UMN Stormwater Series Seminar: Water-Soluble Emerging Contaminants in GSI
Events Details
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Date: –
- Organization: UMN SAFL
- Event Type: Seminar
- Location: 2 SE 3rd Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414
- More Information:
Addressing the Challenge of Water-Soluble Emerging Contaminants in Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Abstract
Water-soluble contaminants present a wicked challenge for green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), which have been historically designed for particles and particle-associated contaminants. Soluble nutrients (e.g., nitrate, dissolved phosphorus) and hydrophilic trace organic contaminants (e.g., pesticides, vehicular compounds, building biocides) cannot be conventionally filtered and poorly sorb to conventional bioretention media, thereby presenting a risk to receiving waters if these contaminants pass through. There is thus a critical need to understand the fate of soluble contaminants in green stormwater infrastructure and improve sustained removal processes through innovations in GSI geomedia. We contend that synergizing innovative sorptive materials with biological processes is key to capturing contaminants during storm events and subsequently biodegrading contaminants during antecedent dry periods. In this work, I will describe our team’s research developing novel GSI geomedia with encapsulated sorptive materials and biodegrading microbes (bacteria, fungi) to capture and treat soluble contaminants. Additionally, we probe plant uptake and transformation processes for trace organic contaminants in GSI. New and ongoing research characterizes complex contaminant mixtures using non-target analysis for organic contaminant mixture evolution through green infrastructure. Finally, I will present a forthcoming tiered conceptual framework to consider GSI intervention prioritization for soluble, hydrophilic contaminants.
Event SpeakerGreg LeFevre is an associate professor of environmental engineering and science in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa where he started in 2016. He did his BS at Michigan Tech, MS/PhD at University of Minnesota, and Postdoc at Stanford University all in environmental engineering. The LeFevre Lab focuses on elucidating biotransformation products and pathways of emerging organic contaminants with the goal of informing improved design of ‘engineered-natural’ treatment systems for non-point pollutants, like urban green stormwater infrastructure and agricultural drainage, and transform wastes into resources. Greg has received multiple sources of recognition for his work, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the University of Iowa Early Career Scholar of the Year award, the American Chemical Society Editor’s Choice award and ACS Best Paper award, ES&T James Morgan award (honorary mention), the Royal Society of Chemistry Environmental Sciences ‘Best Paper’, National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering fellow, the AEESP Best Dissertation (both as a PhD student and faculty advisor), amongst others.