear regression, to extract the motor-vehicle component. The
component developed will be tested by performing chemical mass
balances on appropriate urban data sets including those generated
in this work.
-97-
-------
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
EPA Project NO: R81-5040-01
Formation of Heavy Metal Oxide Particulate in
Atmospheric Pressure Methane Flames
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California, Los Angeles Owen Smith
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $158,767
**********
SUMMARY
A study will be done of the formation of heavy metal
particulates in flames by introducing solutions of metal acetates
into premixed methane-oxygen-nitrogen flat flames. The evolution
of the particle size distribution and number density will be
followed by Mie scattering and extinction measurements. The rates
of nucleation, coagulation and scavenging (growth from the gas
phase) will be calculated from the data and comparison will be made
to previous measurements made in coal fired systems and to
calculations based on the classical theory of nucleation. Initial
experiments will be performed on cadmium, since particulate
emissions involving this element are thought to constitute a
significant hazard to public health. Time permitting, the
nucleation and growth of zinc and lead may also be examined.
The goal of the proposed study is to address some of the key
aspects in which particulate formation in waste incinerators differ
from particulate emissions from coal fired systems. These include
the effect of the local fuel-oxidizer stoichiometry in the region
where the metal is volatilized, the flame temperature and the
effect of chlorinated species. This study should help to ascertain
the extent to which the reasonably large body of literature on coal
derived particulates can be applied to waste incineration.
-98-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5041-01
Photocatalytic and Sonolytic Degradation
of Hazardous Hastes
Institution:
California Institute of
Technology
Project Period:
2 years
Principal Investigator:
Michael R. Hoffman
Project Amount:
$255,006
SUMMARY
A study will be conducted of the photochemical and
sonochemical transformation of selected toxic and hazardous
chemicals. The redox chemistry of selected organic compounds such
as phenols, carbonyls, and hydrocarbons in solvent suspensions will
be studied in detail using suspensions of very small colloidal
semiconductor particles as photocatalysts. The build up and decay
of intermediates will be followed with conventional and time
resolved absorption spectroscopy, and conductivity techniques.
Quantum yields for the reaction studies will be determined.
Similar studies will be conducted where sonocation is used to
carry out the reaction. Physical parameters to be studied include
acoustical frequency, acoustical intensity, temperature, static
pressure, ambient gas, and effect of particulate matter.
Simultaneous photolysis and sonolysis in semiconductor suspensions
will be studied.
-99-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5124-01
Effect of Reactor Configuration on Stability of
Xenobiotic Compound Biodegradation in Activated Sludge
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Clemson University C.P. Leslie Grady
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $127,343
SUMMARY
The purpose of this proposal is to explore the variability
associated with the removal of xenobiotic organic compounds by the
activated sludge process in order to determine two things: the
amount of that variability that is inherent to the system, and the
impact of system design upon the variability.
The research will be performed in laboratory-scale activated
sludge reactors operated under carefully controlled conditions in
order to minimize the impact of external factors on the observed
variability of xenobiotic compound removal. The feed to the
reactors will be a complex synthetic feed containing both biogenic
and xenobiotic constituents. Parallel systems representing both
completely-mixed and plug-flow configurations will be operated with
appropriate replication to allow statistical evaluation of the
variability associated with the removal of a target xenobiotic
compound and assessment of the effect of reactor configuration on
that variability. A second round of experiments will investigate
a second target compound, thereby expanding the generality of the
conclusions. The biomass will be characterized with respect to the
kinetics of biodegradation of the target compounds as well as with
respect to the microorganisms responsible for that biodegradation,
thereby establishing how reactor configuration influences both
factors. Finally, dynamic mathematical modeling studies will be
performed using the observed kinetics in order to choose a shock
load condition that will allow discrimination between the abilities
of the two systems to handle perturbations and the chosen shock
load will be applied to observe and quantify those differences.
-100-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5483-01
Flue Gas Desulfurization by Calcium Silicate Reagents
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Texas at Austin Gary T. Rochelle
Project Period: Project Amount;
2 years $185,643
**********
SUMMARY
The overall objective of this work is to develop low cost duct
injection technology for flue gas desulfurization (FGD). Advanced
technology for FGD is necessary to alleviate acid rain and to
utilize coal economically for power production. The specific
technology to be developed utilizes highly reactive adsorbents
prepared from lime and fly ash.
Calcium silicate solids will be prepared by reacting lime with
fly ash in the presence of water. The reactivity of the solids to
S02 will be measured in a packed bed reactor system. The solids
will be further characterized by chemical analysis, by H20 and N2
adsorption and by other methods of solids analysis.
Previous work has established that solids prepared by these
methods are 2 to 10 times more reactive than hydrated lime at 50
to 100°c and 30 to 70% relative humidity. Satisfactory solids have
been prepared by reacting 1 part lime with 2 to 5 parts fly ash in
the presence of liquid water for 1 hour at 200°C or 12 hours at
90°C. NaOH at levels from 0.05 to 0.3 M reduces the required
reaction time/temperature.
Experiments will be performed to optimize temperature, water
concentration, reactor configuration, NaOH concentration, and other
variables affecting reagent preparation. Extensive studies will
be performed on the reaction of the solid reagents with S02, HCl,
and NO at 30 to 70% relative humidity and contact times of ten
seconds to one hour.
-101-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5740-01
Electrostatic Precipitator Performance Improvement
with a Barbed Plate Discharge Electrode
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Colorado State University Jane H. Davidson
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $149,392
**********
SUMMARY
The proposed research extends a prior study of a novel barbed
plate-to-plate electrostatic precipitator to examine the effects
of the barbed plate discharge electrode on particle motion and
deposition, current distribution, and collection efficiency. Study
of the barbed plate-to-plate precipitator was initially aimed at
controlling the detrimental effects of the electrically generated
secondary flows and turbulence known to exist in the conventional
wire-to-plate precipitator. The design is based on the concept
that a more uniform distribution of current within the precipitator
flow channel reduces the scale of the corona induced gas motions
and thus particle diffusivities. Earlier work has proven that the
barbed plate electrode is potentially beneficial, but additional
study is required to clearly define the practical viability of the
barbed plate-to-plate precipitator. The extent to which
performance gains can be achieved depends on many critical
parameters including particle charging, electro-mechanical clamping
of the precipitated dust layer, reentrainment losses, and the
formation of back corona, as well as particle diffusivities. The
crucial test of this design is particle collection efficiency.
Experimental study of the barbed plate-to-plate precipitator will
be expanded to include laser Doppler measurements of particle
motion in the inter-electrode space, detailed current distribution
measurements on the collector plates, particle deposition patterns,
and quantification of collection efficiencies for a range of
particle sizes. The design of the discharge electrode plate will
be refined to optimize performance.
-102-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5861-01
Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOX with
Ammonia over Vanadia/Titania Catalysts
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Ohio State University Umit S. Ozkan
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $258,449
SUMMARY
Catalytic selective reduction (SCR) offers a powerful post-
combustion pollution control technique for removal of NOX from
stationary combustion sources. In this research, NOX is reduced
with ammonia in the presence of oxygen over a catalyst, giving N2
and HoO. Among the catalysts used for selective catalytic
reduction reaction, vanadia catalysts supported over titania appear
to be especially promising, achieving high activity levels at lower
temperatures and showing resistance to deactivation under stack gas
conditions. Despite its importance, the phenomena involved in
NOX/NH3 reaction over vanadia/titania catalysts are not well
understood.
The goal of the proposed research program is to investigate
selective catalytic reduction of NOX with ammonia over ¥205/1102
catalysts in the presence of oxygen. The reaction scheme, the
nature of catalyst active sites, the catalyst-support interactions,
the role of lattice and gas phase oxygen and the deactivation
characteristics of the catalyst will be the major focal points to
be examined. The research program will include preparation of
vanadia/titania catalysts, detailed characterization of catalysts
using laser Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning
electron microscopy combined with 3-D imaging technique, energy
dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and
mechanistic studies including steady-state and pulse reaction
experiments and isotopic labelling technique. In situ laser Raman
spectroscopy will be used in conjunction with isotopic labelling
technique also for examining the oxygen exchange characteristics
of the catalysts.
-103-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-5883-01
An Investigation of Nixed Surface Media Filtration
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Washington Mark M. Benjamin
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $197,580
SUMMARY
This proposal reviews filtration practice from a fundamental
and practical approach and details the purpose and expected
benefits of chemical pretreatment for particle destabilization
resulting in an array of particle size and zeta potential
distribution, and of use of dual-tri media filters to attempt to
match media sizes to particle sizes. It proposes to develop a
"new" mixed surface media filtration made up of media particles
with different zeta potentials to prove media surface potentials
ranges adapt to particle zeta potential ranges in the same way 2
or 3 media sizes are used to match particle size ranges. The
researchers suggest that sand media, which includes Si02 surface
dominating the surface chemistry resulting in a significant
negative surface potential. Adsorption of natural organic acids
is small, but as it occurs, it would lower the surface potential
further. Thus, during filtration, particles with positive or
neutral zeta potential would be optimally removed while those still
with negative ZP would be leaked through. With time, the
negatively charged sand grains would be coated with neutral or
positively charged particles, and the negatively charged particles
could then be removed more efficiently (ripening). Thus, with
"mixed-surface media," does a filter initially containing 2/3 *s
negatively charged and 1/3 positively charged media behave better
or worse than one with the ratio reversed?
-104-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6327-01
NOx, SOx and Solid Waste Minimization in a
Staged N-CFBC. Phase I: Cold Flow Measurements
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of New Hampshire Ihab H. Farag
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 year $65,135
SUMMARY
The overall objectives of the proposed investigation are:
(1) to experimentally qualify and quantify the hydrodynamic
characteristics of a two-stage "N" shaped circulating fluidized bed
combustor (N-CFBC) with two solid circulation loops,
(2) to characterize the residence time, and
(3) to study and model the pressure profile in the N-CFBC.
To address the problems of NOX and SOX emission an innovative
staged CFBC is being designed by the PI. It is a folded-over N-
shaped CFBC design, or N-CFBC for short, with separate feeds of
fuel and sorbent. It consists of three chambers: upward riser
combustor, downward flow combustor and ash separator, and upward
counterflow sulfur capture riser. This new design aims at
achieving improved combustion, ash separation, and desulfurization
steps.
A comprehensive program to demonstrate the process on a small
scale is proposed. Heat, mass, and momentum transfer is quite
complex within the N-CFBC. The heat transfer coefficient is
strongly dependent on fluid mechanics and flow regimes. Basic
questions of solids and gas flow specific to the staged design need
to be answered. The first phase of work is the development of a
cold flow system to study flow patterns, pressure drops and effects
of system variables.
-105-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6449-01
Control of Disinfection By-products and
Biodegradable Organic Carbon
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Texas Gerald E. Speitel Jr.
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $223,891
SUMMARY
This project will investigate ozonation and biological
treatment in granular activated carbon (GAC) beds for the removal
of disinfection by-product precursors and biodegradable organic
carbon. The objectives include 1) development of relatively rapid
batch tests to allow water utilities to make preliminary
assessments of the potential of ozonation and biodegradation and
2) demonstration of one or more combinations of ozonation and
biodegradation in GAC beds, which produce treated water that is
biologically stable and has a small potential to form halogenated
disinfection by-products.
The project will involve detailed evaluation of two source
waters, Lake Houston and Lake Austin. Lake Houston water is an
algal-laden, soft reservoir water containing relatively higher
concentrations of organic carbon. The potential for disinfection
by-product formation is average to somewhat above average. The
water is now treated in a conventional plant using alum
coagulation. Lake Austin water is a hard water containing lower
levels of organic carbon than Lake Houston. Lake Austin is not as
well characterized as Lake Houston, but average levels of
disinfection by-product formation are expected. The water is now
treated in a conventional plant using lime softening. These waters
are typical of those treated by many water utilities and study of
them should yield results that are useful to a broad range of water
utilities. One year of batch experiments and one year of
continuous-flow, laboratory-scale column experiments will be
conducted on each water. In addition, to provide information on
rich source waters, batch studies will be conducted on a third
water from Florida, which contains high levels of disinfection by-
product precursors.
-106-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6459-01
Destruction of Toxic Compounds by
Plasma-Augmented Combustion
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of California Robert F. Sawyer
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $256,911
SUMMARY
The proposed project will investigate the destruction rates
and reaction mechanisms of a variety of chlorinated hydrocarbons
in a reactor that consists of a premixed flat flame burner followed
by an rf plasma. Product gas composition and temperature will be
measured using time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas
chromatography. Initial work will focus on the model waste
compounds, including dichloromethane, carbon tetrachloride and
mono- and di-chlorinated compounds. Later work will employ single
component wastes, with single isomer PCB's cited as an example.
The primary objectives of the research are 1) to achieve an
understanding of the chemistry involved in the destruction of
chlorinated organic compounds in the plasma-augmented flame
environment and 2) to examine the feasibility of using a plasma-
augmented flame for the incineration of toxic wastes.
-107-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6464-01
Treatment of Textile Dye Haste Haters By Means
of Chemical Reduction Coupled With Biological
and Sorption Processes
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute Donald L. Michelsen
and State University
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $266,526
**********
SUMMARY
Treatment of textile wastes centers on end-of-the-pipe using
typically combinations of aerobic degradation plus flocculation
(settling). Recently, anaerobic treatment as well as chemical
reducing agents have proved effective at color elimination. The
primary objective of this research is to evaluate a combination of
chemical reducing agents plus aerobic degradation or adsorbent
removal for treating typical high volume dye wastes—Indigo "Blue
Jan" Vat Dye, Reactive Dye Blue 19 and Disperse Dye 79. Initial
criteria will center on BOD, TOC, TSS and color. The testing will
involve comparing biodegradation (sequential batch reactor) with
and without decolorization using reducing agents. Also a
comparison will be made of adsorption removal with and without
decolorization using reducing agents. A technical and economic
feasibility study will be completed. Subsequently continuous flow
bench scale testing of promising optimum combinations will be
conducted using traditional evaluation parameters. However,
attention will be directed toward degradation of dye breakdown
constituents through the process. Analytical techniques will
include GC/MS, UV and visible scanning spectrophotometer and thin
layer chromatograph.
-108-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6476-01
Ripening in Water and Wastewater Filtration:
Effects of Particle Size
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Texas Desmond F. Lawler
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $243,819
SUMMARY
The overall objective of this research is to develop a
better understanding of the phenomenon of ripening in filters
used for water and wastewater treatment. This investigation will
be done by studying, both mathematically and experimentally, the
changes in particle size distributions and head loss as functions
of time and depth in deep bed filtration.
The specific objectives of this research are as follows:
1. To study, experimentally, the effects of several
independent variables on filtration ripening (removal,
as measured by particle size distributions, and pressure
development) for typical applications in both drinking
water and municipal wastewater treatment, and
2. To improve the mathematical modeling of filter ripening,
both by extending an existing mathematical model from
its current limitation to monodisperse suspensions to
consider heterodisperse suspensions and by considering a
stochastic modeling approach; the improvements in
mathematical modeling will reflect mechanisms of
particle behavior observed in the results of the
experimental work done to meet the first objective.
The independent variables to be investigated include
filtration velocity, media size, particle concentration, degree
of particle destabilization, media depth, and type of particle.
The type of particle refers to the choices of different influent
suspensions to be used, two from typical drinking water
applications and one from the most common wastewater application.
-109-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6490-01
Role of Organic Carbon in Slow Sand Filters
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Cornell University Richard I. Dick
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $282,017
**********
SUMMARY
Federal drinking water standards regulate cyst-forming
protozoan pathogens and chlorinated organic compounds. Slow sand
filters offer the potential of concurrent removal of both pathogens
and trihalomethane precursors.
Slow sand filtration is a very old water treatment process,
but basic mechanistic understanding of factors establishing process
performance are not well developed. Although the schmutzdecke on
slow sand filters is widely considered to be necessary foi;
effective particle removal there is evidence to the contrary. It
is hypothesized that both organic carbon removal and particle
removal are dependent on biofilm development within the filter bed;
however, this has not been well documented.
In this research, the removal of organic carbon and particles
will be carefully documented as functions of filter depth. Results
will be interpreted with the aid of a model in which particle
removal is considered to occur on filtration media ripened by the
presence of biofilm. Biofilm development, in turn, is a function
of the concentration of microbial energy sources. Results of the
fundamental research on basic mechanisms controlling performance
of slow sand filters will be used to test concepts for improving
filter performance in the laboratory and in surface water treatment
plants.
-110-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6856-01
An Experimental And Theoretical Study On The
Influence Of Methyl Chloride On The Structure
And Extinction Of Hydrocarbon Flames
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Illinois At Chicago Ishwar K. Puri
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $231,967
SUMMARY
The thermal destruction of municipal, hazardous and
biomedical wastes is rapidly becoming a promising waste
management technique. Chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) pose
practical problems during the incineration process because of
their well-known inhibition of hydrocarbon combustion and role in
pollutant formation. Studies have shown that gas phase
combustion including that containing CHCs is characterized by
considering the coupled effects of fluid dynamics, transport
processes and chemical kinetics. Researchers propose a study on
laminar flames composed of methane/methyl chloride flames
experiencing fluid dynamic stretch. The results of this study
are expected to be helpful in modelling turbulent combustion of
the sort that occurs in practical incinerators and in developing
engineering charts that can describe limits of incinerator
operation in terms of the oxygen content and fluid flowrate.
Several flame configurations will be studied including
nonpremixed, premixed and partially premixed situations and
comparisons of the results made under similar circumstances.
-Ill-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6861-01
Suspension Loading Effects on Coal Nitrogen
Conversion During (PF) Firing
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Stanford University Stephen Niksa
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $132,435
**********
SUMMARY
This project will examine the formation of NOX from nitrogen
liberated from tars as they are converted to soot in fuel rich
conditions. Fuel rich conditions exist when burning pulverized
coal in dense suspensions but no data is available for the NOX
yields in these regions. Experiments will be conducted in a
radiant flow reactor in which there is no convection and no
conduction of heat thus eliminating temperature and gas phase
concentration gradients in the reactor. This system will be ideal
for studying secondary chemistry, even at high particle loadings
in the reactor.
Specifically the following factors will be pursued;
(1) The impact of tar conversion into soot on fuel-nitrogen
evolution;
(2) The breakthrough of all nitrogen bearing species through
external flame zones;
(3) The assignment of the optional fuel equivalence ratio
for minimizing NO formation during the initial stages of
combustion.
-112-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6873-01
Proposal for Investigation of the Chemical Mechanism
of the Raprenox Process for No Reduction in Combustion Products
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Stanford University C.T. Bowman
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $143,241
**********
SUMMARY
A research program is proposed to investigate the chemical
mechanism of the RAPRENOX process for reducing NOX emissions from
stationary combustion sources. The RAPRENOX process, which
involves injection of crystalline cyanuric acid particles into hot
combustion products to initiate a reaction sequence which can
remove in excess of 80% of the NO in the product stream, currently
is under development. It appears to be an economically-attractive
alternative to current exhaust gas treatment methods such as
Selective Catalytic Reduction and Thermal De-N0x. At the present
time, the kinetic parameters and products of several critical
reactions in the RAPRENOX chemical mechanism are poorly known, and
more precise information is needed to assist in the further
development of RAPRENOX. Researchers will obtain this information
in a series of experiments in a shock tube, using laser-based
optical diagnostic techniques. The kinetic data obtained will be
incorporated into a detailed chemical model for RAPRENOX, and the
model will be used to investigate ways to improve process
performance.
-113-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6876-01
Ozone Production With Contaminated Electrodes
In Electrostatic Air Cleaners
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Colorado State University Jane H. Davidson
Project Period: Project Amount:
1 year $73,867
**********
SUMMARY
Ozone emissions from electrostatic air cleaners are a major
source of indoor air pollution. Industrial experience indicates
that ozone formation in corona discharges increases substantially
with even minimal electrode contamination. Prior studies of ozone
production in air cleaners have completely overlooked this effect.
The proposed work will first establish the relationship of ozone
generation to electrode contamination in typical electronic air
cleaner geometries. The effects of electrode geometry, material,
and temperature, discharge polarity, current level, air humidity
and temperature, as well as particle size and concentration will
be considered. Ozone concentration measurements will be correlated
with scanning electron microscopy studies of contamination growth,
structure and chemical composition.
Once the effect of electrode contamination on ozone formation
is established, methods of ozone control will be explored.
-114-
-------
EPA Project NO: R81-6887-01
Kinetic Studies of Key Intermediate Cj and C4
Chlorocarbons Implicated in the Thermal Destruction
of Chlorinated Hazardous Hastes
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Dayton Philip H. Taylor
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $277,576
**********
SUMMARY
The proposed project will investigate the thermal pyrolysis
of Co and C4 Chlorocarbons, with the primary objectives of
identifying the reaction channels leading to the formation of
chlorinated aromatic and polynuclear aromatic compounds and of
developing elementary reaction models. This is a fairly
fundamental research project; however, the data obtained in the
study will contribute to the chemistry data base needed in the
development of effective hazardous waste incineration technologies.
The experiments will be carried out in an existing capillary flow
reactor and will employ on-line GC/MS techniques to identify and
quantify stable species with molecular weights in the range 16 to
500. Off-line techniques will be employed in an attempt to measure
extractable higher molecular weight species. The complex pyrolysis
reaction process will be modelled to assist in data interpretation.
-115-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6927-01
Low Temperature, Heterogeneous Formation of Dioxins
and Furans in Incinerators: The Role of Precursors
institution: Principal Investigator:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Elmar R. Altwicker
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $175,241
SUMMARY
The research proposes to test the hypothesis that in the
presence of high concentrations of potential precursors to dioxins
and furans the low temperature vaporization of carbon is inhibited
or prevented, thus precluding solid-solid phase formation of
dioxins and furans for carbon and chloride salts. The research
intends to use carbon-13 and an inorganic chlorine-37 salt to
determine the source carbon and chlorine in the dioxins and furans
formed. Experimentally, air and synthetic flue gas with various
concentrations of the dioxin precursors chlorobenzene and
chlorophenol will be passed over a fixed bed or half-bed reactor
made of carbon-13 doped flyash and chlorine-37 salt at temperatures
between 200-400°C. MS and GC-MS instruments will be used to
identify the dioxin and furans and the presence of carbon-13 and
chlorine-37 in the dioxins and furans. The research is proposed
to examine potential municipal solid waste incinerators operating
or design modification to minimize formation of dioxins.
-116-
-------
EPA Project NO: R81-6928-01
A Novel Fluid/Particle System for Solid Fuels
Combustion (Draft Tube Spouted Bed Combustor)
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute E.R. Altwicker
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $363,938
SUMMARY
The objectives of the proposed research are a) the development
of a model that describes and predicts the combustion of solid fuel
particles in a draft tube spouted bed combustor and b) the conduct
of laboratory experiments on a variety of particles to both verify
the model and investigate the behavior of heterogeneous fuel
(refuse derived fuel) particles.
-117-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6932-01
A Pilot Scale Study Using High Energy Electrons
for the Treatment of Polychlorinated Biphenyls
in Water, Wastewater, and Sludge
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Florida International University William J. Cooper
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $294,206
SUMMARY
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the use of high
energy electron irradiation of water, wastewater, and sludge for
the removal and destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's).
Preliminary investigations have shown that high energy electrons
and gamma rays degrade PCB's. Previous studies have shown a dose
of 400 krad to be sufficient to disinfect sewage sludge. Other
experiments have shown removal of trichloroethene and
tetrachloroethene (99.99%) at 400 krad.
The investigators intend to examine the effectiveness of the
electron beam in removing PCB's from aqueous solutions, to identify
the products of the reactions, and to examine the significance of
halogen ions (from salt water intrusion into Miami wastewater) in
the reactions. The existing facility accepts potable water,
secondary chlorinated wastewater, and anaerobically digested sludge
at flow rates up to 160 gal/min, as well as batch water from tank
trucks.
Three PCB's as well as pentachlorphenyl, biphenyl, 1,2,4-
trichlorobenzene and one commercial PCB will be examined for
removal efficiency and for reaction byproducts in aqueous matrices.
Seven other halogenated aromatic compounds will be examined for
removal efficiency. An economic analysis will also be conducted.
The general approach will be to compare the removal of individual
compounds in the presence and absence of a mixture of compounds to
simulate environmental mixtures of PCB's. The data on removal
efficiency will be obtained at four irradiation doses in three
aqueous matrices varying from potable water to sludge. Parallel
laboratory experiments will be conducted to simulate high energy
electron beam irradiation using Fenton's reagent (to produce
hydroxyl radical). The proposed project complements, but does not
overlap, an existing project funded by NSF.
-118-
-------
SUPERFUND
EPA Project No: R81-6483-01
Novel Bioremediation Strategies for the
Degradation of Alkylbenzenes
Institution: Principal Investigator:
New York University Medical Center L.Y. Young
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $426,255
**********
SUMMARY
This study proposes to develop aerobic and anaerobic
biodegradation strategies for the remediation of alkylbenzene
contaminated soils and groundwaters. The objectives are 1) to
develop and optimize enrichment cultures on benzene, ethylbenzene,
toluene & xylenes under aerobic and 3 anaerobic conditions -
denitrifying, sulfidogenic and methanogenic; 2) to isolate
alkylbenzene resistant organisms under aerobic and anaerobic
conditions; 3) to determine the rates and extent of degradation and
to establish the stoichiometry of hydrocarbon oxidation coupled to
reduction of the inorganic electron acceptor; 4) to isolate pure
cultures active on selected hydrocarbons; and 5) to treat
alkylbenzene contaminated soils and waters in laboratory studies
with the pure and enriched cultures and evaluate the efficacy of
treatment. Analytical procedures include large bore capillary gas
chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, UV spectro-
photometry and mass spectrometry for hydrocarbon and metabolite
detection; gas chromatography for C02, N2, N20, CH4 production; wet
chemistry for nitrate, nitrite and sulfate analyses. These
aromatic hydrocarbons are genotoxic at low concentrations and toxic
to humans and other members of the environment in high
concentrations. This proposal seeks to take advantage of aerobic
and anaerobic populations with desired degradative capabilities and
use them to treat contaminated regions thereby reducing the health
and environmental risks posed by these sites. Most other methods
merely transfer the hazard away from the site, while microbial
bioremediation can generate complete detoxification to harmless
endproducts by mineralization of the chemical and it is generally
less costly.
-119-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6722-01
Removal of Arsenic from Waste Solutions and from
Copper Smelter Solid Waste
Institution: Principal Investigator:
Montana College of Mineral Larry G. Twidwell
Science and Technology
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $85,737
**********
SUMMARY
This project has two purposes. The first purpose is to
determine whether or not the magnetic ferrite precipitation
technique will result in essentially complete stripping of arsenic
and other specified metals from aqueous waste solutions and to
determine if the precipitated solids (containing arsenic) are
suitable for outdoor storage, i.e., meet TCLP criteria. Past
research has shown that the commonly used process for stabilizing
arsenic by precipitation as calcium arsenate produces a solid that
is not stable in conventional chemical ponds because carbon dioxide
in the air converts the calcium arsenate (and calcium arsenite) to
calcium carbonate with the concurrent release of arsenic to the
pond environment. The long-term stability of another commonly used
arsenic storage compound, ferric arsenate, has also been
questioned. The second purpose is to determine whether or not
arsenic can be removed from copper smelter flue dust and acid plant
blow-down sludge by volatilization of elemental arsenic.
Preliminary work has shown that elemental arsenic can be recovered
from flue dust with 99.9% efficiency.
-120-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6903-01
Use of Hudson River Sediment Inoculum for the
Bioremediation of PCBs at an Anaerobic Site and Factors
Required to Induce and Enhance Anaerobic
Biodegradation and Oechlorination
Institution: Principal Investigator:
New York State Department G-Yull Rhee, Ph.D.
of Health
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $255,351
**********
SUMMARY
Recent investigations have shown that PCBs are anaerobically
dechlorinated and also biodegraded in the laboratory. There is
also circumstantial evidence suggesting that they may be
reductively dechlorinated in reduced layers of sediments in nature.
In light of the laboratory findings, it is highly important to find
whether and how dechlorination and biodegradation can be
artificially induced and/or enhanced. So far there are no cost-
effective detoxification techniques. As a measure of containment,
the most heavily PCB-contaminated sediments of the Hudson River
were dredged and encapsulated with clay at Moreau, N.Y. Our
preliminary investigation of the dredged sediments revealed little
sign of biodegradation. However, the containment facility offers
an ideal environment for anaerobic bioremediation, since
encapsulation would create a reduced environment, and it can be
readily combined with anaerobic biological processes for
detoxification. The present proposal will therefore investigate
(1) whether reductive dechlorination and biodegradation can be
induced and/or enhanced in encapsulated dredged sediments by
introducing active inoculum of Hudson River sediments, (2) what
factors are essential for their induction or enhancement, and (3)
what biodegradation products are. The results of this study are
essential for the development of cost-effective and
environmentally-sound bioremediation technology of PCBs. They are
also important for a better understanding of the environmental fate
of PCBs and other chlorinated aromatic pollutants. This
information is critical in formulating rational environmental
policies.
-121-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6914-01
Development of Enzyme Technology for Selective
Removal of Phenolic Pollutants from Aqueous Mixtures
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of North Carolina Michael D. Aitken
at Chapel Hill
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $204,000
**********
SUMMARY
The purposes of the project are to:
1. Compare reaction products from the oxidation of phenolic
pollutants by a variety of oxidizing enzymes.
2. Evaluate the extent of detoxification achieved by
enzymatic treatment of phenolic pollutants using microblal
bioassays.
3. Evaluate the potential feasibility of the process.
The enzymes to be evaluated are chloroperoxidase, horseradish,
peroxidase, ligninase, manganese peroxidase, and polyphenol
oxidase. All five enzymes are expected to oxidize phenolic
substrates. The horseradish peroxidase is to serve as a benchmark
enzyme to compare with previous research.
The specific priority pollutants to be tested will include 2-
chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2-methylphenol, 4-methylphenol, 2-
nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, pentachlorophenol and phenol.
The use of enzymes is expected to be of value in the following
situations.
1. Removing target compounds prior to biological treatment,
especially compounds that could be inhibitory to the
biological treatment process.
2. Treating industrial wastes prior to release to municipal
treatment systems.
3. Removing regulated organics from dilute waste streams
where biological treatment may not be expedient.
4. Final polishing of waste streams.
5. Treatment of wastes generated infrequently or in isolated
locations; and
6. Regeneration of solvents to selectivity remove hazardous
pollutants.
-122-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6922-01
The Use of Ozone in In-Situ Vapor Stripping for the
Removal of Contaminants from the Vadose Zone
Institution: Principal Investigator;
Michigan State University Susan J. Hasten
Project Period: Project Amount:
3 years $223,371
SUMMARY
Subsurface vapor extraction (or soil venting) has been used
to remove volatile chemicals from the vadose zone. Though useful
where the chemical contaminants are volatile, soil venting cannot
be used where the contaminants are not readily volatilized, either
because they are non-volatile, are sorbed to the soil or are
trapped in the pore structure of the soils.
This project will investigate modifying the conventional vapor
extraction system by using ozone in place of air. Such a system
would be useful where conventional technology is not effective or
as a final clean-up step before site closure. Preliminary research
has shown the effectiveness of ozone in oxidizing chlorinated VOCs
in soil slurries and in solutions containing high concentrations
of humic acid.
Laboratory studies are necessary to determine the potential
of ozone to oxidize chemical contaminants present in soils. Column
studies will be performed to determine the rates at and extent to
which the chemicals are oxidized. Product identification will also
be performed using GC/MS and HPLC. The results will be modelled
using a transport model in which competitive chemical kinetics have
been incorporated. The economics of such a system will also be
evaluated.
-123-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-6935-01
Removal and Concentration of Pollutants Based on
Electrochemically Nodulated Complexation
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Colorado Richard D. Noble
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $205,325
**********
SUMMARY
This project will include both experimentation and
mathematical analysis of the water-soluble metalloporphyrin ligands
which undergo reversible complexation reactions with a variety of
nitrogen and sulfur-containing heterocyclic organic compounds. The
complexation reactions allow the hydrophobic bases to be
selectively extracted into aqueous solutions containing the
metalloporphyrins. By electrochemically changing the oxidation
state of the metal ion, the magnitude of the complexation between
metalloporphytin and base can be changed by many orders of
magnitude. The reaction provides a mechanism for separating the
base into the aqueous extracting phase, and for concentrating the
base in a second hydrophobic phase. The binding form of the
metalloporphyrin can be regenerated by returning the metal ion to
its original oxidations state in a second electrochemical step.
Researchers have previously demonstrated the ability of the process
to extract nitrogen heterocycles, such as isoquinoline and
aminonapthalenes from one hydrocarbon phase, and to concentrate
them in a second phase.
This project will pursue the separation process in three
areas: 1) to synthesize and characterize a variety of
metalloporphyrin derivatives; 2) explore several configurations
for operating the process in a continuous fashion, and 3) to
explore the use of the process for the removal of nitrogen and
sulfur-containing compounds from polluted water and gas streams.
Investigators feel that the process has the potential to be useful
for a variety of environmental and industrial separation processes.
-124-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7438-01
Heavy Metal Decontamination: Some Unique
Properties and Application Potentials of
Chelating Polymers with Nitrogen Donor
Atoms and Composite Membranes
Institution: Principal Investigator
Lehigh University Arup K. Sengupta
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $181,164
SUMMARY
The removal of heavy metal ions from solutions, sludges and
soils is to be examined using nitrogen-donor, chelating resins.
The P.I. plans to characterize three relatively unstudied
commercial chelating resins and to take advantage of some of their
novel properties for heavy metal recovery.
The P.I. will examine the removal of cadmium, lead and nickel
by bis-picolylamine and polyvinylpyridine resins as a function of
pH, as well as of nitro-triacetate and ortho-phthalate
concentrations. Phthalate and nitrilo-triacetate were selected to
represent strongly coordinating metal ligands which may be found
in wastewaters. These studies will delineate under what conditions
the resins can be reasonably used to recover the heavy metals.
Membrane encapsulated resins, such as Chelex 100 which
contains the iminodiacetate functionality and Dow XFS 43084 which
contains the N- ( 2-hydroxypropyl ) picolylamine functionality, will
be tested under various conditions for the ability to specifically
remove and recover lead and cadmium oxides from sludge and soil
samples. In addition the simultaneous recovery of both Pb+2 and
Cr04~2 (from lead chromate) and Pb+2 and As02~3 (from lead
aresenate insoluble salts) will be attempted with the Dow resins.
Finally, the novel chelating resins will be tested to
alleviate some of the problems encountered in using electric
currents to concentrate heavy metal ions from soils. Problems
currently exist because hydroxide ion accumulates near the cathodes
to which cationic heavy metals are attracted under the passage of
current through soils. The disposition of macroporous membranes
containing chelating ion exchange resins between the anode and
cathode will test the theory that metal ions will be adsorbed on
the membrane bound resins before they encounter the high pH zone
near the cathode and are precipitated.
-125-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7440-01
Removal of Heavy Metals from Contaminated Water
Using Immobilized Biomass Beads
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Utah Edward Trujillo
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $195,867
**********
SUMMARY
The overall objective of the research proposed is to help
improve and develop the removal of heavy metals from wastewaters
using biosorption on immobilized biomass beads. These biomass
beads, developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines Research Center in
Salt Lake City, have been found to be very selective for hazardous
heavy metals, such as Zn and Cd, even in the presence of relatively
high concentrations of calcium and magnesium, and can reduce the
concentrations of these hazardous metal ions in wastewater streams
to well below the minimum drinking water standards. The beads are
very inexpensive, can be used in various configurations and can be
regenerated, thus the heavy metals can be concentrated, recovered
and removed from the superfund site. Some metal manufacturers have
expressed an interest in using the recovered metals in their
processes.
In some preliminary work researchers have developed
multicomponent mathematical models that can describe the
equilibrium, kinetic, and, for early breakthrough periods, fixed-
bed adsorption patterns of the biomass beads for some raining
wastewater streams. The research proposed here is to improve the
design and capacity of the biomass beads to develop a better
understanding of the mechanisms involved in the biosorption process
using mathematical models that can also be used to predict
performance.
The benefits of this research will be a better understanding
of the immobilized biomass beads with a resulting improvement in
the system for removing heavy metals from contaminated waters at
various superfund sites. This research is directed more toward the
engineering aspect of the biosorption and to see if the technology
can be extended to other wastewaters with different heavy metal and
ionic compositions.
-126-
-------
EPA Project No: R81-7450-01
Removal of Toxic Anions from Ground Hater
by Dltrafiltration & Precipitation
Institution: Principal Investigator:
University of Oklahoma Sherril D. Christian
Project Period: Project Amount:
2 years $189,996
SUMMARY
The goal of this research is to develop an efficient process
for removing toxic anions such as chromate from dilute wastewater
streams. A cationic polyelectrolyte will be added to the stream
to sequester chromate or other multivalent anions such as selenate
or arsenate. The resulting mixture will be passed through an
ultrafilter. Permeate from the ultrafilter will be water of
substantially improved purity and the retentate will consist of a
small volume in which the polyelectrolyte-chromate mixture will be
concentrated. Further treatment of the retentate via a chromate
precipitation process will result in a solid waste to be disposed
of and a polyelectrolyte solution which can be recycled for reuse.
-127-
-------
Index by Principal Investigator
Aitken,
Michael D.
Altwicker,
E.R.
Altwicker,
Elmar R.
Anderson,
Stephen H.
Arp,
Daniel J.
Atkinson,
Gary
Atkinson,
Roger
Bales,
Roger C.
Becker,
D.
********
North Carolina, University of, -Chapel Hill,
"Development of Enzyme Technology
for Selective Removal of Phenolic
Pollutants from Aqueous Mixtures"
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
"A Novel Fluid/Particle System for
Solid Fuels Combustion (Draft
Tube Spouted Bed Combustor)"
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
"Low Temperature, Heterogeneous
Formation of Dioxins and Furans
in Incinerators: The Role of
Precursors"
Missouri, University of, -Columbia,
"Non-Destructive Evaluation of
Macropore-Scale Processes in Organic
Contaminant Transport Through
Soil Using Computer Tomography"
Oregon State University,
"Degradation of Halogenated Hydro-
carbons by Nitrifying Bacteria"
Iowa State University,
"Fish Behavior Tests, Ecological
Foraging Models and Bioenergetics
Models for Risk Assessment"
California, University of, -Riverside,
"Atmospheric Chemistry of Dichloro-
biphenyls, Dibenzo-p-dioxin,
Dibenzofuran and Related Compounds"
Arizona, University of,
"Microscale Kinetic Effects and the
Subsurface Transport of Volatile Organics"
Texas, University of,
"The Role of Basic Fibroblast
Growth Factor In Human Malignant
Melanoma"
Page
122
117
116
60
42
34
86
70
26
128
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
Benjamin,
Mark M.
Blake,
Diane A.
Bollag,
Jean-Marc
Bowman,
C.T.
Boyd,
Stephen A.
Bryers,
James
Burrows,
Veronica
Burton,
G. Allen
Christian,
Sherril D.
Cooper,
William J.
Washington, University of,
"An investigation of Mixed Surface
Media Filtration"
Meharry Medical College,
"Quantitation of Heavy Metals by
Immunoassay"
Pennsylvania State University,
"Detoxication of Xenobiotic Compounds
Through Polymerization and Binding
to Humic Substances"
Stanford University,
"Proposal for Investigation of the
Chemical Mechanism of the Raprenox
Process for No Reduction In
Combustion Products"
Michigan State, University of,
"Influence of Sorption/Desorption
Processes on the Bioavailability of
Aged Organic Contaminants in Soil
and Subsurface Materials"
Duke University,
"Bioremediation of Xenobiotic Wastes:
Selection Pressures on Microbial
Consortia in Biofilm Treatment
Systems"
Arizona State University,
"Phthalocyanine Thin Film Sensors"
Wright State University,
"Evaluation of Multiple Bio-indicators
and Endpoints in Stream Toxicity
Assessments"
Oklahoma, University of,
"Removal of Toxic Anions from Ground
Water by Ultrafiltration & Precipitation"
Florida International University,
"A Pilot Scale Study Using High
Energy Electrons for the Treatment
of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in
Water, Wastewater, and Sludge"
Page
104
40
62
113
31
43
91
53
127
118
129
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
Cooper,
William J.
Costa,
Max
Coull,
Bruce C.
Dairkee,
Shahnaz
Florida International University,
"Homogeneous Abiotic Hydrolysis of
Halogenated Ethanes and Propanes in
Ground Water and Water Treatment"
New York University Medical Center,
"Altered DNA-Protein Binding Induced
by the Carcinogen Chromate"
South Carolina, University of,
"High Density Culture of Meiobenthos
for Sediment Bioassay and Trophic-
Transfer of Sediment-Bound Toxicants"
California, University of, -Berkeley,
"Development of Rapid, Quantitative
In Vitro Carcinogenicity Assays in
Human Mammary Epithelial Cells and
Their Relevance to Breast Cancer"
D'Ambrosio, Ohio State University,
Steven M. "Fate of DNA Damage in Human
Fetal Cells"
Davidovits, Boston College,
Paul "Entry of Gas Phase Pollutants into
Fog Droplets"
Davidson, Colorado State University,
Jane H. "Electrostatic Precipitator Performance
Improvement with a Barbed Plate
Discharge Electrode"
Davidson, Colorado State University,
Jane H. "Ozone Production with Contaminated
Electrodes in Electrostatic Air
Cleaners"
DeFabo, George Washington University,
Edward C. "Investigations on the Mechanism
of Sunglight-Induced Immune
Suppression: The Impact of
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion"
Page
64
14
48
27
21
83
102
114
22
130
Suanary of Awards - 1990
-------
Dellinger,
Barry
Dick,
Richard I.
DiGiulio,
Richard T.
DiGiulio,
Richard T.
Dunson,
William A.
Eiceman,
Gary A.
Fall,
Richard R.
Farag,
Ihab H.
Findlay
Robert H.
Fonda,
M.
Dayton, University of,
"An Investigation of Hydroxyl Radical-
Chloromethane-Chloroethane Reaction
Rates at Elevated Temperatures Using
a Modified Laser Photolysis/Laser -
Induced Fluorescence Technique"
Cornell University,
"Role of Organic Carbon in Slow
Sand Filters"
Duke University,
"Biomarkers for Sediment-Associated
Genotoxins in Benthic Fish"
Duke University,
"Glutathione Metabolism and Utilization
in the Channel Catfish"
Pennsylvania State University,
"Temporary Pond Communities as Model
Systems for Evaluating Anthropogenic
Stresses"
New Mexico State University,
"Field Screening of Organic Priority
Pollutants Using Handheld Ion
Mobility^Spectrometry"
Page
85
110
59
38
52
66
Colorado, University of,
"Environmental Stress and Isoprene
Emissions in Forest Trees"
New Hampshire, University of,
"NOx, SOx and Solid Waste
Minimization in a Staged N-CFBC.
Phase I: Cold Flow Measurements"
Maine, University of,
"A Proposal for a Microbial Early
Warning System for Organic Pollution
in Estuarine Systems"
California, University of, Berkeley,
"Flow-Induced Fluidization and
Resuspension of Soft Bottom Sediment"
36
105
50
77
131
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
Frost, Purdue University,
John W. "Biotic and Abiotic Carbon-Phosphorus
Bond Cleavage"
Gealt, Drexel, University of,
Michael "Regulation of Genetic Transfer into
and Between Indigenous Bacteria in
Wastewater"
Gilmour, Academy of Natural Sciences, The,
Cynthia "A Biogeochemical Model for Methyl-
mercury Production in Lacustrine and
Estuarine Sediments"
32
75
Glinski, Tennessee Technology University,
Robert J. "Spectroscopic and Photometric
Measurement of Novel Chemiluminescence
and Flame Systems"
Gold, California, University of, Berkeley,
Lois "Analysis of Animal Cancer Tests"
Grady, Clemson University,
C.P. Leslie "Effect of Reactor Configuration on
Stability of Xenobiotic Compound
Biodegradation in Activated Sludge"
84
Gschwend,
Philip M.
Hayton,
William L.
Hille,
C. Russell
Hipps,
K.W.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
"Impact of Sorption Kinetics, Porewater
Colloids, and Bioturbation on the
Transport of Pollutants in Freshwater
and Estuarine Sediments"
Ohio State University,
"Scaling Xenobiotic Pharmacokinetic
Models in Fish"
Ohio State University,
"Metabolism of Arsenicals by
Alcaligenes Faecalis"
Washington State University,
"M-I-M Diodes as Solid State Sensors"
23
100
74
46
16
88
132
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
Kites,
Ronald A.
Hoffman,
Michael R.
Hoffman,
Michael R.
Holsapple,
Michael P.
Janata,
Jiri
Jensen,
James N.
Karin,
Michael
Kleeberger,
Steven R.
Knudson,
Guy R.
Kuo,
Albert
Indiana University,
"Movement of Contaminated Sediments
From the Detroit River Through
Lake Erie"
California Institute of Technology,
"Aqueous Phase Photocatalytic Production
of Hydrogen Peroxide"
California Institute of Technology,
"Photocatalytic and Sonolytic
Degradation of Hazardous Wastes"
Virginia Commonwealth University,
"Immunotoxicology by Carbon Tetra-
chloride and Structurally Related
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons"
Utah, University of,
"Solid State Sensors for Air
Pollution Control"
New York, State University of,
"Development of Methods for the
Analysis of Organic Chloramines
and Inorganic Mono-Chloramine In
Natural and Engineered Systems"
California, University of, -San Diego,
"Heavy Metal Effects on Gene Expression
in Human Cells"
John Hopkins University, The
"Genetic Susceptibility and Mechanisms
of Ozone-Induced Airway Inflammation"
Idaho, University of,
"Quantitative Modeling of Gene Transfer
from Recombinant Bacteria in an
Agricultural Soil"
Virginia Institute of Marine Science,
"Cohesive Sediment Resuspension and
Deposition in Tidal Estuary Flows"
Page
71
82
99
15
93
65
18
25
29
78
133
of Awards - 1990
-------
Lawler,
Desmond F.
Texas, University of,
"Ripening in Water and Wastewater
Filtration: Effects of Particle
Size"
Page
109
Lech, Wisconsin, Medical College of, 73
John J. "Anaerobic Transformation of Aromatic
Pollutant Compounds by Sedimentary
Manganese- and Iron-Reducing Bacteria"
Lee, Brigham Young University, 61
Milton L. "Integrated Extraction and Chromato-
graphic System for Monitoring of
Trace Organic Pollutants"
Levenson, Columbia University, 90
R. "Global Climate Model Development &
Sensitivity Experiments"
Levin, North Carolina State University, 56
Lisa A. "A Tri-species Indicator of Organic
Enrichment in Estuaries: Individual,
Population and Community Approaches"
Ley, Lovelace Medical Foundation 19
Ronald D. "Melanoma Induction by Environmental
Ultraviolet Radiation"
Lick, California, University of, -Santa Barbara, 72
Wilbert "Resuspension, Deposition, Flocculation,
and Transport of Fine-Grained Sediments
in Aquatic Systems"
Lyons, Colorado State University, 92
Walter A. "The Impact of Lake Michigan Upon
Summer Regional Oxidant Precursor
Concentrations in the Lower Lake
Michigan Basin"
Martin, Aerospace Corporation, 87
L.R. "A Search for Surface Enhanced
Chemical Kinetics in Aqueous
Microplets"
134
Saury of Awards - 1990
-------
Masten,
Susan J.
Matisoff,
G.
McDOW,
Stephen R.
McMurry,
Peter
Meloan,
Clifton E.
Michigan State University,
"The Use of Ozone in In-Situ Vapor
Stripping for the Removal of
Contaminants from the Vadose Zone"
Case Western Reserve University,
"Laboratory Radiotracer Studies of
Biological Mixing in Shallow Marine
Sediments"
North Carolina, University of,
"Heterogeneous Organic Reactions on
Atmospheric Aerosols"
Minnesota, University of,
"Gas/Particle Distributions and
Particle Size Distributions of Trace
Organics in the Ambient Atmosphere"
Kansas State University,
"Testing Wright's Theory of
Olfaction on Insects by Selectively
Deuterating 2E-Hexen-l-al"
Mendelssohn Louisiana State University,
Irving A. "The Evaluation of Indicators of
Wetland Vegetation Stress and Their
Relationship to Biological Endpoints"
Michelsen,
Donald L.
Mi lo,
George
Morel,
Francis,
M.M.
Murphy,
T.M.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute &
State University,
"Treatment of Textile Dye Waste Waters
by Means of Chemical Reduction Coupled
With Biological and Sorption Processes"
Ohio State University,
"Bulky Metabolite Modification of
Transcriptionally Active Genes"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
"Algal Phytochelatins as Indicators
of Metal Stress in Natural Waters"
California, University of, -Davis,
"Mechanism of UVB induced Ion
Leakage Through Plant Plasma Membrane"
Page
123
80
96
95
49
55
108
20
58
28
135
"IHHIIM of Awards - 1990
-------
Nash, III
Thomas H.
Niksa,
Stephen
Noble,
Richard D.
Olmez,
Ilhan
Olson,
J.R.
Ozkan,
Umit S.
Pankow,
James F.
Puri,
Ishwar K.
Rhee,
G-Yull
Arizona State University, Tempe,
"Gaseous Deposition in Canopies:
Role of Epiphytic Lichens"
The
Stanford University,
"Suspension Loading Effects on Coal
Nitrogen Conversion During (PF) Firing"
Colorado, University of,
"Removal and Concentration of Pollutants
Based on Electrochemically Modulated
Complexation"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
"Inorganic Tracers for Motor Vehicle
Emissions"
New York, State University of, -Buffalo
"Metabolism of Polychlorinated
Dioxins and Dibenzofurans in the
Rat and Human"
Ohio State University,
"Selective Catalytic Reduction of
NOX with Ammonia over Vanadia/
Titania Catalysts"
Oregon Graduate Center,
"Study of Atmospheric Gas/Particle
Distribution"
Illinois, University of, -Chicago,
"An Experimental and Theoretical Study
on the Influence of Methyl Chloride on
the Structure and Extinction of
Hydrocarbon Flames"
New York State Department of Health,
"Use of Hudson River Sediment Inoculum
for the Bioremediation of PCBs at
an Anaerobic Site and Factors Required
to Induce and Enhance Anaerobic
Biodegradation and Dechlorination"
Page
35
112
124
97
24
103
89
111
121
136
Sunnary of Awards - 1990
-------
Robinson, New England Aquarium Corporation,
William "Diminished Transport Capacity:
A New Index of Stress Measured in
Mytilus edulis (Mollusca: Bivalvia)
Blood Plasma"
Rochelle, Texas, University of, -Austin,
Gary T. "Flue Gas Desulfurization by
Calcium Silicate Reagents"
Rosenkranz, Case Western Reserve University,
Herbert S. "Structural Basis of the Mutagenicity
and Carcinogenicity of Chemicals"
Sanders, California State University, -Long Beach,
Brenda M. "Characterization of Stress Proteins as
Indicators of Biological Effects and
Exposure"
Sawyer, California, University of,
Robert F. "Destruction of Toxic Compounds by
Plasma-Augmented Combustion"
Sengupta, Lehigh University,
Arup K. "Heavy Metal Decontamination: Some
Unique Properties and Application
Potentials of Chelating Polymers
with Nitrogen Donor Atoms and
Composite Membranes"
Sikka, New York, State University of, -Buffalo,
Harish "Regie- and Stereoselective Metabolism
of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons
by Fish"
Smith, California, University of, -Los Angeles,
Owen "Formation of Heavy Metal Oxide
Particulate in Atmospheric Pressure
Methane Flames"
Speitel, Jr Texas, University of,
Gerald E. "Control of Disinfection By-Products
and Biodegradable Organic Carbon"
Page
51
101
17
54
107
125
33
98
106
137
Sunary of Awards - 1990
-------
Steenhuis,
Tammo S.
Stoermer,
Eugene F.
Swackhamer
D.L.
Taylor,
Philip H.
Thomas,
J.K.
Thomas,
Peter
Trujillo,
Edward
Twidwell,
Larry G.
Valocchi,
Albert J.
Cornell University,
"Theory of Preferential Flow and its
Monitoring in Sandy Soils Overlaying
Aquifers"
Michigan, University of,
"Effects of Nitrate Loading on
Great Lakes"
Minnesota, University of,
"Microbial Recycling of Contaminants at
the Sediment Water Interface in
Freshwater"
Dayton, University of,
"Kinetic Studies of Key Intermediate
C2 and C4 Chlorocarbons Implicated in
the Thermal Destruction of Chlorinated
Hazardous Wastes"
Notre Dame, University of,
"Adsorption and Photochemistry of
Molecular Adsorbed on Clays"
Texas, University of, -Austin,
"Assessment of Endocrine Indices as
Early-Warning Indicators of Reproductive
Dysfunction in Female Fish Exposed to
Pollutants"
Utah, University of,
"Removal of Heavy Metals from
Contaminated Water Using
Immobilized Biomass Beads"
Montana College of Mineral Science
and Technology,
"Removal of Arsenic from waste Solutions
and from Copper Smelter Solid Waste"
Illinois, University of,
"Theoretical Studies of the Transport
of Kinetically Adsorbing Solutes
Through Three-Dimensional Heterogeneous
Aquifers"
Page
67
41
79
115
63
37
126
120
68
138
Suwry of Aranis - 1990
-------
Van Alfen Texas A&M University,
Neal K. "Comparative Movement in the Environ-
ment of Nuclear and Extranuclear
Genetic Elements in a Microbial
System"
Van Beneden Duke University,
Rebecca J. "A Molecular Bioassay for Environmental
Carcinogenesis"
Walia, Oakland University,
Satish K. "Genotoxicity Evaluation of Poly-
chlorinated Biphenyls and Their
Metabolites"
Walia, Oakland University,
Satish K. "Molecular Biology of Chlorobiphenyl
Degradation Gene(s) from Pseudomonas
Putida"
Wang, Kentucky, University of,
Yi-Tin "Biological Reduction of Hexavalent
Chromium"
Weinberg, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
James "Use of Demographic Theory to Determine
Impact of Disease and Chemical
Contaminants on Soft Shell Clam
Population Properties"
Weston, Maryland, University of,
D.P. "Chemical and Biological Determinants
of Hydrocarbon Bioaccumulation from
Contaminated Sediments"
Wine, Georgia Tech Research Corporation,
Paul H. "Laboratory Investigations of Free
Radical Chemistry in Cloud Water"
Winer, California, University of, -Los Angeles,
Arthur M. "Time-Resolved Measurements of Gas-Phase
Indoor Air Pollutants by In-Situ Long
Pathlength Spectroscopy"
Young, New York University Medical Center,
L.Y. "Novel Bioremediation Strategies for
the Degradation of Alkylbenzenes"
39
47
30
45
57
76
94
81
119
139
Sunary of Awards - 1990
-------
Index by Institution
********
Page
Academy of Natural Sciences, The, Gilmour, Cynthia 75
"A Biogeochemical Model for Methylmercury
Production in Lacustrine and Estuarine Sediments"
Aerospace Corporation, Martin, L.R. 87
"A Search for Surface Enhanced Chemical Kinetics
in Aqueous Microplets"
Arizona State University, Burrows, Veronica 91
"Phthalocyanine Thin Film Sensors"
Arizona State University, Tempe, Nash, III, Thomas H. 35
"Gaseous Deposition in Canopies: The Role of
Epiphytic Lichens"
Arizona, University of. Bales, Roger C. 70
"Microscale Kinetic Effects and the Subsurface
Transport of Volatile Organics"
Boston College, Davidovits, Paul 83
"Entry of Gas Phase Pollutants into Fog Droplets"
Brigham Young University, Lee, Milton L. 61
"Integrated Extraction and Chromatographic
System for Monitoring of Trace Organic Pollutants"
California State University, -Long Beach, Sanders, Brenda M. 54
"Characterization of Stress Proteins as
Indicators of Biological Effects and Exposure"
California, University of, Sawyer, Robert F. 107
"Destruction of Toxic Compounds by Plasma-
Augmented Combustion"
California, University of, -Berkeley, Dairkee, Shahnaz 27
"Development of Rapid, Quantitative In Vitro
Carcinogenicity Assays in Human Mammary
Epithelial Cells and Their Relevance to
Breast Cancer"
California, University of, -Berkeley, Fonda, M. 77
"Flow-Induced Fluidization and Resuspension
of Soft Bottom Sediment"
140
Sunmary of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
California, University of, -Berkeley, Gold, Lois 23
"Analysis of Animal Cancer Tests"
California, University of, -Davis, Murphy, T.M. 28
"Mechanism of UVB Induced Ion Leakage Through Plant
Plasma Membrane"
California, University of, -Los Angeles, Smith, Owen 98
"Formation of Heavy Metal Oxide Particulate in
Atmopsheric Pressure Methane Flames"
California, University of, -Los Angeles, Winer, Arthur M. 81
"Time-Resolved Measurements of Gas-Phase Indoor
Air Pollutants by In-Situ Long Pathlength
Spectroscopy"
California, University of, -Riverside, Atkinson, Roger 86
"Atmospheric Chemistry of Dichlorobiphenyls,
Dibenzo-p-dioxin, Dibenzofuran and Related
Compounds"
California, University of, -San Diego, Karin, Michael 18
"Heavy Metal Effects on Gene Expression in Human
Cells"
California, University of, -Santa Barbara, Lick, Wilbert 72
"Resuspension, Deposition, Flocculation, and
Transport of Fine-Grained Sediments in Aquatic
Systems"
California Institute of Technology, Hoffman, Michael R. 82
"Aqueous Phase Photocatalytic Production of
Hydrogen Peroxide"
California Institute of Technology, Hoffman, Michael R. 99
"Photocatalytic and Sonolytic Degradation
of Hazardous Wastes"
Case Western Reserve University, Matisoff, G. 80
"Laboratory Radiotracer Studies of Biological
Mixing in Shallow Marine Sediments"
Case Western Reserve University, Rosenkranz, Herbert S. 17
"Structural Basis of the Mutagenicity and
Carcinogenicity of Chemicals"
141
Summary of Awards - 1990
-------
Clemson University, Grady, C.P. Leslie 100
"Effect of Reactor Configuration on Stability of
Xenobiotic Compound Biodegradation in
Activated Sludge"
Colorado State University, Davidson, Jane H. 102
"Electrostatic Precipitator Performance
Improvement with a Barbed Plate Discharge
Electrode"
Colorado State University, Davidson, Jane H. 114
"Ozone Production with Contaminated Electrodes
in Electrostatic Air Cleaners"
Colorado State University, Lyons, Walter A. 92
"The Impact of Lake Michigan Upon Summer
Regional Oxidant Precursor Concentrations in
the Lower Lake Michigan Basin"
Colorado, University of, Fall, Richard R. 36
"Environmental Stress and Isoprene Emissions in
Forest Trees"
Colorado, University of, Noble, Richard D. 124
"Removal and Concentration of Pollutants Based on
Electrochemically Modulated Complexation"
Columbia University, Levenson, R. 90
"Global Climate Model Development &
Sensitivity Experiments"
Cornell University, Dick, Richard I. 110
"Role of Organic Carbon in Slow Sand Filters"
Cornell University, Steenhuis, Tammo S. 67
"Theory of Preferential Flow and its Monitoring
in Sandy Soils Overlaying Aquifers"
Dayton, University of, Dellinger, Barry 85
"An Investigation of Hydroxyl Radical-Chloromethane-
Chloroethane Reaction Rates at Elevated Temperatures
Using a Modified Laser Photolysis/Laser - Induced
Fluorescence Technique"
142
"iIIIHI MI of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
Dayton, University of, Taylor, Philip H. 115
"Kinetic Studies of Key Intermediate C2 and C4
Chlorocarbons Implicated in the Thermal
Destruction of Chlorinated Hazardous Wastes"
Drexel, University of, Gealt, Michael 32
"Regulation of Genetic Transfer into and Between
Indigenous Bacteria in Wastewater"
Duke University, Bryers, James 43
"Bioremediation of Xenobiotic Wastes: Selection
Pressures on Microbial Consortia in Biofilm
Treatment Systems"
Duke University, DiGiulio, Richard T. 59
"Biomarkers for Sediment-Associated Genotoxins in
Benthic Fish"
Duke University, DiGiulio, Richard T. 38
"Glutathione Metabolism and Utilization in the
Channel Catfish"
Duke University, Van Beneden, Rebecca J. 39
"A Molecular Bioassay for Environmental
Carcinogenesis"
Florida International University, Cooper, William J. 118
"A Pilot Scale Study Using High Energy
Electrons for the Treatment of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls in Water, Wastewater, and Sludge"
Florida International University, Cooper, William J. 64
"Homogeneous Abiotic Hydrolysis of Halogenated
Ethanes and Propanes in Ground Water and Water
Treatment"
George Washington University, DeFabo, Edward C. 22
"Investigations on the Mechanism of Sunlight-
Induced Immune Suppression: The Impact of
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion"
Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Wine, Paul H. 94
"Laboratory Investigations of Free Radical
Chemistry in Cloud Water"
143
Suamary of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
Idaho, University of, Knudson, Guy R. 29
"Quantitative Modeling of Gene Transfer from
Recombinant Bacteria in an Agricultural Soil"
Illinois, University of, Valocchi, Albert J. 68
"Theoretical Studies of the Transport of
Kinetically Adsorbing Solutes Through Three-
Dimensional Heterogeneous Aquifers"
Illinois, University of, -Chicago, Puri, Ishwar K. Ill
"An Experimental and Theoretical Study on the
Influence of Methyl Chloride on the Structure
and Extinction of Hydrocarbon Flames"
Indiana University, Kites, Ronald A. 71
"Movement of Contaminated Sediments From
the Detroit River Through Lake Erie"
Iowa State University, Atkinson, Gary 34
"Fish Behavior Tests, Ecological Foraging Models
and Bioenergetics Models for Risk Assessment"
Johns Hopkins University, The, Kleeberger, Steven R. 25
"Genetic Susceptibility and Mechanisms of
Ozone-Induced Airway Inflammation"
Kansas State University, Meloan, Clifton E. 49
"Testing Wright's Theory of Olfaction on
Insects by Selectively Deuterating
2E-Hexen-l-al"
Kentucky, University of, Wang, Yi-Tin 45
"Biological Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium"
Lehigh University, Sengupta, Arup K. 125
"Heavy Metal Decontamination: Some Unique
Properties and Application Potentials of
Chelating Polymers with Nitrogen Donor
Atoms and Composite Membranes"
Louisiana State University, Mendelssohn, Irving A. 55
"The Evaluation of Indicators of Wetland
Vegetation Stress and Their Relationship
to Biological Endpoints"
144
Sunnary of Awards - 1990
-------
Paoe
Lovelace Medical Foundation, Ley, Ronald D. 19
"Melanoma Induction by Environmental Ultraviolet
Radiation"
Maine, University of, Findlay, Robert H. 50
"A Proposal for a Microbial Early Warning System
for Organic Pollution in Estuarine Systems"
Maryland, University of, Weston, D.P. 76
"Chemical and Biological Determinants of Hydrocarbon
Bioaccumulation from Contaminated Sediments"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gschwend, Philip M. 74
"Impact of Sorption Kinetics, Porewater Colloids,
and Bioturbation on the Transport of Pollutants in
Freshwater and Estuarine Sediments"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Morel, Francis, M.M. 58
"Algal Phytochelatins as Indicators of Metal Stress
in Natural Waters"
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Olmez, Ilhan 97
"Inorganic Tracers for Motor Vehicle Emissions"
Meharry Medical College, Blake, Diane A. 40
"Quantitation of Heavy Metals by Immunoassay"
Michigan State University, Boyd, Stephen A. 31
"Influence of Sorption/Desorption Processes on the
Bioavailability of Aged Organic Contaminants in Soil
and Subsurface Materials"
Michigan State University, Masten, Susan J. 123
"The Use of Ozone in In-Situ Vapor Stripping for
the Removal of Contaminants from the Vadose Zone"
Michigan, University of, Stoermer, Eugene F. 41
"Effects of Nitrate Loading on Great Lakes"
Minnesota, University of, McMurry, Peter 95
"Gas/Particle Distributions and Particle
Size Distributions of Trace Organics in the
Ambient Atmosphere"
Minnesota, University of, Swackhamer, D.L. 79
"Microbial Recycling of Contaminants at the
Sediment Water Interface in Freshwater"
145
Sumary of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
Missouri, University of, -Columbia, Anderson, Stephen H. 60
"Non-Destructive Evaluation of Macropore-Scale
Processes in Organic Contaminant Transport
Through Soil Using Computer Tomography"
Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology, 120
Twidwell, Larry G.
"Removal of Arsenic from Waste Solutions and
from Copper Smelter Solid Waste"
New England Aquarium Corporation, Robinson, William 51
"Diminished Transport Capacity: A New Index
of Stress Measured in Mytilus edulis (Mollusca:
Bivalvia) Blood Plasma"
New Hampshire, University of, Farag, Ihab H. 105
"NOx, SOx and Solid Waste Minimization in a
Staged N-CFBC. Phase I: Cold Flow Measurements"
New Mexico State University, Eiceman, Gary A. 66
"Field Screening of Organic Priority Pollutants
Using Handheld Ion Mobility Spectrometry"
New York State Department of Health, Rhee, G-Yull 121
"Use of Hudson River Sediment Inoculum for the
Bioremediation of PCBs at an Anaerobic Site and
Factors Required to Induce and Enhance
Anaerobic Biodegradation and Dechlorination"
New York University Medical Center, Costa, Max 14
"Altered DNA-Protein Binding Induced by the
Carcinogen Chromate"
New York University Medical Center, Young, L.Y. 119
"Novel Bioremediation Strategies for the
Degradation of Alkylbenzenes"
New York, State University of, Jensen, James N. 65
"Development of Methods for the Analysis of
Organic Chloramines and Inorganic Mono-
Chloramine in Natural and Engineered Systems"
New York, State University of, -Buffalo, Sikka, Harish 33
"Regio- and Stereoselective Metabolism of
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Fish"
146
of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
New York, State University of, -Buffalo, Olson, J.R. 24
"Metabolism of Polychlorinated Dioxins and
Dibenzofurans in the Rat and Human"
North Carolina State University, Levin, Lisa A. 56
"A Tri-species Indicator of Organic Enrichment in
Estuaries: Individual, Population and Community
Approaches"
North Carolina, University of, McDow, Stephen R. 96
"Heterogeneous Organic Reactions on Atmospheric
Aerosols"
North Carolina, University of, -Chapel Hill, Aitken, 122
Michael D.
"Development of Enzyme Technology for Selective
Removal of Phenolic Pollutants from Aqueous
Mixtures"
Notre Dame, University of, Thomas, J.K. 63
"Adsorption and Photochemistry of Molecular
Adsorbed on Clays"
Oakland University, walia, Satish K. 47
"Genotoxicity Evaluation of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls and Their Metabolities"
Oakland University, Walia, Satish K. 30
"Molecular Biology of Chlorobiphenyl
Degradation Gene(s) from Pseudomonas Putida"
Ohio State University, D'Ambrosio, Steven M. 21
"Fate of DNA Damage in Human Fetal Cells"
Ohio State University, Hayton, William L. 46
"Scaling Xenobiotic Pharmacokinetic Models in Fish"
Ohio State University, Hille, C. Russell 16
"Metabolism of Arsenicals by Alcaligenes
Faecalis"
Ohio State University, Milo, George 20
"Bulky Metabolite Modification of Trans-
criptionally Active Genes"
Ohio State University, Ozkan, Umit S. 103
"Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOX with
Ammonia over Vanadia/Titania Catalysts"
147
Stonary of Awards - 1990
-------
Oklahoma, University of, Christian, Sherril D. 127
"Removal of Toxic Anions from Ground Water by
Ultrafiltration & Precipitation"
Oregon Graduate Center, Pankow, James F. 89
"Study of Atmospheric Gas/Particle Distribution"
Oregon State University, Arp, Daniel J. 42
"Degradation of Haolgenated Hydrocarbons
by Nitrifying Bacteria"
Pennsylvania State University, Bollag, Jean-Marc 62
"Detoxication of Xenobiotic Compounds Through
Polymerization and Binding to Humic Substances"
Pennsylvania State University, Dunson, William A. 52
"Temporary Pond Communities as Model Systems
for Evaluating Anthropogenic Stresses"
Purdue University, Frost, John w. 69
"Biotic and Abiotic Carbon-Phosphorus Bond
Cleavage"
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Altwicker, E.R. 117
"A Novel Fluid/Particle System for Solid
Fuels Combustion (Draft Tube Spouted Bed
Combustor)"
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Altwicker, Elmar R. 116
"Low Temperature, Heterogeneous Formation of
Dioxins and Furans in Incinerators: The Role
of Precursors"
South Carolina, University of, Coull, Bruce C. 48
"High Density Culture of Meiobenthos for
Sediment Bioassay and Trophic-Transfer
of Sediment-Bound Toxicants"
Stanford University, Bowman, C.T. 113
"Proposal for Investigation of the Chemical Mechanism
of the Raprenox Process for No Reduction In
Combustion Products"
Stanford University, Niksa, Stephen 112
"Suspension Loading Effects on Coal Nitrogen
Conversion During (PF) Firing"
148
Suanary of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
Tennessee Technology University, Glinski, Robert J. 84
"Spectroscopic and Photometric Measurement of
Novel Chemiluminescence and Flame Systems"
Texas A&M University, Van Alfen, Neal K. 44
"Comparative Movement in the Environment of Nuclear
and Extranuclear Genetic Elements in a Microbial
System"
Texas, University of, Becker, D. 26
"The Role of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in
Human Malignant Melanoma"
Texas, University of, Lawler, Desmond F. 109
"Ripening in Water and Wastewater Filtration:
Effects of Particle Size"
Texas, University of, Speitel, Jr., Gerald E. 106
"Control of Disinfection By-Products and
Biodegradable Organic Carbon"
Texas, University of, -Austin, Rochelle, Gary T. 101
"Flue Gas Desulfurization by Calcium
Silicate Reagents"
Texas, University of, -Austin, Thomas, Peter 37
"Assessment of Endocrine Indices as Early-Warning
Indicators of Reproductive Dysfunction in Female
Fish Exposed to Pollutants"
Utha, University of, Janata, Jiri 93
"Solid State Sensors for Air Pollution Control"
Utah, University of, Trujillo, Edward 126
"Removal of Heavy Metals from Contaminated
Water Using Immobilized Biomass Beads"
Vriginia Commonwealth University, Holsapple, Michael P. 15
"Immunotoxicology by Carbon Tetrachloride and
Structurally Related Chlorinated Hydrocarbons"
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Kuo, Albert 78
"Cohesive Sediment Resuspension and Deposition
in Tidal Estuary Flows"
149
Samsay of Awards - 1990
-------
Page
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, 108
Michelsen, Donald L.
"Treatment of Textile Dye Waste Waters by Means of
Chemical Reduction Coupled With Biological and
Sorption Processes"
Washington, university of, Benjamin, Mark M. 104
"An Investigation of Mixed Surface Media
Filtration"
Washington State University, Hipps, K.W. 88
"M-I-M Diodes as Solid State Sensors"
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Weinberg, James 57
"Use of Demographic Theory to Determine Impact
of Disease and Chemical Contaminants on Soft
Shell Clam Population Properties"
Wisconsin, Medical College of, Lech, John J. 73
"Anaerobic Transformation of Aromatic Pollutant
Compounds by Sedimentary Manganese- and Iron-
Reducing Bacteria"
Wright State University, Burton, G. Allen 53
"Evaluation of Multiple Bio-indicators and
Endpoints in Stream Toxicity Assessments"
150
"mailMI of Awards - 1990
------- |