Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2013NE255B

Development of an affinity-based concentrator-detection kit for monitoring emerging contaminants in recycled water

Institute: Nebraska
Year Established: 2013 Start Date: 2013-03-01 End Date: 2014-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $24,054 Total Non-Federal Funds: $50,862

Principal Investigators: David Hage, Daniel Snow

Abstract: The overall goal of this proposal will be to explore the development of novel, low-cost affinity sorbents for use in screening and concentrating indicator compounds for emerging contaminants in water. This work will lead to development of innovative, inexpensive, and rapid screening techniques for monitoring irrigation water quality and to help evaluate risk from water reuse. These techniques, in turn, should provide data that will lead in further studies to better tools for managing water quality for both human and animal consumption. This research clearly addresses two concerns listed under Nebraska's Top 10 Water Challenges: 1)effects of water consumption and conservation practices on instream-flows, groundwater recharge and water supplies, including ethanol production; realizing the maximum water use efficiency for irrigation (e.g., changing from gravity flow to center pivot) is a key factor; and 2) potential surface and groundwater contamination by emerging contaminants (including endocrine disrupting compounds), such as steroid hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, surfactants, nanomaterials, and disinfectants, from grain and livestock production, biosolids application, biofuel production, and municipal/residential wastewater sources. The successful completion of this research will lead to novel, inexpensive and rapid screening and concentrating techniques that can help screen and evaluate a wide variety of water supplies used in food production and for monitoring and managing water quality. As this work progresses, the tools that are developed will be made available through collaborative efforts to other researchers in Nebraska or in neighboring states.