CAREER: Fate and Transport of Aerosols from Animal Feeding Operations

0954673

Wang

Animal feeding operations (AFOs), while a vital link in America's food supply, pose a major risk to the environment. There is a critical need to study the fate and transport of hazardous aerosol emissions from AFO facilities. This will provide a basis for further study of health effects and risk assessment associated with AFO aerosols. The dynamics of animal housing/biological systems make the characteristics of aerosols emitted from AFOs different from other industrial pollutants. Although the science community has a fundamental understanding of aerosol formation, fate and transport, significant knowledge and technology gaps still exist regarding fate and transport of AFO aerosols/bioaerosols. The objectives of the proposed work are to (1) quantify the impact of particle size distribution (PSD) on the federal reference method (FRM) PM10 sampler's measurements such that it will lead to improvements of the FRM PM sampler measurements for broader applications; (2) characterize the spatial and temporal variations in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of aerosols emitted from AFO facilities such that it will result in improved understanding of the mechanism of generation, fate and transport of those aerosols; and (3) develop an interactive simulation model to predict the fate and transport of bioaerosols emitted from AFO facilities.

The proposed work involves theoretical and field experimental studies on FRM PM measurement techniques and on the fate and transport of AFO aerosols/bioaerosols. The field study will be conducted on two commercial AFO farms. The proposed work will yield (1) theoretical/empirical models to correct measurement errors of FRM PM samplers caused by interaction of PSD and performance characteristics of the sampler; (2) valuable knowledge on the fate and transport of AFO aerosols and bioaerosols; and (3) Bio-Aerosol Responding/Notifying System (BARNS).

The long-term career goal of the PI is to develop interdisciplinary research and education programs to bridge the gaps between environmental engineering and biological and agricultural engineering disciplines in the context of air pollution as well as those between classroom education and real-world practices. The broader impacts of the proposed work will reflect on (1) improvements to FRM PM sampling technique that could be used by multidisciplinary investigators; and (2) the advancement of our understanding of fate and transport of aerosols/ bioaerosol in rural environment. This advanced knowledge will provide a better understanding of aerosol control and regulation and enhance the nation's capacity to protect the AFO industry from disease losses and threats. Moreover, better understanding source, fate and transport of aerosols/bioaerosols may improve our understanding on the complex linkages among source, exposure, and health outcome. The proposed work will not only benefit the AFO industries, but also investigators in the area of health and risk assessment studies.

The results of the proposed work will be broadly disseminated through several educational activities. High school students will be exposed to the proposed work through an annual summer camp program. Underrepresented undergraduate students will be engaged in the proposed projects. Two graduate students will be trained. Extension workshops will be provided for AFO producers, integrators, government agency personnel and decision makers. The PI is committed to recruiting more female and minority students into engineering and set them on a path to science and engineering careers. The PI will actively work with professors in a female college, Meredith College, to recruit their outstanding undergraduates to an undergraduate summer research program. The undergraduate summer research program will foster interdisciplinary and hands-on education at an early stage and bring more students, especially women and minorities, into the research fields.