Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The results obtained from this project target a broad audience, which includes local, state, and federal agencies (e.g., IEPA, USEPA, IDOA, and USDA); the scientific community (e.g, research scientists, Extension staff, and students); animal farm operators; farmers; conservationists; and the public of interest. Changes/Problems: Project Modification: One of the co-investigators, Teresa M. Chow, retired in July, 2011. After her retirement, she no longer contributed to this project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two post-doctoral researchers and five student helpers were trained through their work on this project. At the annual Naturally Illinois Exposition, we distributed our studies to more than 1,500 visitors every year, primarily focusing on students from 1st to 12th grade. Due to the media reports on our research, we were invited to participate in teaching a capstone-type course for animal science seniors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). We provided scientific presentations and participated in a class project to educate over 70 undergraduate students about estrogen studies in dairy wastewater. In addition, the PI of the project (Dr. Zheng), as an invited speaker, presented the works associated with this project in a graduate course for students of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science and other associated departments at the UIUC. At the 2013 National Chemistry Week, Dr. Zheng was also invited to provide a lecture for the UI ACS students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We have closely worked with the owners and operators of large animal farms, especially dairy and beef farms, to share our findings and results with them. Also, we proposed several suggestions based on our findings to help them improve their land application design and operation processes. We participated in the annual ACS meeting, SSSA Meeting, International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, Naturally Illinois Exposition, Illinois Farm, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center sustainability seminar, and Prairie Lightning Symposium to disseminate our research results. Through using a variety of media such as publications, reports, and newsletters, we shared study results with state and federal agencies, scientists, farmers, extension staff, communities, and any interested public. So far, five peer reviewed papers have been published in high quality journals and two manuscripts are in preparation for submission. Additionally, the results and information related to this project are also available to the public of interest through the ISTC website (http://www.istc.illinois.edu/special_projects/ppcp-env/) and the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable Blog (http://www.glrppr.org/blog). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) generate large volumes of manure and manure-contaminated runoff water. These wastes, which are commonly applied to farmland as a nutrient source, have been identified to discharge steroid hormones and active pharmaceutical residues into field soils, from which they may subsequently enter into the surrounding aquatic environment by leaching and runoff. This project aims to explore the environmental fate and transport of steroid hormones, veterinary antibiotics, and their metabolites derived from cattle farms. We have accomplished the major goals of this project through conducting laboratory, field, and modeling studies. First, we developed robust analytical methods for extraction and detection of three free hormones (17α-estradiol, 17b-estradiol, and estrone), three hormone conjugates (17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17b-estradiol-3-sulfate, and estrone-3-sulfate), and two veterinary antibiotics (ceftiofur and florfenicol) in water, manure-contaminated wastewater, and soil. To compensate for matrix effects observed in the analysis of environmental samples when using high performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), we utilized an isotope dilution method to provide more accurate analysis for those complex samples. All developed methods were applied in the studies concerning fate and transport of these hormones and antibiotics as well as monitoring their occurrence in various environmental samples. Second, we conducted a laboratory experiment to investigate the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of six steroid hormones and two antibiotics in aqueous solutions blended with dairy lagoon water or beef farm recycled wastewater. We found a reversible transformation process among 17α-estradiol, 17b-estradiol, and estrone in the blended dairy lagoon water under anaerobic conditions. A reversible kinetic reaction model was developed to successfully simulate the degradation and regeneration processes of the parent hormones and their metabolites. For both free and conjugated hormones, rates of anaerobic degradation were significantly less than those of aerobic degradation. This result suggests that anaerobic conditions would greatly slow or prevent breakdown of these hormone contaminants, possibly leading to accumulation in the anoxic environment over time. Additionally, a biological degradation mechanism for cefitiofur in beef recycled wastewater was proposed through identifying its metabolites. According to our studies, we suggest that increasing the residence time of wastewater in lagoons or using aerobic settling tanks may be economical, feasible, and efficient practices to degrade hormone and antibiotic contaminants and thus reduce their loads to the environment. Third, a batch experiment was conducted to investigate the degradation and sorption of steroid hormones and two veterinary antibiotics in soils amended with and without animal manure. For steroid hormones, addition of animal manure into soil could not only improve soil sorption capacity, but also increase aerobic degradation rates of these contaminants in the soil. We found that deconjugation was a primary degradation mechanism for both estradiol conjugate isomers in the investigated soils. In addition, competitive sorption was also observed when two or three hormones occurred simultaneously in soils. Compared to two antibiotics, ceftiofur showed a relatively higher sorption capacity than florfenicol in the soils amended with animal manure. The latter was observed to be very mobile in soils without manure amendment. Moreover, florfenicol was found to be recalcitrant to degrading in soils, suggesting that this chemical may persist in the environment. Fourth, a modeling study associated with soil column experiments was conducted to evaluate the effect of colloids derived from manures on the transport of steroid hormones and antibiotics. We found that the manure-borne colloids enhanced the mobility of the antibiotic florfenicol, indicating that the presence of colloids may facilitate the leaching of the contaminant to groundwater through soil. Multiple chemical and physical processes caused by the presence of manure colloids were considered to contribute to facilitated transport. A two-site nonequilibrium adsorption contaminant transport model was developed to quantitatively predict the colloid-facilitated transport of the antibiotic. The contaminant transport model indicated that the mechanisms of the facilitated florfenicol transport are as follows: manure colloids decrease the sorption capacity of florfenicol to soil, enhance the instantaneous equilibrium adsorption, and suppress the time-dependent kinetic adsorption processes. This colloid-facilitated model further evaluated the partition coefficient of florfenicol to colloids and indicated that co-transport has little contribution. Fifth, a field monitoring study was conducted to determine the potential occurrence of steroid hormones in the bodies of water surrounding agricultural fields receiving CAFO waste. Although these hormone contaminants were seldom detected in the well water samples, they were observed in some subsurface tile-drained water samples, especially during effluent irrigation and storm events. Also, we detected several pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones in rural lagoon water which is used for irrigation of agricultural fields. This suggests that potential uptake and accumulation of these contaminants into crop plants may occur. Our studies associated with this project have attracted a lot of public interest. Public media including newspapers, magazines, and radio stations have reported and disseminated our results. For example, U of I News Bureau has highlighted our findings associated with animal hormones (http://news.illinois.edu/news/12/0605estrogen_WeiZheng.html) in June, 2012 and pharmaceutical residues (http://news.illinois.edu/news/13/0214sewage_lagoons_WeiZheng.html) in February, 2013. Many magazines (e.g., Hoard's Dairyman, Water Environment and Technology Magazine, and The Environmental Magazine) and online media (e.g., Science Daily, Waste & Recycling News, and TreeHugger) have cited, disseminated, or provided an editorial pertaining to our research in this project. We have also been interviewed by radio stations to talk about our research to the public.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zheng, W.; Zou, Y.; Li, X.; and Machesky, M.L. 2013. Fate of estrogen conjugate 17alpha-estradiol-3-sulfate in dairy wastewater: Comparison of aerobic and anaerobic degradation and metabolite formation. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 258-259: 109-115.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zheng, W.; Li, X.; Yates, S.R.; and Bradford, S.A. 2012. Anaerobic transformation kinetics and mechanism of steroid estrogenic hormones in dairy lagoon water, Environmental Science and Technology. 46: 5471-5478.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Li, X.; Zheng, W.; Machesky, M.L.; Yates, S.R.; and Katterhenry, M. 2011. Degradation kinetics and mechanism of antibiotic ceftiofur in recycled water derived from beef farms. Journal. Agricultural Food Chemistry. 59: 10176-10181.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zheng, W.; Zou, Y.; and Machesky, M.L. Environmental fate of pharmaceuticals and hormones derived from water reuse. 246th ACS National Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana. September, 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zheng, W. (2012). Water reuse vs food safety. 2012 Prairie Lightning Symposium. Champaign, Illinois. November, 2012.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2011
Citation:
Zheng, W. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in reused water and biochar in bioenergy. 2011 Prairie Lightning Symposium. Champaign, Illinois. November, 2011.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zou, Y.; and Zheng, W. 2013. Modeling manure colloids facilitated transport of weakly hydrophobic antibiotic florfenicol in saturated soil columns. Environmental Science & Technology. 47: 5185-5192. DOI: 10.1021/es400624w.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Li, X.; Zheng, W.; and Kelly, W.R. 2013. Occurrence and removal of pharmaceutical and hormone contaminants in rural wastewater treatment lagoons, Science of the Total Environment. 445-446: 22-28. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.035.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zheng, W.; Wiles, K.; and Holm, N. Uptake, translocation, and accumulation of pharmaceutical and hormone contaminants in vegetables. 246th ACS National Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana. September, 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Zou, Y.; and Zheng, W. Modeling manure colloids facilitated transport of weakly hydrophobic antibiotic florfenicol in saturated soil columns. The 3rd Postdoc Research Symposium, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL. January, 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zheng, W.; Li, X.; and Kelly, W.R. Analysis of pharmaceutical and estrogen contaminants from a rural wastewater treatment facility. 6th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology. Houston, Texas. June, 2012.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zheng, W.; Li, X.; Zhou, Y.; and Machesky, M.L. Degradation kinetics and mechanism of conjugated steroid estrogens in dairy lagoon wastewater. 6th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology. Houston, Texas. June, 2012. (Poster Award, First-place: http://www.aasci.org/conference/env/2012/award2012.html).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zou, Y., Zheng, W., and Bradford, S. Colloid facilitated transport of veterinary pharmaceutical florfenicol in saturated sand and soil columns. Abstract of Papers of the American Chemical Society, the Division of Agrochemicals (AGRO). 244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. August, 2012.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zou, Y., Meschewski, B., and Zheng, W. Fate of conjugated steroid hormones in concentrated animal feeding operation wastewater. Abstract of Papers of the American Chemical Society, the Division of Agrochemicals (AGRO). 244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. August, 2012.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Zou, Y. Source apportionment analysis, theory, application, and a new idea. The ISTC Brown Bag Seminar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Champaign, Illinois. August, 2012.
|
Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The widespread occurrence of pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones in the aquatic environment has been recognized as an emerging environmental issue. Land application of concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) waste (including manure and manure-contaminated water) has been identified to be a major source discharging these emerging contaminants to field soils. Subsequently, the contaminants can enter into the surrounding aquatic environment by leaching and runoff from the soil. The overall goal of this project is to identify and quantify the environmental fate and transport of steroid hormones, veterinary antibiotics, and their metabolites released from CAFOs; reduce their contamination in soil and water; and thereby protect and maintain valuable water supplies for agricultural irrigation and livestock production. During this reporting period, we have made progress on the following objectives and tasks: (1) Conduct soil column experiments to investigate the colloid-facilitated transport of steroid hormones and veterinary antibiotics in the presence and absence of manure suspensions. (2) Investigate factors controlling colloid-facilitated transport of hormones and antibiotics in soil profiles and aquifer phases to understand transport mechanisms of manure-associated contaminants. (3) Develop a one-dimensional Advection-Dispersion model coupled with nonlinear, nonequilibrium sorption equations to simulate the colloid-facilitated transport processes of hormone and antibiotic contaminants. (4) Explore the sorption and degradation of steroid hormones and veterinary antibiotics in soils amended with manure. Investigate the competitive sorption between hormones/antibiotics and their metabolites. (5) Investigate the aerobic and anaerobic degradations of three conjugated hormones in aqueous solutions blended with CAFO wastewater. Evaluate the degradation kinetics and mechanisms between hormone conjugates and their relevant free species. We have presented our research results at the Naturally Illinois Expo, International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology, and American Chemical Society annual meeting in 2012. In this project, we are closely working with the University of Illinois Extension staff, animal science faculty, and CAFO operators. Through using a variety of media such as publications, reports, and newsletters, we shared study results with state and federal agencies, scientists, farmers, and the general public. Research results have also been published in peer-viewed journals, with additional manuscripts currently being prepared for submission. The results and information related to this project are also available to the public of interest through the ISTC website (http://www.istc.illinois.edu/special_projects/ppcp-env/) and the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable Blog (http://www.glrppr.org/blog). PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Wei Zheng as the Project Director has primary responsibility for execution of the project, including supervising, coordinating, and conducting the proposed research tasks. Dr. Michael Machesky worked closely with Dr. Zheng to plan and supervise the transport study and the model simulation work. Dr. Yonghong Zou is a postdoctoral scientist who was responsible for the day-to-day execution of laboratory experiments and column studies as well as model development. Kelsey Wiles, Christie Teausant, and Brian Meschewski served as support chemists to assist the postdoctoral scientist for sample preparation and analysis. During this reporting period, Dr. Zheng was invited to participate in teaching a capstone-type course for animal science seniors at the UIUC. He provided scientific presentations and participated in a class project to educate over 70 undergraduate students about estrogen studies in dairy wastewater. In addition, Dr. Zheng, as an invited speaker, presented the works associated with this project in a graduate course for students of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the UIUC. At the 2012 Naturally Illinois Exposition, participants distributed their studies to more than 1,500 students (from 1st to 12th grade). Also, a post-doctoral fellow and several students were trained through their works in this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The results obtained from this project target a broad audience, including state and federal regulators (e.g., IEPA, USEPA, IDOA, and USDA); the scientific community (e.g, research scientists, extension staff, and students); animal farm operators; farmers; and conservationists. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Soil column experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of colloids derived from manures on the transport of steroid hormones and antibiotics. We found that manure-borne colloids can enhance the mobility of the antibiotic florfenicol, indicating that the presence of colloids may facilitate leaching of the contaminant to groundwater through soil. We suggested that the manure-borne colloids could occupy the sorption sites on the soil and thereby reduce binding potential of the antibiotic to the soil. Also, florfenicol could associate with dissolved organic matter originating from manure to facilitate its transport in the soil columns. A one-dimensional Advection-Dispersion model coupled with nonlinear, nonequilibrium sorption equations was developed to quantitatively predict the colloid-facilitated transport of the antibiotic. This model demonstrated the transport processes of manure-associated florfenicol well. The sorption and mass transfer coefficients estimated through model simulation suggested that in the presence of animal manure, the equilibrium sorption capacity of the antibiotic on soil is decreased, but its sorption and desorption processes are accelerated. A sorption experiment showed that the sorption capacities of florfenicol in manure-amended soils were less than those in non-amended soils, which further confirms that colloid-facilitated transport of the antibiotic occurs in the presence of manure. A batch experiment was also conducted to investigate the degradation and sorption of three steroid estrogens in soils amended with manure. Competitive sorption was observed when two or three hormones occurred simultaneously in soils. A laboratory-scale experiment was conducted to investigate the aerobic and anaerobic degradations of three conjugated hormones in aqueous solutions blended with CAFO wastewater. Anaerobic degradation rates were found to be significantly lower than aerobic degradation rates, suggesting that anaerobic conditions greatly slow or prevent breakdown of these hormone contaminants, possibly leading to contaminant accumulation in the anoxic environment over time. Our studies associated with this project have attracted a lot of public interest. Public media including newspapers, magazines, and radio stations have reported and disseminated our results. For example, U of I News Bureau (June, 2012) has highlighted our findings (http://news.illinois.edu/news/12/0605estrogen_WeiZheng.html). Some magazines (e.g., Hoard's Dairyman) and online media (e.g., Science Daily, Waste & Recycling News, The Environmental Magazine, and TreeHugger) have cited, disseminated, or provided an editorial pertaining to our research in this project. We have also been interviewed by radio stations to talk to the public about our research.
Publications
- Zheng, W., Li, X., Yates, S.R. and Bradford, S.A. 2012. Anaerobic transformation kinetics and mechanism of steroid estrogenic hormones in dairy lagoon water. Environmental Science and Technology, 46, 5471-5478.
- Li, X., Zheng, W. and Kelly, W.R. 2012. Occurrence and removal of pharmaceutical and hormone contaminants in rural wastewater treatment lagoons. Science of the Total Environment (In Press). Doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.035.
- Zheng, W. 2012. Environmental fate of pharmaceuticals and hormones in reused water. Naturally Illinois Expo, Champaign, Illinois. March, 2012.
- Zheng, W., Li, X. and Kelly, W.R. 2012. Analysis of pharmaceutical and estrogen contaminants from a rural wastewater treatment facility. 6th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology. Houston, Texas. June, 2012.
- Zheng, W., Li, X., Zhou, Y. and Machesky, M.L. 2012. Degradation kinetics and mechanism of conjugated steroid estrogens in dairy lagoon wastewater. 6th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology. Houston, Texas. June, 2012. (Poster Award, First-place: http://www.aasci.org/conference/env/2012/award2012.html).
- Zou, Y., Zheng, W. and Bradford, S. 2012. Colloid facilitated transport of veterinary pharmaceutical florfenicol in saturated sand and soil columns. Abstract of Papers of the American Chemical Society, the Division of Agrochemicals (AGRO). 244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. August, 2012.
- Zou, Y., Meschewski, B. and Zheng, W. 2012. Fate of conjugated steroid hormones in concentrated animal feeding operation wastewater. Abstract of Papers of the American Chemical Society, the Division of Agrochemicals (AGRO). 244th ACS National Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. August, 2012.
- Zou, Y. 2012. Source apportionment analysis, theory, application, and a new idea. The ISTC Brown Bag Seminar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Champaign, Illinois. August, 2012.
- Zheng, W. 2012. Water reuse vs food safety. 2012 Prairie Lightning Symposium. Champaign, Illinois. November, 2012.
|
Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Land application of concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) waste (e.g., manure and manure-contaminated water) is a feasible and economical waste management solution which can provide nutrients and organic matter for plant growth and offer an alternative water source to reduce the demand for high quality water. However, this agricultural practice leads to a transfer of steroid hormones and active pharmaceutical residues from animal waste to soil, which may subsequently enter into the surrounding aquatic environment by leaching and runoff. The goal of this project is to investigate the environmental fate and transport of several commonly-occurring steroid hormones, veterinary antibiotics, and their metabolites derived from the agricultural use of CAFO manure and wastewater, minimize their contamination in soil and water, and thereby develop effective management strategies to protect valuable water supplies. During this reporting period, we have made progress on the following objectives and tasks: (1) Determine the anaerobic transformation kinetics and mechanisms of steroid estrogenic hormones in dairy lagoon water. (2) Investigate deconjugation, transformation, and sorption of three representative hormone conjugates in aqueous and soil systems associated with manure. Evaluate the degradation kinetics and mechanisms between hormone conjugates and their relevant free species. (3) Explore the sorption of steroid hormones and two veterinary antibiotics in soils amended with manure. Examine the competitive sorption between hormones/antibiotics and their metabolites. (4) Examine the transport of hormones, antibiotics, and their major metabolites in the presence and absence of manure suspensions. Understand the mechanism of colloid-facilitated transport for manure-associated veterinary antibiotics. (5) Monitor hormone and antibiotic contaminants in the groundwater surrounding agricultural fields receiving CAFO waste. We participated in the 2011 Naturally Illinois Exposition, 2011 Illinois Farm, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) sustainability seminar, and the annual ACS meeting to disseminate some of our results. Also, we are closely working with University of Illinois Extension personnel and operators of large animal farms to share our findings. Through publications, reports, and newsletters, we shared study results with state and federal agencies, scientists, animal farm operators, farmers, conservationists, and the public. Two scientific papers have been accepted or published in peer-viewed journals and one manuscript is in preparation for submission. Additionally, the results and information related to this project are also available through the ISTC website (http://www.istc.illinois.edu/special_projects/ppcp-env/) and the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable Blog (http://www.glrppr.org/blog). PARTICIPANTS: Wei Zheng serves as the Project Director and has primary responsibility for designing the full research plan. He is involved in developing analytical methods, supervising, and conducting the laboratory and field research tasks. Michael Machesky worked closely with Dr. Zheng to plan, supervise, and conduct the laboratory and field research tasks. He is responsible for the transport study and model simulation tasks. Xiaolin Li is a postdoctoral researcher and was responsible for the day-to-day execution of laboratory and field studies as well as data analysis. Christie Teausant is an analytical chemist who worked closely with the postdoctoral scientist to prepare and analyze samples. Brian Meschewski and Nirva Patel served as hourly students to assist the postdoctoral scientist for laboratory and field works. Partner organizations, collaborators, and contacts: Walton R. Kelly is a research scientist at the Illinois Water Survey and Roderick Mackie is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois; both helped with field sampling and participated in evaluating the results. Mike Katterhenry and Tom Nash are collaborators in this project. They are managers of dairy and beef farms owned by the University of Illinois. They allowed the investigators access to the farms and helped in sampling and field studies. Training or professional development: A post-doctoral fellow and two undergraduate students were trained through their works in this project. At the 2011 Naturally Illinois Exposition we distributed information to more than 1,500 students (including elementary school, middle school, high school, and college students). TARGET AUDIENCES: The results obtained from this project target a broad audience, which includes local, state and federal agencies (such as IEPA, USEPA, IDOA, and USDA), members of the scientific community (such as research scientists, Extension staff, and students), animal farm operators, farmers, and conservationists. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Dr. Teresa M. Chow retired in 2010 and is no longer a Co-Investigator on this project.
Impacts
This project aims to identify and quantify the environmental fate and transport of steroid hormones, veterinary antibiotics, and their metabolites released from CAFOs. A laboratory batch experiment revealed a reversible transformation process among 17α-estradiol, 17b-estradiol, and estrone in the blended dairy lagoon water under anaerobic conditions. A reversible reaction kinetic model was developed to successfully simulate the degradation and regeneration processes of the parent hormone and its metabolites. This study suggests that these estrogenic hormones may persist in the anaerobic environment. Thus, anoxic aquatic sediments and groundwater have the potential to be a reservoir for accumulation of these endocrine chemicals. Similarly, a laboratory-scale study was conducted to investigate the degradation of three representative hormone conjugates (17α-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17b-estradiol-3-sulfate, and estrone-3-sulfate) in aqueous and soil systems associated with animal manure. We found that the deconjugation is primarily a degradation mechanism for both estradiol conjugate isomers in the investigated soil systems. By contrast, estrone conjugate was identified as a major metabolite for the degradation of both estradiol conjugates in aqueous solutions in the presence of CAFO wastewater. During this reporting period, field monitoring was conducted to determine the potential occurrence of steroid hormones in the water bodies surrounding agricultural fields receiving CAFO waste. Although these hormone contaminants were seldom detected in the well water samples, they were observed in some subsurface tile-drained water samples, especially during effluent irrigation and storm events. Also, a batch experiment was conducted to investigate the degradation and sorption of two veterinary antibiotics (ceftiofur and florfenicol) in soils amended with animal manure. The result showed that ceftiofur has relatively high sorption capacity compared to florfenicol. The latter was observed to be very mobile in soils with and without manure amendment. Moreover, florfenicol was found to be recalcitrant to degrading in soils, suggesting that this chemical may persist in the environment. A column study is being performed to simultaneously investigate the degradation and transport of two antibiotics in the amended soils and the mechanism of colloid-facilitated transport for manure-associated veterinary antibiotics. Overall, the results derived from our laboratory and field studies provide scientific information that will be useful for stakeholders as they develop integrated management strategies to mitigate potential adverse impacts associated with the reuse of CAFO wastewater. Peer-viewed journals will be used for our scientific manuscript submission.
Publications
- Li, X., Zheng, W., Machesky, M.L., Yates, S.R. and Katterhenry, M. 2011. Degradation kinetics and mechanism of antibiotic ceftiofur in recycled water derived from beef farms. J. Agric. Food Chem., 59, 10176-10181.
- Zheng, W., Li, X., Yates, S.R. and Bradford, S.A. 2012. Anaerobic transformation kinetics and mechanism of steroid estrogenic hormones in dairy lagoon water. Environ. Sci. Technol. (In Press).
- Zheng, W. 2011. Pharmaceuticals and hormones in animal farm runoff. Naturally Illinois Expo, Champaign, IL, March, 2011
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The presence of hormones and antibiotics in the aquatic environment has increasingly received attention from scientific, regulatory, and public sectors. Steroid hormones and veterinary antibiotics as emerging contaminants are primarily derived from the land application of livestock wastes (including manure and manure-contaminated water) generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The primary goal of this project is to investigate the environmental fate and transport of several commonly-occurring steroid hormones, veterinary antibiotics, and their metabolites derived from the agricultural use of CAFO manure and wastewater; minimize their contamination in soil and water; and thereby develop effective management strategies to protect valuable water supplies. During the reporting period, our studies in 2010 primarily focused on addressing the following specific project objectives: (1) Determine the degradation kinetics and mechanisms of three widely present steroid hormones in dairy and beef farms in aqueous and soil systems associated with cattle manure. (2) Identify products and determine degradation processes of two representative veterinary antibiotics used in dairy and beef farms in aqueous and soil systems associated with cattle manure. (3) Propose management strategies to minimize the load of hormone and antibiotic contaminants from CAFOs into the environment. We are closely working with the owners or operators of large animal farms, especially for dairy and beef farms, to share our findings and results with them. Also, we proposed some suggestions based on our findings to help them to improve their land application design and operation processes. We participated in the Naturally Illinois Exposition and annual ACS meeting and shared our study results with state and federal agencies, Extension staff, communities, and the public. The study results give them scientific information that informs their efforts to design effective regulatory programs and management strategies to minimize the negative environmental effects of hormone and antibiotic contaminants on the surrounding water supplies. In addition, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) offers information outreach services including a pollution prevention program and a sustainability seminar (http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm), as well as the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) (http://www.glrppr.org/). The results and information related to this project are available to the public through the ISTC website (http://www.istc.illinois.edu/special_projects/ppcp-env/) and the GLRPPR Blog (http://www.glrppr.org/blog). To further distribute our results, two manuscripts are in preparation for submission to peer-viewed journals. PARTICIPANTS: Individual: Dr. Wei Zheng serves as a Project Director and has primary responsibility for designing the full research plan. He is involved in developing analytical methods, supervising, and conducting the laboratory and field research tasks as well as model simulations. Ms. Teresa Chow was responsible for optimizing analytical methods and supervising all analytical works in the project. Dr. Michael Machesky worked closely with Dr. Zheng to plan, supervise, and conduct the laboratory and field research tasks. He is responsible for the transport study and model simulation tasks. Dr. Xiaolin Li is a postdoctoral researcher and was responsible for the day-to-day execution of laboratory and field studies as well as data analysis. Ms. Christie Teausant is an analytical chemist who worked closely with the postdoctoral scientist to prepare and analyze samples. Although Drs. Zheng (25%), Chow (10%), and Machesky (15%) provided their time to the project, no money was paid for their service. Dr. Li is a full-time researcher for this project and his salary and benefits were supported by this grant. Ms. Teausant received salary for her work on the grant. Partner organizations, collaborators, and contacts: Dr. Rod Mackie is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, and Dr. Ivan Krapac is a research scientist at the Illinois State Geological Survey who both helped field sampling and participated in the discussion with the Investigators for the results. Mr. Mike Katterhenry and Mr. Tom Nash are collaborators on this project. They are managers of dairy and beef farms owned by the University of Illinois. They allow the investigators access to the farms and helped sampling and field study. Training or professional development: A post-doctoral fellow and several student helpers were trained through their works in this project. At the 2010 Naturally Illinois Exposition we distributed our studies to more than 2,000 visitors. TARGET AUDIENCES: We shared study results with state and federal agencies, Extension staff, communities, and the public using a variety of media such as publication, reports, and newsletters. This information can help federal and state agencies evaluate the current performance of animal farms, formulate wise regulatory programs, and provide best management strategies to minimize the impact of animal hormones and veterinary antibiotics on the aquatic environment. Through closely working with the operators of animal farms, we addressed potential weaknesses in their land application design and operation processes as well as proposed some strategies for improvement. We presented our work at the 2010 Naturally Illinois Exposition. The visitors who attended this event were aware of the potential issues related to hormone and antibiotic contaminants derived from large animal farms. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Large volumes of manure-contaminated wastewater, wash water, and storm water runoff can be generated at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The reuse of CAFO wastewater on agricultural lands can decrease the amount of wastewater discharge into sensitive water bodies and beneficially utilize the nutrients in the discharge as fertilizers for irrigation applications. However, the wastewater from large confined-animal farms usually retains many contaminants such as excess amounts of nutrients, salts, pathogens, heavy metals, hormones and antibiotics, which could pose environmental and public health risks if the wastewater is widely applied for agricultural irrigation. This project addresses how wastewater reuse from dairy and beef farms contributes to the problem of animal hormones and veterinary antibiotics in the environment. The initial phase of the study primary focused on established robust analytical methods for extraction and detection of three free hormones (17a-estradiol, 17b-estradiol, and estrone), three hormone conjugates (17a-estradiol-3-sulfate, 17b-estradiol-3-sulfate, and estrone-3-sulfate), and two new veterinary antibiotics (ceftiofur and tulathromycin) in water, manure contaminated wastewater, and soil matrices. To compensate for matrix effects observed in the analysis of environmental samples when using high performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), we also utilized an isotope dilution method to provide more accurate analysis for those complex samples. All developed methods are applicable for the studies regarding fates and transport of these hormones and antibiotics as well as their monitoring in various environmental samples. We also comprehensively investigated the transformation kinetics and mechanisms of three steroid hormones and two antibiotics in dairy lagoon water and beef recycled wastewater during the reporting period (in 2010). We found a reversible transformation occurred among three hormones in the dairy lagoon water, which resulted in the hormone contaminant persistence in the environment. A biological degradation mechanism for cefitiofur in beef recycled wastewater was proposed through identifying its metabolites. Also, our initial results suggest that increasing the residence time of wastewater in lagoon or using aerobic settling tanks may be economical, feasible, and efficient practices to degrade hormone and antibiotic contaminants and thus reduce their loads to the environment. These results will be useful for development of integrated management strategies to mitigate potential adverse impacts associated with the reuse of CAFO wastewater. We have presented our work at the 2010 Naturally Illinois Exposition, ISTC sustainability seminar and on their website, and the annual ACS meeting. Peer-viewed journals will be used for our scientific manuscript submission.
Publications
- Zheng W. and Chow, T.M. 2010. PPCPs, emerging contaminants in the environment (abstract). Naturally Illinois Expo, Champaign, Illinois, March, 2010.
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