Past Projects

Primary Investigator

Jeffrey Gralnick

Co-Investigators

Victoria Portuguez Molina (Undergraduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Mass production of electronics has increased demand for a range of elements. Recovery and reuse of metals from electronics is the only sustainable pathway forward. We hypothesize that thermophilic metal-reducing bacteria could be used to mobilize valuable metals from electronic waste.

Solution

Biomining, or the use of microbes to selectively solubilize valuable metals, is an emerging area of research. Thermophillic microbes may present a unique approach to mobilizing high-value metals (cobalt, silver, gold, rare earth elements, etc.) from mine and/or electronic waste streams.

Impact

In this basic research project, we will grow the Gram positive thermophile Thermincola under a variety of laboratory conditions to better understand the conditions that produce abundant cell mass. We will then use model E-waste components to test mobilization of metals under various conditions, quantifying a range of metals with ICP-MS.

Primary Investigator

Sam Toan

Co-Investigators

Ian McNicholes (Undergraduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

The growth in global economies attributed to the emergence of new technologies needed for industrialization and the associated consumption of fossil fuels leads to serious environmental concerns such as climate change, acid rain, and smog formation. Climate change, resulting from the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG)– including carbon dioxide (CO2), which is the most prevalent – is considered the most serious.

Solution

We are proposing using a solvent based technology: catalytic amine based sorbent to capture CO2 from air. A metal based catalysts such as TiO(OH)2, Mg(OH)2, NaOH, TiO2, etc. will be used to combine with amine solution to create an effective capture sorbent. In this project, student will investigate the effectiveness of different metal based catalyst combined amine based sorbent for direct air capture. This technology could be used in Minnesota to remove excessive carbon dioxide from the environment, remediating the effects of carbon dioxide in air and the resulting damages to the ecology and human health.

Impact

If succeed, this proposed novel technology will lead into more compact capture units due to the enhanced reaction kinetics and lead to an open door to the second stage of the project: converting CO2 to fossil fuel replacement energy such as ethanol, and butanol. In addition, it can provide a near zero emissions CO2 capture system if the solar energy is integrated in this DAC and conversion scaled up plant. The laboratory-scale proof of concept can then be easily scaled up due to the compact size of the system and its cost-effectiveness. If the proposed technology is successfully demonstrated on a large scale, there is the promise for investments (from both the public and private sectors) for further scale-up and validation that brings us one step closer to achieving negative carbon emissions, while potentially influencing carbon emission policies in both the state of Minnesota and the U.S. The results of this project will also be published in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals.

Primary Investigator

Peter Kang

Co-investigators

Josh Feinberg, Michael Chen, and Sang Lee

Industry Partners

Bay West, LLC

Problem

Soil and groundwater systems, as well as many engineered remediation systems, are controlled by porous media flow. Naturally occurring biofilms often clog these systems, reducing flow rates and lowering the overall performance of a remediation system. Conversely, biofilms can consume contaminants, which may enhance existing remediation in a treatment system. To minimize clogging and fully exploit the bioremediation potential of biofilms, we need to better understand biofilms at a micro-scale within the filtration system itself.

Solution

A microfluidic visualization system can offer a better understanding of biofilms through direct observation of biofilm development in porous media. This new system will allow researchers to investigate the effects of fluid flow, water chemistry, and pore structure on the distribution and morphology of biofilms, as well as their subsequent impact on the overall remediation process. This knowledge can then be used to create optimal operating conditions for a system where bioclogging is minimized and bioremediation is maximized.

Impact

By balancing the detrimental and beneficial effects of biofilm formation in porous media, groundwater remediation system performance can be optimized. We will collaborate with the Science Museum of Minnesota to increase public awareness of bioremediation technologies, as well as the challenges associated with addressing groundwater contamination. This work will also support undergraduate internships that can facilitate entry into the workforce after graduation.

Principal Investigator

Claudia Schmidt-Dannert, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics

Co-Investigators

Maureen Quin, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, Alptekin Aksan, Mechanical Engineering

Industrial Partner

Minnepura Technologies

Overview

This project is proposing to develop an advanced biocomposite material for the rapid, on-site sequestration and detoxification of heavy metals and organic pollutants via a sustainable bioremediation approach. This material will be adaptable to a range of remediation sites, including heavy metal (e.g. arsenic, cadmium, mercury) contaminated mine drainage streams typical in northern Minnesota, and agricultural soil treated with pesticides and fertilizers. Our material will be built from robust detoxifying “Biohubs” that will be encased in silica to create a stable, portable and reusable material for field-deployment in a range of mitigation systems (e.g. flow-through packed bed reactors, membrane reactors, stirred tank leach reactors). 

Primary Investigator

Ping Wang

Co-Investigators

Joshua Goering (Undergraduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Airborne organic pollutants present greatly concerned threats to both human health and the environment. Efficient and sustainable onsite treatments for air quality control against very diluted pollutants are highly desired, yet not well developed yet.

Solution

Biodegradation of airborne organic pollutants (volatile organic compounds) using carbon fiber-supported biofilms was recently proven efficient in our lab for air clean up against VOC pollutions, in that it can achieve complete degradation of the VOC with minimum energy requirement and in a safe and sustainable manner. The new process involves no bulk phase aqueous solutions, different from traditional biodegradation systems where large quantities of precious water is demanded. The reaction kinetics for such a gas-biofilm reaction system is a new subject to be explored, and will provide basic info for future development of such biofilms reactors. This project aims to establish fundamental kinetic data and analysis for such a biodegradation system.

Impact

The proposed kinetic studies are expected to establish theoretical basis for evaluation and design of biofilm reactors using nontraditional gaseous substrates. Such reactors, easy to operate and can be applied in a sustainable pattern at adjustable scales for air pollution treatment against VOC emission, protecting both human health and the environment.

Primary Investigator

Jiwei Zhang

Co-Investigators

Cara Santelli, Jerry Cohen, Charles Ayers (Graduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

SKB Environmental, Wenck-Stantec

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar (with NRRI Travel Grant)

Problem

PFAS are persistent and ubiquitous environmental contaminants, and these “Forever chemicals” are amongst Minnesota’s and the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Novel and efficient remediation technologies are needed to address the problem. Bioremediation would be an attractive alternative to physio-chemical methods that are often impractical on the scale required. Despite initial successes in PFAS degradation by microbes, the mechanisms of this degradation are not yet fully understood, particularly for fungi, hindering the development of relevant bioremediation technologies.

Solution

Fungi are an attractive option for the development of biological treatment for PFAS, namely “mycoremediation”. Leveraging the Zhang lab’s expertise in fungal biology with collaborators’ expertise in bioremediation and metabolite chemistry will allow for the development of a fungal platform to concurrently develop a bioremediation application for PFAS. This interdisciplinary collaboration will also allow for elucidating the genetic and chemical pathways of fungal PFAS degradation, providing the basic information required to develop effective mycoremediation technologies.

Impact

Our work will advance the bioremediation research of PFAS and, directly, lead to the development of a fungal method for PFAS leachate control in landfills. This will facilitate industries and environmental managers to meet the goal set in Minnesota’s PFAS Blueprint, sustaining the local environments and economies. We also envision the fungal degradation of PFAS can have even broader applications in other relevant contaminated fields.

Primary Investigator

Jeffrey Gralnick

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

North Star Manganese Inc.

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Due to increasing demands for manganese alloys and rare metals, there is a need to concentrate and recover minerals from low-grade ores, waste rock, and tailings. Many deposits in Minnesota contain mixtures of manganese and iron that represent valuable resources if their constituent metals can be separated. However, hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes with high energy inputs are unprofitable with these ores, and most microbial bioleaching approaches rely on sulfur release that is undesirable in Minnesota. New, green technologies are needed to passively extract specific metals and separate them for easy downstream purification without sulfate or acid production.

Solution

This proposal describes a new approach where bacteria self-control redox potential without external input, to reductively solubilize specific metals while avoiding production of environmentally harmful products.

Impact

Manganese ore found in Minnesota is commonly contaminated with iron and other metals that have significant economic value. We hypothesize that organisms with built-in redox control can separate these metals.

Primary Investigator

Steve Severtson

Co-Investigators

Jiwei Zhang

Industry Partners

H.B. Fuller Company

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Compostability without sacrificing functionality is the requirement for the next generation of disposable adhesive products. Although sustainability considerations now play a major role in new adhesive designs, resources and guidance for companies looking to develop more sustainable commercial products are mostly absent.

Solution

The research proposed herein aims to identify technology and approaches to close the life-cycle loop on PSA, PS labels, and other related consumer products. The project emphasizes water based PSA, which accounts for most of the disposable PSA market. We will work with industrial partners to integrate PSA product design and fungal degradation to enable the engineering of the entire life cycle of pressure-sensitive (PS) products.

Impact

A number of Minnesota companies produce, coat or use PSA. It is a product whose market steadily increases 5% annually and is expected grow to nearly 13 billion dollars by 2025. This growth is due in large part to the expanding use of labels for applications such as mailing and shipping. In 2021, the United States will manufacture about 20 billion square meters of PS label products worth more than 15 billion dollars and containing more than 300 million dry pounds of PSA. Such products are manufactured, converted, sold, and, ultimately, discarded. The research proposed herein aims to identify technology and approaches to close the life-cycle loop on PSA, PS labels, and other related consumer products. 

Primary Investigator

Satoshi Ishii

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

3M Corporation

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar (with NRRI Travel Grant)

Problem

A large quantity of greenhouse gas N2O is produced by human activities. The chemical decomposition of N2O is too energy-intensive, and therefore, alternative low-cost technology is needed.

Solution

The proposed research will use bacteria to remove N2O from the air. Aerobic N2O-reducing bacteria identified in the Ishii lab can reduce N2O in ambient conditions, while the industry partner (3M) has highly efficient gas transfer membrane technology. By combining the U of M and the 3M’s technologies, this project will develop a highly efficient N2O-removing biofilter.

Impact

The goal of this project is to develop and optimize the biofilter that can remove >99% of the environmentally relevant N2O concentrations. The proposed research should contribute to reducing greenhouse gas N2O from the air with less cost. The proposed biofilter is designed to be easily scaled up; therefore, the biofilters should enhance the opportunities for industries in Minnesota. 

Primary Investigator

Boya Xiong

Co-Investigators

Sebastian Behrens

Industry Partners

Ramsey/Washington County Recycling and Energy Team

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Single-use plastic or Polyethylene (PE) is the dominant plastic in the world, at 30% of the total global plastic market. Single-use plastic is a significant contributor to the solid waste stream and production forecasts indicated continued growth over the next few years. PE is the third most abundant form of plastic waste in Minnesota landfills and contributes to the increasing prevalence of nano/microplastics in local and regional waterbodies. PE plastics are both largely non-biodegradable and non-recyclable, and will continue to pollute the environment without a sustainable management plan.

Solution

Recent findings on the biodegradation of PE’s show the potential to biologically recover energy within densely packed PE structures. MnDRIVE researchers recently discovered a consortium of fungus and bacteria in Minnesota that can degrade and utilize PE as their sole carbon source. Dr. Xiong’s Lab will build on this early finding to develop a novel co-treatment process to enhance the microbial conversion of PE into value-added intermediates and energy. By enhancing the degradation of densely packed PE structures, this treatment process will enable the bioconversion rate to meet industry demands.

Impact

The creation and implementation of this technology could completely alter the current, linear material flow of PE. The transition to a circular flow, where the use of PE products no longer signifies the end of its life, could stimulate and incentivize the collection and separation of such waste. A circular material flow for PE would drastically reduce the negative impacts of plastic waste accumulation. If successful, the product could be integrated with anaerobic microbial degradation and the accompanied production of biohydrogen and/or biomethane.

Primary Investigator

Lee Penn

Co-Investigators

Alon McCormick, Spencer Bingham (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

Barr Engineering; Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Natural Resources Research Institute

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

In Minnesota, excess sulfate in surface water is harmful to wild rice ecosystems. Current remediation techniques transform excess sulfate to sulfide using naturally occurring microbes. Still, the sulfide produced by microbes must be removed from the wastewater before it can be discharged, creating the need for novel sulfide removal methods.

Solution

The Penn Lab will use iron mining waste materials to remove the sulfide from water and produce iron sulfide solids. MnDRIVE researchers will optimize the conditions of iron sulfides formation to favor more stable products. The stability of the product iron sulfide must be optimized to minimize release of sulfur-species into the environment.

Impact

The ability to remediate sulfide from wastewater by producing stable forms of iron sulfide will prevent release of sulfur species into fresh water sources. Using waste from iron mining activities would employ materials that otherwise have little economic value. Results from MnDRIVE researchers will lead to improved safety in the management of sulfide and create economically useful materials.

Primary Investigator

Jiwei Zhang

Co-Investigators

Ulrike Tschirner, Shri Ramaswamy, Luke Heffernan (Undergraduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

PotlatchDeltic Bemidji Lumber; Andersen Windows and Doors

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

When treated lumber ends up in landfills, harmful chemical preservatives can be leached into nearby groundwater and soil. Despite EPA banning many of these commonly used wood preservatives, products such as Copper Chromium Arsenic (CCA) and creosote continue to generate environmental issues. Moreover, waste lumber is also considered a reusable biomass resource that could provide an additional revenue stream, if harmful chemicals can be  properly removed.

Solution

The Zhang Lab will collect samples from landfills that stack lumber waste and test for the presence of fungi. The team will then examine identified fungi and assess their tolerance to CCA and creosote, as a first step in determining a possible method for decontaminating lumber waste. Additionally, the fungi will be assessed for their ability to decompose wood, also part of the process in creating a source of biomass to be used for bioproducts.

Impact

Identification of fungal species from sources of wasted lumber products could provide new methods of chemical remediation – ultimately preventing CCA and creosote from leaking into wastewater and soil. The use of fungus in remediating waste wood biomass would enhance the potential new revenue stream for chemical-free biomass and bioproducts.

Primary Investigator

Steven Sternberg, Chemical Engineering, UMD

Co-Investigators

Elayna Meyer (Undergraduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Mining operations in northern Minnesota demand new methods for removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Mining facilities release heavy metals at low concentrations but remain highly toxic to local ecosystems and have the potential to increase in concentration as they are incorporated into food chains.

Solution

MnDRIVE researchers in the Sternberg Lab will test the ability of duckweed, a native Minnesotan plant, to remove three different heavy metals from water. The team will test copper, nickel, and lead at varying concentrations along with anions that commonly associate with the heavy metals: chloride, nitrate, and sulfate. Researchers will use duckweed and water in a lab setting and analyze for changes to biomass, plant health, water quality, and more after exposure to heavy metals and anions.

Impact

Using a native Minnesotan plant to remove heavy metals from water surrounding mining operations would create a natural method of remediation. A successful remediation process would support the health of local ecosystems and prevent heavy metals from being incorporated into food chains.

Primary Investigator

Cara Santelli

Co-Investigators

Tingying Xu (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

ClearWater BioLogic

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

A variety of metals mined in northern Minnesota are commonly used in the electronics, communications, and energy industries. However, mining occurs at a cost. High concentrations of metals in surrounding soils and waters can result from improper management of facilities and the mishandling of waste materials, posing significant risk to ecosystems and human health. Currently, few options exist for effective remediation of heavy metal contaminated waters.

Solution

Research shows that bioremediation of metal-laden water using microbial communities as a natural filtration system is effective. Specific Manganese-oxidizing “Mn-oxidizing” microbes act to remove Mn from metal rich fluids through natural redox reactions. Under the right conditions (e.g., pH), these reactions form Mn-oxide minerals that incorporate or adsorb the other metals. This moves manganese and metals from the liquid to solid phase and effectively lowers metal concentrations within the fluid. This project will investigate Mn-oxidizing microbes and their use in a bioremediation system to determine the capacity of this microbial system to simultaneously capture and remove other metals (Cobalt, Copper, Nickel) along with Mn from mining wastewater.

Impact

This research holds potential implications for both Minnesota and the mining industry at large. Development of an effective and low-cost bioremediation system to treat the heavy metal impaired waters of northern MN would provide significant ecosystem benefits. At the same time, Mn-oxidizing microbes offer a unique and valuable technology, if metals captured and enriched by the biominerals are selectively recoverable for downstream applications.

Principal Investigator

Sam Toan

Co-Investigators

Richard Davis, Weiguo Xie, and Ye Wu

Industry Partner

Minnesota Power

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Over 80 percent of the world’s electricity is produced from fossil fuels, which account for 25 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. New carbon-capture methods are needed for energy production sites, like Minnesota Power’s Boswell Energy Center, to address climate change concerns and meet Minnesota’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Solution

Nano-fluids, or fluids that have nanometer sized particles added to them, are known for their ability to make chemical reactions occur more easily, faster, and with greater efficiency. Prior investigation of nano-fluids has demonstrated their ability to improve the ease and efficiency of CO2 absorption and desorption reactions, thereby offering reduced net energy consumption for carbon-capture methods, possibly to zero. The proposed work will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-reduction possibilities through the use of flue gas samples collected from a coal-burning power plant in Cohasset, Minnesota. The investigation will enhance understanding of the kinetic and thermodynamic principles of nano-fluid CO2 capture.

Impact

The use of nano-fluids at the industrial-scale may be able to capture more CO2 and use less energy than traditional carbon-capture methods. Reducing energy requirements would also reduce the overall cost of implementing nano-fluid carbon-capture technologies. The proposed study could also lead to the use of nano-fluids to capture additional emission pollutants like SO2 and H2S.

Principal Investigator

Kathryn Fixen

Co-Investigators

Jack Reddan (Undergraduate Scholar)

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Many industrial processes, like gasoline production, release toxic, aromatic (ring-structured) chemical compounds into Minnesota’s groundwater. Some bacteria, like Rhodopseudomonas palustris, are capable of degrading toxic, aromatic rings through the benzoyl-CoA pathway. However, the full chemical process of detoxification is not well understood, thus limiting the ability to utilize bacteria to remediate certain chemicals from the environment.

Solution

In order to degrade aromatic compounds, bacteria must reduce, or add electrons to, benzoyl-CoA. The electrons are supplied to benzoyl-CoA by a different molecule called BadB. It is not clear where BadB and the electrons it supplies to the benzoyl-CoA pathway originate from. In other model bacteria, the enzyme 2-oxoglutarate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, encoded by the genes korAB, is known to supply electrons to BadB molecules. To see if this also holds true for R. palustris, the Fixen Lab will genetically modify multiple R. palustris strains by deleting the korAB genes and will observe changes in the ability to degrade aromatic rings.

Impact

The benzoyl-CoA pathway in R. palustris will be better defined through observing bacterial growth and detoxification without the korAB genes. The detoxification of aromatic chemicals already happens naturally on a global scale, but a better understanding of how the benzoyl-CoA pathway in R. palustris will allow bacteria to be used in novel remediation systems that optimize their detoxifying abilities.

Primary Investigator

Joshua Feinberg

Co-Investigators

Dan Jones, Jake Bailey, Kathryn Hobart (PhD Student), ZhaaZhaawaanong Greensky (Undergraduate Scholar)

Industry Partners  

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

The Duluth Complex rocks of northern Minnesota contain mineral resources such as copper, nickel, and platinum that are valuable to the state and global economy. However, these minerals are found in sulfide bearing rocks. Although natural oxidation of sulfide in mine waste occurs, rapidly enhanced rates of oxidation have been tied to the presence of certain microbial communities in these tailings. This enhanced oxidation results in elevated levels of sulfate and acid being input to the surrounding environment. These environmental contaminants are particularly detrimental to the culturally significant local wild rice populations.

Solution

Prior work has demonstrated that specific microbial species are responsible for enhanced sulfide oxidation of mining waste. One promising mitigation step towards decreasing sulfide oxidation rates is “bio-shrouding”, where sulfide ore is coated with organic material to prevent interaction between microbes and sulfide. Coating mine waste with organic compounds also promotes the growth of microbes that do not actively utilize sulfide, like algae. This creates a further physical barrier between the microbes that oxidize sulfide and the sulfide itself. The Feinberg team researched whether algal growth can be maintained on the surface of materials directly extracted from the Duluth Complex rocks. We found that algal growth on synthetic tailings may impede the growth of sulfide-oxidizing microorganisms and result in diminished sulfate release, but further study is required to determine if this effect scales in an industrially-useful way.

Impact

Contamination from sulfide-hosted mineral mining has the potential to significantly impact the economy of northern Minnesota and the entire state. However, the environmental consequences should not be ignored or overlooked. The predicted impact on ecosystems, particularly those hosting indigenous wild rice, can be positive if solutions like this prove to be sustainable and effective. Undergraduate ZhaaZhaawaanong Greensky received the 2018 SACNAS Student Presentation Award for her presentation on this research project (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science).

Primary Investigator

Ping Wang 

Co-Investigators

Benjamin Frigo, Chao Xu (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

3M

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Minnesota is home to a large community of ag/food, pharmaceutical, and other manufacturing companies. Many of these manufacturing facilities contribute significant amounts of volatile organic compounds “VOCs” into the atmosphere, as a by-product of their operations. VOCs are hazardous to human and environmental health and are actively monitored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. However, few if any effective measures exist for mitigation of these airborne contaminants, especially at high concentrations.

Solution

When placed within air filtration systems, specific microbes are capable of degrading VOCs, although their effectiveness is limited by the concentration and flux of VOCs through the filter. In other words, the contaminant needs to be present at higher levels so that the microbial community can thrive. Engineered nanocarbon matrices (envision microscopic nets) offer a high surface area structure that enhances accumulation and concentration of VOCs as interaction occurs. The Wang Lab will construct a bioreactor using nanocarbon matrices that will be used to investigate remediation of VOCs contaminated air. The nanocarbon matrix will host biofilms that degrade VOCs, and the system will be analyzed for optimization.

Impact

Development of VOC treatment systems that are based on microbial remediation of contaminated air, would offer significant advancement of this technology. The success of this technology would provide many regional industry organizations a new potential solution in treating VOC emissions. Adoption of such technologies could reduce VOC emissions significantly.

Primary Investigator

Brett Barney

Co-Investigators

Bo Hu, Natalia Calixto Mancipe (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

Dow Chemical Company

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Student Research

Problem

Plastics in our environment are detrimental to ecosystems. However, we know little about the capacity or efficiency of microbes to degrade these plastics. Are specific microbial communities more efficient than other communities, based on environmental conditions or composition of the plastic?

Solution

Recently, researchers discovered and isolated individual strains of bacteria capable of degrading petroleum-derived plastics. These strains, however, have not yet been studied under community conditions. Professor Barney’s team will evaluate and characterize the ability of entire bacterial and fungal communities to digest common plastics. To do so, the team will build four lab-scale anaerobic digesters to test plastic degradation of different microbial communities under varying conditions.

Impact

Development of an anaerobic plastic digester and a better understanding of the most effective microbial communities for degradation of plastics would offer a real and potentially scalable solution to the growing abundance of plastic in our environment. Studying microbial performance in a community-based setting should provide valuable insight on characterization under varying conditions, and ultimately the optimization of this remediation solution.

Primary Investigator

Brandy Toner

Co-Investigators

Cody Sheik and Brandy Stewart (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

American Peat Technology, Diamond Chrome Plating Inc., and Global Minerals Engineering, LLC.

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Industrial stormwater can require expensive treatment to remove environmentally hazardous materials including heavy metal contaminants. Businesses continually look for cheaper and more efficient treatment products to meet their needs.

Solution

Peat-based systems surpassed initial expectations, especially in removing chromium (Cr) from stormwater. Yet, we know little about why peat is so effective. Toner’s team will analyze both the microbial communities and chemical state of chromium in peat filtration systems operating at Diamond Chrome Plating’s Michigan facility. Their analysis will shed light on the role microbial communities and chemistry play in Cr filtration in order to maximize the efficiency of the treatment system at Diamond Chrome.

Impact

Identifying the role of microbial communities within peat-based filters may help optimize new microbe-based filtration systems. High efficiency, low-cost, and low-maintenance filtration systems targeting chromium and other heavy metals would be valuable across Minnesota given the abundance of heavy metal contaminated waterways throughout the state.

Primary Investigator

Steve Sternberg

Co-Investigators

Chan Lan Chun, Kristofer Isaacson (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

ME Elecmetal, American Peat Technology

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Stormwater runoff is recognized as the leading cause of water quality issues nationwide. Here in Minnesota, and specifically, in communities reliant on mineral extraction and manufacturing, stormwater runoff often mobilizes heavy metal and other contaminants, which are detrimental to the ecosystem and human health. While passive bio-reactors are proven tools for treatment and remediation of stormwater, further investigation is required to fully understand which bio-based materials and microbial communities are best combined for the removal of specific contaminants of concern.

Solution

ME Elecmetal is a Duluth-based foundry producing heavy equipment that is also seeking new and effective ways of preventing the release of contaminants from their properties during stormwater events. They are teaming up with the University of Minnesota researchers to analyze and identify bio-materials (e.g., manure, compost, crushed stone, woodchips, and peat) that are effective at removing various contaminants, such as aluminum, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus, nitrogen, and sulfate from stormwater. The project will collect stormwater samples from ME Elecmetal’s Duluth site and analyze them in different bioreactor systems to determine which bio-based media + microbe + environmental/flow conditions provide an adequate remediation system under multiple conditions.  

Impact

In addition to furthering our understanding of bio-based stormwater treatment technologies, this project will provide specific analysis and insight on the optimized treatment system and remediation approach for a whole category of facilities similar to ME Elecmetal. Once identified, the highest-performing treatment option could be added as a layer underneath permeable pavement or built into retention pond walls. This would not only improve passive heavy metal removal in stormwater at ME Elecmetal’s site, but potentially at numerous other facilities.

Primary Investigator

Jake Bailey

Co-Investigators

Daniel Jones

Industry Partners

Clearwater Layline LLC

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Mining operations on the Mesabi Iron Range can elevate sulfate levels in surrounding waters, which is detrimental to wild rice. Minnesota’s strict sulfate limits put technical and economic strain on mining operations and municipal water treatment plants that discharge into wild rice waters. Standard biological sulfate treatment utilizes anaerobic microorganisms to convert sulfate to sulfide. The sulfide is then removed by adding iron, which results in the production of solid iron sulfide. The iron addition creates other environmental issues in sulfate treatment systems, such as low pH and elevated Cl– in the effluent.

Solution

Biological oxidation of sulfide, a process that uses microbes to remove sulfide from water, could replace iron addition and produce elemental sulfur (S0) as a valuable end product to be sold to other industrial processes. The Bailey Lab will investigate microbial communities and conditions that promote consistent and predictable S0 production. Using lab-scale bioreactors to simulate field conditions, they will optimize the biological oxidation process to ultimately test at pilot- or field-scale.

Impact

Maintaining low sulfate concentrations is important for Ojibwe communities in Minnesota, who rely on wild rice, or manoomin, as a culturally, economically, and spiritually important plant. Biological oxidation of sulfide to S0 could help mining companies in northern Minnesota remove sulfate with a more cost-effective, environmentally friendly process. 

Primary Investigator

Joshua Feinberg

Co-Investigators

Daniel Jones (Co-PI)

Industry Partners

Kennecott Exploration Company/Rio Tinto

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

The Midcontinent Rift (MCR) in Minnesota may contain the planet’s largest undeveloped deposit of copper, nickel, and platinum group elements. Minnesota’s mining industry faces barriers to this important economic opportunity because of water quality concerns. Mining activities can release acidic, metal-rich drainage in the environmentally sensitive region of Northern Minnesota. Current technologies for treating mining drainage cannot be applied to mining within the MCR because sulfide minerals in the MCR are in a different form (pyrrhotite) than in other mines (pyrite).

Solution

Microbiological oxidation of metal sulfides in mining waters intensifies the generation of harmful acidic drainage. Most studies seeking to prevent microbial oxidation focus on the oxidation of pyrite rather than pyrrhotite. The Feinberg Lab will address the gap in knowledge about oxidation of pyrrhotite using mineralogical, microbiological, and geochemical techniques. The researchers will identify and quantify the mechanisms of microbial oxidation in the MCR to reduce acidic drainage.

Impact

Understanding the mechanisms of microbial oxidation of pyrrhotite will enable researchers to develop preventative measures that inhibit the acid-producing microbial process. This project hopes to balance the economic opportunities of mining in the MCR with the protection of the cherished aquatic environments of Northern Minnesota. 

Primary Investigator

Jeffrey Gralnick

Co-Investigators

Brittany Bennett, Peter Intile, and Kaitlyn Redford (Undergraduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Mining generates a large amount of economic activity in Minnesota but can have undesirable consequences such as the release of large amounts of heavy metals into the environment. At certain concentrations, heavy metals become toxic to living organisms. New remediation methods are necessary to reduce the environmental impact of an important industry.

Solution

Shewanella spp. are a type of environmental bacteria commonly found in aquatic sediments with heavy metals like manganese, chromium, arsenate, and uranium. Unlike other bacteria, Shewanella spp. have metal ion transport proteins which allows them to utilize heavy metals. The Gralnick Lab will characterize a gene called SO_3966 in Shewanella oneidensis which is believed to encode a protein that imports heavy metals into the bacteria. MnDRIVE researchers will identify which types of heavy metals can be imported by the protein, how the protein activity varies along different metal concentrations, and if similar genes are present in other Shewanella spp. bacteria.

Impact

The Gralnick Lab will examine how overexpression of the SO_3966 gene impacts the ability of Shewanella oneidensis to remove heavy metals from the surrounding environment. Characterizing the SO_3966 gene will provide information for how the bacteria could be adapted to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils and waters.

Primary Investigator

Cara Santelli

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

CH2M

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Selenium is a toxic element found in many industrial waste streams. Anaerobic bioremediation is used to reduce selenium to an insoluble form that is filtered out before releasing the waste stream to the environment. However, these anaerobic conditions sometimes necessitate further treatment and cannot be used on all waste streams.

Solution

Aerobic bacteria and fungi are known to also reduce selenium to insoluble forms but are thus far not used in selenium bioremediation. Dr. Cara Santelli seeks to develop and optimize an aerobic bioremediation system to circumvent issues associated with anaerobic systems.

Impact

The development of an aerobic selenium bioremediation system will alleviate the complexities of anaerobic bioremediation for industrial wastewater treatment. The system may also be applied in northeastern Minnesota to treat groundwater with naturally elevated selenium levels and discharge from proposed mining operations that may exceed selenium limits.

Primary Investigator

Sebastian Behrens

Co-Investigators

Kurt Spokas

Industry Partners

American Peat Technology; Global Mineral Engineering; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Mining operations in Northeastern Minnesota, and particularly copper-nickel and iron mineral mining, discharge water to the surrounding environment with high sulfate and heavy metal concentrations. Given the unique positioning within the regional hydrologic system, this contaminated water threatens the ecosystems of the Mississippi River, Lake Superior, and Rainy River watersheds. Prior research has shown high levels of sulfate and heavy metals to be toxic to plants and wildlife, such as wild rice and lake trout. With expanded mining operations proposed, it is critical that remediation technology and tools keep pace, and prevent these contaminants from entering Minnesota waterways.

Solution

The Behrens Lab is developing a low-cost, biochar-based material that absorbs sulfate and heavy metals and removes them from water. Biochar is a plant-derived porous media that will be enriched with iron and manganese to enhance it’s adsorptive properties relative to these contaminants. The adsorptive performance of the biochar will be evaluated and compared to other commercially available sorptive media. The team will thus be able to assess the effectiveness and efficacy of this lower-cost option.

Impact

Iron and manganese enriched biochar is a relatively simple and low-cost solution for removal of sulfate and heavy metals from water. Iron’s magnetic properties not only enhance removal of heavy metals, but also the potential for recovery of these valuable metals from the biochar media, contaminated soil or sediment. Removal of sulfate and heavy metals will also begin remediating the impacted waters that support a culturally and economically important wild rice “manoomin” industry in northern Minnesota.

Primary Investigator

Peter Kang

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

Barr Engineering, Bay West

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postgraduate Research Scholar

Problem

From 2017 to 2021, Minnesota received reports of 1,340 petroleum release incidents. Most of these incidents originated in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which is underlain by sediments and fractured aquifers. Bioremediation is a solution to fixing contaminated soil and aquifers. However, the presence of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), which are liquid contaminants like oil or petroleum that don’t dissolve easily in water, make bioremediation difficult. A large amount of NAPL becomes trapped in areas inaccessible to bacteria required in bioremediation processes.

Solution

Fungi have the ability to penetrate porous materials using their hyphae, which are thin, hair-like tubes, and could be used to penetrate rocks and crevasses containing NAPL. Therefore, fungus with hyphae, known as branching fungus, could remediate areas with trapped NAPLs. This project will investigate the best ways to utilize branching fungus for NAPL removal.

Impact

Using microfluidics, researchers at Kang lab visualized fungi hyphal penetration and growth patterns into oil-water surfaces in porous media for the first time. Combining visual laboratory experiments and sediment batch experiments, this project will lead to novel insights that can be applied to bioremediation fields, biomedical engineering, microbial-enhanced oil recovery, and industrial fermentative processes. This project also includes outreach activities such as the creation of a five-minute outreach video and undergraduate internships for students from underrepresented groups.

Primary Investigator

Christian Lenhart

Co-Investigators

Alexis Lipstein (Undergraduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Drained peatlands emit carbon dioxide (CO2) from accelerated decomposition of organic matter. The biogeochemical changes in drained peat also convert phosphorus to more bioavailable forms, increasing leakage from peatlands and eutrophication in the peatland itself and downstream. Re-wetting peatlands can reduce these pollutants in the long-term but restored wetlands may be net sources of CO2 and phosphorus the first few years after restoration.

Solution

Addition of low-cost, phenolic-rich biomass, in the form of spruce or tamarack wood chips, can suppress microbial activity, which drives organic matter decomposition in peatlands. We’ll place the wood chips in peatland meosocosms with different types of plant cover to assess the benefits for pollutant reduction.

Impact

Peatland restoration is being considered as a “natural climate solution” to help address climate change and improve water quality within peatlands and downstream (see the February 13 Star Tribune article). However, peatlands are often a source of CO2 and phosphorus when first restored. Addition of low-cost wood chips which are readily available on-site, with revegetation could improve the pollutant reduction performance of newly restored peatlands and foster greater acceptance by land managers and promotion of the practice.

Primary Investigator

Alptekin Aksan

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

Barr Engineering, 3M

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

There are more than 9,000 fluorinated chemicals (PFAS) developed for commercial use that contaminate Minnesota waters. Fluorinated chemicals are sometimes described as non-biodegradable, but recent work shows their biodegradation is possible (Huang & Jaffe, 2019; Liu, et al, 2020, and the attached letters of support).

Solution

We will combine bacteria that biodegrade fluorinated compounds provided by the Wackett, Jaffe, and Men laboratories (see letters of support) with silica encapsulation/adsorption technology developed in Aksan laboratory to remove and destroy PFAS chemicals from water. Aksan lab has previously demonstrated the feasibility of combining adsorptive materials with encapsulated biodegradative microorganisms to eliminate carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and s-triazine herbicides from drinking water. Here, we will focus on PFAS compounds using fluorophilic silica gels to concentrate PFAS compounds, which will be degraded by bacteria encapsulated in agarose gels in a reactive filter geometry.

Impact

Fluorinated chemicals are of significant concern due to their negative effects on health, even increasing the severity of COVID-19. Currently, PFAS contamination is treated by adsorption with activated carbon, incineration, landfilling, or degradation by high energy-demand, expensive processes (such as plasma treatment). Minnesota alone is spending nearly $1 billion to remediate these chemicals, largely emanating from legacy issues. As also indicated by our industry collaborators, low energy use techniques such as bioremediation would significantly increase our chances of removing these dangerous compounds from MN waters efficiently.

Primary Investigator

Micahel Smanski

Co-Investigators

Dr. Dimitri Perusse (Postdoctoral Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

Novoclade

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Microbial enzymes can degrade many harmful pollutants. Applying purified enzyme to contaminated soils or water can be cost prohibitive and ineffective, particularly when the pollutants are sequestered into complex organic matrices. In these cases, the enzymes cannot access the pollutants to break them down. Releasing live transgenic microorganisms expressing the enzymes faces difficult-to-overcome regulatory hurdles.

Solution

Transgenic animals offer several advantages for the on-site delivery of bioremediation enzymes. (1) They can functionally express microbial enzymes from diverse organisms, including bacteria and fungi. (2) They can break down organic matrices (e.g., plant matter) to free the pollutant and make it accessible to enzymatic degradation. (3) They can be easily sterilized via irradiation or genetic techniques to provide strict biocontainment and prevent against the release of transgenes into the environment.

Impact

If successful, this would be a new paradigm for bioremediation. The proof-of-concept could be extended to nearly any environment (aquatic, soil, marine, etc.) using different host animals.

Primary Investigator

Valerie Pierre

Co-Investigators

Srikanth Dasari (Postdoctoral Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

Metropolitan Council Wastewater Treatment Plant

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar with NRRI Travel Grant

Problem

The over-supply of phosphorus (P) primarily from wastewater discharge and agricultural runoff leads to eutrophication in many inland and coastal waters, causing substantial detrimental environmental impact, including harmful algal blooms, fish-kills, and the formation of hypoxic “dead zones”. Over 65% of US estuaries and coastal waters now exhibit moderate to severe eutrophication, with significant ecological, industrial, and economic consequences. Removal of P from wastewater and agricultural runoff is key to mitigating eutrophication.

Solution

Our overarching goal is to close the P cycle by sequestering phosphate (Pi) from polluted wastewater and waterways and recovering it as slow-release fertilizers. We will develop receptor-functionalized membranes with the ability to catch Pi from wastewater and subsequently release it at will, thereby regenerating the membranes while recovering an important resource.

Impact

The ability to remove phosphate from unwanted locations and to recover it as a valuable resource for agriculture is key to the long-term sustainable use of two critical resources: water and phosphate.

Primary Investigator

Judy Yang

Co-Investigators

William Wei (Postdoctoral Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

Ecolab

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar with NRRI Travel Grant

Problem

Each year, tens of millions of tons of lignin waste are produced worldwide in pulp and paper industries. The presence of lignin in wastewater is a serious environmental problem because lignin has low biodegradability and dark color. Recent studies suggest that bacterium Pseudomonas putida, a “workhorse” for bioremediation, can be used in moving bed biofilm reactors to biodegrade lignin in wastewater and convert it to bioproducts. The performance of the biofilm reactors is controlled by biofilm thickness and density; however, the optimum thickness and density of P. putida biofilms to degrade contaminants remain to be characterized and methods to control biofilm thickness and density are lacking.

Solution

Our goal is to develop a hydrodynamics-based method to optimize the biodegradation of lignin by controlling the thickness and density of P. putida biofilms. We plan to conduct systematically controlled experiments in a customized microfluidic platform to determine (1) the optimum thickness and density of P. putida biofilms that degrade lignin most effectively and (2) the hydrodynamic conditions to control biofilm thickness and density. We will quantify the thickness and density of biofilms and the concentration of naturally fluorescent lignosulfonates using a confocal laser scanning microscope, which has resolution as high as several tens of nanometers. We will conduct biofilm culture and lignin degradation experiments in systematically controlled hydrodynamic conditions, including controlled mean flow velocity and velocity fluctuations, to determine the optimum hydrodynamic condition to culture biofilms that can degrade lignin most effectively.

Impact

Our study will provide a systematic method to control the degradation efficiency of lignin and other contaminants by biofilms. This method can be used in paper and pulp industries and wastewater plants to remediate lignin and other contaminants effectively. The microfluidics plus confocal imaging platform developed in this study can also be used to test the effectiveness of other biofilm control technologies, such as biofilm targeted chemical additives. Furthermore, the developed microfluidics plus confocal imaging method can be used to study the bioremediation effectiveness of other organisms, such as fungi. 

Primary Investigator

Michael Travisano

Co-Investigators

Jim Cotner, Beatriz Baselga Cervera (Postdoctoral Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

City of Minneapolis – Deptartment of Public Works Division of Water Treatment & Distribution Services

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar with NRRI Travel Grant

Problem

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are an ecological and water supply risk due to a mixture of undesired effects: water anoxia, undesirable odors, and cyanobacterial toxins. HABS are an emerging problem in freshwater rivers, lakes, and reservoirs throughout MN, largely because of eutrophication and climate change. Concretely, cyanotoxins are emerging contaminants with diverse molecular structures and toxicological properties, ranging from mild symptoms to even death of animals and humans.

Solution

We propose to investigate microbial bioremediation of cyanotoxins. Based on natural evidence, satellite HABs communities are excellent candidates to degrade/ assimilate cyanotoxins and their degradation products. Heterotrophic bacteria play a significant role in the natural degradation and removal of cyanotoxins, but natural bioremediation of cyanotoxins and secondary metabolites by communities is largely unexplored.

Impact

We open avenues to discover degradation pathways and harness them for bioremediation through biological water treatment processes. The first step is to determine which strains have the capability to degrade the toxins. Additionally, our work will provide insight into why cyanobacteria produce toxins and facilitate management of HABS while providing insight into aquatic microbial community ecology. These studies can reveal community dynamics (indicator species or transitions), physiological, biochemical, and genetic/species differences among toxic and nontoxic strains.

Primary Investigator

Alptekin Aksan

Co-Investigators

Sophie O’Keane (Undergraduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

More than 9,000 fluorinated chemicals are used commercially. These chemicals are of significant concern due to their negative effects on health as they are shown to harm the immune system, and even increase the severity of COVID-19.

Solution

Minnesota alone is spending nearly one billion dollars to remediate these chemicals. PFAS chemicals have long been considered “forever chemicals” that cannot be biodegraded. However, recent evidence demonstrated that it is indeed possible to biodegrade these compounds. Our lab has previously developed a variety of encapsulation methods to utilize bacteria for bioremediation of hydrocarbons, herbicides, etc. contaminating freshwater resources. In this project, we will apply silica encapsulation technology to encapsulate bacteria that biodegrade fluorinated compounds.

Impact

Most processes used to remediate PFAS compounds are very energy-intensive. If successful, this project will enable bioremediation of PFAs compounds with a minimum carbon footprint.

Primary Investigator

Michael Travisano

Co-Investigators

Jordan Sivigny (Undergraduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Cyanotoxins are water-soluble, thermostable proteins that can persist in Minnesota drinking water sources.

Solution

We will investigate cyanotoxin function using a biological-based predation assay. We will use commercially available ELISA kits that exist for specific cyanotoxins.

Impact

A link between microbial predation and the production of cyanotoxins by cyanobacteria will aid in developing new ecological criteria for predicting cyanotoxin prevalence in water sources inhabited by cyanobacteria. The resultant impacts on population dynamics will allow for the determination of an association between predation and cyanotoxin production.

Primary Investigator

Judy Yang

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Summary

Harmful algal blooms, which are widespread in Minnesota’s lakes and rivers, produce toxins that contaminate drinking water and cause mass mortalities in fishes and other animals. Mitigation of harmful agal blooms is critical to ensure safe drinking water and reduce fishery and tourism losses, which were estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars per year in Great Lakes. One of the most promising strategies to mitigate harmful algal blooms is rapid sedimentation of algae through flocculation with clay, a natural material present in soils. When clay is sprayed to the contaminated water, it causes algal cells to flocculate, or aggregate, and sink to the bottom. The clay-algae flocculation strategy has successfully controlled harmful algal blooms in Eastern Asian Countries for over 30 years, and a modified clay was recently proved to be effective in removing harmful algal blooms and toxins in Florida. However, this strategy has not been adapted in the state of Minnesota. Development of a clay-algae flocculation strategy is the most efficient way to mitigate harmful algal blooms in Minnesota’s waters.

Primary Investigator

Peter Kang

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Summary

Contaminants in fractured aquifers are often trapped in ‘hard-to-reach’ areas such as dead-end fractures and low porosity rock matrix, making it challenging to bioremediate. Our preliminary experiments showed branching microbes are promising candidates for remediating hard-to-reach areas as they can expand their hyphae against flow direction (ability to survey hard-to-reach areas) and effectively colonize pore spaces (higher surface area per unit volume). As such, the core remediation component of this project will be studying the potential of branching microbes for in situ bioremediation of fractured porous media.

Primary Investigator

Lee Penn

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Summary

Paint chips are a significant source of aquatic microplastics (MPs) and yet, little work has been done studying how they degrade in the environment and how degradation may facilitate the release of contaminants of concern (COCs). We propose to irradiate paint chips with UV light in order to study the release of MPs and other COCs into the surrounding water. We hypothesize that paint chips containing higher levels of titanium dioxide (TiO2), a photocatalytic material commonly found in paints, will degrade more rapidly upon UV exposure. Results will enable an assessment of the viability of TiO2-catalyzed photodegradation as a remediation strategy for paint chips found in the environment.

Primary Investigator

Cari Dutcher

Co-Investigators

Vishal Panwar (Graduate Research Scholar)

Industry Partners

Adidas

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar (with NRRI Travel Grant)

Problem

The abundance of microscale plastic debris is critical pollution problem. Only fractions of the plastics are recycled, while the vast majority ends up in incinerators, landfills, and oceans. As a result, microplastics have now been reported in drinking water, food products, and even in snowfalls and artic ice. There is a clear need of more sustainable way of microplastic removal from our environment through waste-water and drinking water treatment and improve our understanding of overall process.

Solution

Recent findings suggest inexpensive, renewable bio-based flocculants like lignin, cellulose, and starch, modified to increase their charge density and water solubility, can be used to separate and remove microplastic from water through the established process of flocculation. This project will develop a novel strategy to efficiently aggregate and remove microplastics while simultaneously monitoring of the flocculation kinetics and aggregate size variation in a controlled hydrodynamic environment provided by a Taylor-Couette system. The researchers will determine optimal flocculant mixing conditions for formation of dense and breakage resistant flocs for efficient microplastic removal.

Impact

Wastewater and drinking water treatment are the most accessible and sensible way minimize microplastic pollution. The development of efficient bioflocculants and the use of a controlled Taylor-Couette flows to study microplastic flocculation are reasonable solutions. Our work will shed some light on the underlying mechanism of microplastic flocculation with biopolymers to achieve a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to solve the eminent problem. This will also help predict the process controls for treatment operations to minimize costs which aligns with the MnDrive goal of ensuring availability of safe and reliable drinking water with sustainable means.

Primary Investigator

Thomas Niehaus

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

City of Minneapolis • Department of Public Works Division of Water Treatment & Distribution Services, Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES)

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Metformin is one of the most prescribed drugs in use today, the dose is high (1-2.5 g/day) and only partly metabolized in most people, and it is fairly recalcitrant to biodegradation. Thus, it has become the most-prevalent anthropogenic environmental pollutant in surface waters and thousands of wastewater treatment plants (WTP) globally. There is evidence for endocrine disrupting activity in aquatic species and when chlorinated in WTPs, the resultant N-chloro species can be highly toxic to human cells. To protect Minnesotans, removal of these compounds from water must occur in WTPs.

Solution

This proposed research seeks to understand, and use, microbial consortia for effective metformin bioremediation. By sampling WTP sludge, we will isolate a pure culture bacterium capable of metformin degradation, sequence its genome, and identify genes/enzymes involved. We can then begin to correlate gene prevalence with metformin fate in WTPs and investigate factors contributing to metformin removal to develop improved bioremediation practices.

Impact

Metformin may be considered the number one anthropogenic pollutant in Minnesota, present in more than 1000 Minnesota waterways at orders of magnitude higher levels than other chemicals of concern. By studying naturally-occurring metformin-degrading bacteria, effective bioremediation strategies can be developed to remove this toxic contaminant from water in Minnesota and throughout the world. 

Primary Investigator

Sara Heger

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

Stantec

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar (with NRRI Travel Grant)

Problem

There are over 600,000 subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) processing over 40 billion gallons of wastewater per year in Minnesota. Even with proper siting and design there is the potential for nutrients to reach surface or groundwater particularly with commercial and cluster scale SSTS where regulations and risk increase in relation to nutrient removal in sensitive environments. Biochar and iron-enhanced sand (IES) have been found to be effective in treating stormwater but their performance for the treatment of wastewater from septic systems is poorly understood.

Solution

This project will test several types of biochar and IES’s effectiveness at removing contaminants from wastewater in the laboratory (1) with absorption testing, and (2) in enhanced soil columns to evaluate its potential to improve SSTS treatment.

Impact

The intended outcomes of this study are the development of a new sustainable technology for removal of dissolved contaminants from septic system wastewater. This work could open a new client base for biochar and IES across Minnesota. These outcomes will lead to mitigation of water pollution and jobs creation, topics that are vital to the health and well-being of Minnesota residents. 

Primary Investigator

R. Roger Ruan

Co-Investigators

Paul Chen; Neil Anderson

Industry Partners

Forsman Farms; Minnesga Inc.; Holistic Health Farms

Award Type

Demonstration Grant

Problem

Minnesota is among the top producers of poultry, dairy, and swine in the United States. These animal production facilities create large volumes of animal waste, which necessitates proper management. Traditional management methods include applying manure as fertilizer and using open lagoons for storage and natural digestion. These methods, however, no longer meet environmental protection requirements and end up creating more environmental contamination issues, such as unwanted nitrogen runoff from fields and gas emissions from lagoons.

Solution

MnDRIVE researchers have developed a scalable technology system to treat agricultural wastewater, while also producing valuable byproducts. The treatment system relies on microbes that digest organic materials to produce nitrogen fertilizer and methane gas. In addition, the system uses microalgae that extract nutrients from manure which can then be used to produce animal feed and biofuels. Lastly, mineral solutions will be applied to wastewater to further extract pollutants before being released into the environment.

Impact

Sustainable and circular management solutions to deal with Minnesota’s animal waste that not only meet environmental regulations but also offer new revenue streams would be hugely valuable. This project will demonstrate the ability of new technology and a system to remove excess nutrients and other pollutants while offering value-added products. Successful demonstration would go a long way towards convincing the animal industry that sustainable management can benefit the environment and their bottom line. 

Primary Investigator

Chan Lan Chun

Co-Investigators

Nathan W. Johnson; R. Lee Penn

Industry Partners

Minnesota Power; Minnesota Department of Health; Yawkey Minerals Management

Award Type

Demonstration Grant

Problem

Elevated levels of sulfate in industrial wastewater can have adverse effects on the health of freshwater ecosystems, and thus warrants removal prior to entering the groundwater supply. Industries, utilities, and municipalities are tasked with treating their wastewater to reduce sulfate levels, but limited options exist. Current technology is commonly energy intensive and costly, which has created demand for cost-effective, flexible solutions that remove sulfate from wastewater.

Solution

Researchers have shown that bioreactors can harness the effectiveness of microbial communities in removing sulfate, but have only demonstrated this at the lab scale. MnDRIVE researchers have created such a lab-scale bioreactor that successfully utilizes microbes and mineral additives to remove sulfate from wastewater. This Demonstration Grant project team will scale up their bioreactor by partnering with a Minnesota Power facility to treat high-strength water with 800-2000 ppm of sulfate. This level of sulfate contamination is well over the recommended maximum of 250 ppm, and the volume of wastewater will be much larger than the lab-scale. This project will demonstrate the effectiveness of the bioreactor technology at realistic scales and allow researchers to determine optimal operating conditions.

Impact

Current options for reducing sulfate levels in wastewater treatment facilities are energy intensive, generate additional byproducts, and are not very economically efficient. The bioreactor developed by MnDRIVE researchers could lead to lower maintenance costs, reduced wastewater volumes, and improved water quality. This demonstration of scalable technology will benefit both the industries that need to meet water quality standards, and the public who rely on clean water and healthy ecosystems.

Primary Investigator

Mikael Elias

Co-Investigators

Larry Wackett; Peter Jaffé (Princeton University); Amir Shimon (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

3M

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known as the “forever chemicals” because of their extreme persistence in the environment. Globally, more than 4000 PFAS chemicals have been created, and many have been linked to adverse health outcomes for humans and ecosystems. Until recently, PFAS have been considered to be completely non-biodegradable. This has led to inadequate, short-term solutions to minimize human exposure rather than addressing the important need to remove and degrade PFAS compounds from the environment.

Solution

Recent work by researchers at Princeton University showed the first convincing evidence that bacteria are capable of degrading PFAS compounds to harmless by-products like carbon dioxide and fluoride. Elias and team will identify and characterize the novel PFAS-degrading enzymes from bacteria. Once fully identified, the team will characterize the structures of PFAS-degrading enzymes, and then further explore application of enzymes for biodegradation of PFAS.

Impact

Clear characterization of bacterial enzymes involved in biodegradation of PFAS will reveal the actual mechanisms of PFAS breakdown and provide important foundational knowledge for this new technology. PFAS compounds are considered the single greatest challenge of environmental containment in Minnesota, making novel biodegradation methods crucial to our state.

Primary Investigator

Chan Lan Chun

Co-Investigators

Christopher Filstrup; Susma Bhattarai Gautam (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

Western Lake Superior Sanitary District; Metabolon Institute

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Nutrient pollution from urban and agricultural sources impact the health of water systems throughout Minnesota. Effective nutrient removal from wastewater is a critical component of strategies to remediate water before it is released into waterways and natural ecosystems. Conventional nitrogen removal technologies are often inefficient, require expensive, energy-intensive aeration processes, and are limited in ‘electron donor potential’ by the external carbon source.

Solution

Chun’s Team recently identified and enriched microbes capable of removing nitrogen from Minnesota’s wild rice wetlands that use methane as the electron donor, in place of external organic carbon, to drive denitrification. This project will further explore these microbes to develop novel anaerobic treatment technologies that remove nitrogen and methane concurrently, without requiring the expensive carbon source. Application of these microbes within engineered treatment systems will test system stability and efficacy as a new denitrification technology.

Impact

Incorporation into engineered treatment systems that process wastewater, landfill leachate, and agricultural waste, if stable and effective, would offer valuable new bioremediation technology to the state and beyond. Optimization of this anaerobic process would remove the cost of aeration and reduce the amount of methane and nitrogen released into the environment through wastewater streams.

Primary Investigator

John Gulliver

Co-Investigators

Raymond Hozalski and Yiling Chen (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

TDA Manufacturing

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Minnesota lakes and streams are becoming increasingly impaired. One contributor is stormwater runoff, in both urban and rural areas. The impact of stormwater runoff is controlled by a variety of factors, including population density, vehicle pollution, road treatment policies, and the percentage of impervious land surfaces. These and other factors influence the variety and amount of pollutants, including heavy metals, nutrients (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen), and microbial contaminants. The effects these contaminants have on our waterways, soil health, and surrounding ecosystems are variable, but are dominantly detrimental.

Solution

Discarded auto tires, converted into Tire Derived Aggregate (TDA), can be used as an effective filter when incorporated in engineered stormwater remediation systems. Early indications suggest TDA systems offer similar hydrologic performance to stone aggregate, but improved filtration characteristics. Gulliver and team will test TDA systems at the lab-scale to assess their potential to host biofilm formation and the ability to optimize the filtration performance for specific contaminants.

Impact

The reuse of discarded tires would significantly decrease the amount of solid waste going to landfill or being incinerated. It would also reduce the demand for stone aggregate required by most remediation systems, which could result in decreased land surface disruption due to quarrying. The use of TDA in place of stone aggregate may also result in more effective BMPs, and therefore cleaner stormwater.

Primary Investigator

Peter Kang

Co-investigators

Josh Feinberg, Sang Lee (Postdoctoral Scholar), Michael Chen (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

Bay West, LLC

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Biofilms occur naturally all over the world, including water filtration systems and groundwater remediation systems. Biofilm build-up can detrimentally impact flow rates which can compromise the performance of filtration and remediation systems. At the same time, biofilms can effectively degrade contaminants. To optimize the role of biofilms within filtration systems, we first need a better understanding of biofilms at a microscopic scale within porous media.

Solution

A new visualization system designed to characterize biofilms at the microscopic pore scale will provide researchers with a better understanding of the variables that affect biofilm development in filters. This new system will enable deeper analysis of factors such as fluid flow, water chemistry, and pore structure, and therefore characterization of their influence on biofilm growth and the overall remediation potential of such systems.

Impact

Through a more in-depth understanding of biofilm formation in porous media systems, researchers will optimize the role of biofilms within filtration systems. This fine-scale insight on natural filtration systems should also offer many application opportunities for managing groundwater remediation in various settings.

Primary Investigator

Matt Simcik

Co-investigator

William Arnold

Industry Partners

Geosyntec Consultants, St. Louis County, Minnesota

Problem

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are commonly used commercial chemical compounds that do not readily break down in the environment. Recent studies have identified high levels of PFAS in the environment, individual organisms, and even humans—to which negative health impacts have been attributed. These compounds are known to accumulate in and be transported by landfill leachate. This provides a direct pathway to public wastewater treatment facilities, which are currently not equipped to treat this contaminant. As a result, PFAS is quickly becoming a national water challenge, as it impairs more and more natural surface water, public water supplies, and aquifers.

Solution

Landfill leachate will be treated with positively charged cationic polymers before entering a wastewater treatment facility. These polymers have shown potential in breaking down PFAS. Using a protocol established by the  Environmental Protection Agency, the team will conduct lab-scale tests to establish the cationic polymers’ ability to degrade PFAS.

Impact

The use of cationic polymers to treat PFAS within landfill leachate, before the contaminant enters the water treatment facility, would offer a significant technological advancement in the mitigation of a growing water pollution challenge. It is anticipated that this solution would save water treatment facilities considerable costs.

Primary Investigator

Joe Magner

Co-Investigators

Bridget Ulrich, John Chapman

Industry Partners

Mississippi Watershed Management Organization; Young Environmental Consulting Group, LLC. 

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Minneapolis, like many metropolitan areas, faces considerable challenges in managing stormwater runoff. Impermeable roadways, sidewalks, and parking lots concentrate and channel contaminants like heavy metals, salts, and pesticides. These contaminants end up in local waterways, soils, and in some cases drinking water wells. Management and treatment of impaired water is challenging and costly, given the variety and concentration of potential and emerging pollutants.

Solution

Biochar, a charcoal-like material derived from renewable waste streams such as wood debris and nut shells, has the potential to treat a wide range of metal, microbial, and organic contaminants. Project investigators will expand lab testing of biochar’s filtration capacity by simulating specific regional conditions and using locally produced biochar in experiments. Results from this lab-based study should identify where this filtration system can be tested at scale under actual field conditions.

Impact

Biochar-based water filtration systems stand to offer a dynamic and sustainable remediation system for the removal of various contaminants. This low-cost treatment solution may offer significant assistance in managing urban and rural stormwater runoff challenges. It may also prove to be adaptable for other specific applications, like retention and treatment of construction site soil.

Primary Investigator

Sebastian Behrens

Co-Investigators

Kevin Ramratten (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Elevated nitrate levels in many of Minnesota’s waterways exist in part due to high rates of runoff from agricultural land. High dissolved nitrate often causes eutrophication and the formation of hypoxic zones, resulting in significant damage to marine life and local ecosystem health. Drinking water with high concentrations of dissolved nitrate are connected with various human health concerns, most notably Blue Baby Syndrome in infants. How do we decrease the amount and rate of nitrogen transfer from agricultural land to streams, rivers, and lakes?

Solution

The use of wetlands, either natural or engineered, to control and treat field and stormwater runoff by utilizing microbial removal of nitrate from water has shown promising results. Yet the performance of the microbial communities is limited by the natural/environmental conditions of the wetland system, namely Minnesota’s cold climate and the low temperatures during early spring and late fall. It is proposed that electrical stimulation of wetlands can increase microbial activity and therefore lengthen the remediation season and remove greater quantities of nitrate from surface waters. The Behren’s Lab will work to optimize the microbial communities that perform well in cold climates and respond positively to electrical stimulation.

Impact

The in-depth analysis of cold climate microbes that effectively remove nitrate from surface waters, will provide improved performance parameters for this water quality remediation tool. Confirmation by this work of the efficacy of electrically stimulated microbes within wetlands at removing dissolved nitrogen from stormwater and field runoff, would add significant functionality to this application. Successful development of this tool would contribute to Minnesota’s statewide goal of reducing nitrogen runoff by 45 percent. 

Primary Investigator

Timothy LaPara

Co-Investigators

Sebastian Behrens; Zhe Du (Postdoctoral Scholar)

Industry Partners

Brainerd Public Utilities; Barr Engineering

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Excessive levels of nitrogen in rivers and streams can cause eutrophication of receiving water bodies. Wastewater that contains excess nitrogen is usually treated to remove nitrogenous compounds before being released, but the nitrification process is not effective during cold winter months common in Minnesota. The reason for this seasonal loss of performance is not well understood.

Solution

The microbial community in activated wastewater treatment sludge is responsible for nitrifying the water. To understand the seasonal decrease in effective nitrification, the LaPara Lab will characterize how the microbial population and activity of the microbiome in wastewater sludge changes due to temperature. The data collected will then be applied to a predictive microbial community performance model.

Impact

The predictive model will help wastewater treatment plants optimize their process conditions to match seasonal changes. Improving nitrification performance, especially in winter months, will contribute to achieving Minnesota’s goal of reducing nitrogen loads to the Mississippi River by up to 40% in 2025.

Primary Investigator

Mikael Elias

Co-Investigators

Gary Feyereisen

Industry Partners

USDA-ARS

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

In an effort to improve water quality both locally and nationally (i.e. the Gulf of Mexico), the State of Minnesota set a goal of 20% nitrogen and phosphorus load reduction in all waterways by 2025. The use of woodchip bioreactors that denitrify water as it flows through the system has proven beneficial in reducing the nitrogen load in localized areas. However, microbial communities living within the bioreactor media cause formation of biofilms, which plug the system and adversely affect performance.

Solution

Biofilms form naturally as microbes communicate with each other using a technique called “quorum sensing”. Previous work by the Elias Lab has demonstrated how engineered enzymes are capable of inhibiting biofilm formation by breaking down the specific molecules that microbes use to communicate via quorum sensing. The research proposed here will investigate whether these engineered enzymes are effective at blocking biofilm formation that specifically occurs in denitrifying woodchip bioreactors.  

Impact

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors can effectively reduce nutrient loads surpassing Minnesota’s goal for 2025, if significant biofilm plugging is absent from the system. Therefore, solving the biofilm clogging issue is an important step in developing and confirming this treatment as a viable solution for agricultural nutrient management.

Primary Investigator

Mikael Elias

Co-Investigators

Randall Hicks

Industry Partners

Duluth Seaway Port Authority; AMI Consulting Engineers

Award Type

Demonstration Grant

Problem

Aquatic bacteria cause up to $60 billion in damage to port infrastructure on a global scale. Locally, Duluth-Superior Harbor is home to some of Minnesota’s most critical shipping infrastructure, and it is not immune to bacterial degradation. This degradation occurs from bacterial biofilms that accumulate on underwater structures, corroding the steel and deteriorating the foundation of ports. Current coatings for steel contain high levels of copper-oxide, which is not friendly to aquatic ecosystems. Locally, Duluth-Superior Harbor is home to some of Minnesota’s most critical shipping infrastructure, and it is not immune to bacterial degradation.

Solution

Elias’s team identified a naturally occurring enzyme and engineered it to protect the harbor’s underwater steel infrastructure. The enzyme prevents formation of destructive biofilms by blocking communications between bacterial cells. Manufacturers can coat the submerged steel with a layer of the enzyme-infused paint, and early results indicate higher efficacy than the most widely used copper-oxide coatings.

Impact

The enzyme-coating could prevent the corrosion of 50,000 pounds of steel in Duluth’s ports each year, while withstanding harsh Minnesota winters. The technology has potential for commercial-scale installation at ports around the world with infrastructure affected by aquatic bacterial biofilms. The enzyme is also completely biodegradable, offering an environmentally conscious solution to an industry dominated by toxic, copper-oxide paints.

Primary Investigator

Alptekin Aksan

Co-Investigator

Larry Wackett, Tony Dodge (Postdoctoral Scholar), Kelly Aukema (Postdoctoral Scholar), Joey Benson (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

Minnepura Technologies SBC, King Technology Inc., DowDuPont, Sani Marc Group Pool & Spa

Award Type

Demonstration Grant

Problem

Residential pools use trichloroisocyanuric acid (Trichlor) as a disinfecting agent to protect against pathogens like Giardia. As Trichlor breaks down, the byproduct, cyanuric acid (CYA), reduces the chlorine disinfection activity. The only way to offset CYA is by draining and refilling the pool, which wastes water, energy, and chemicals.

Solution

A new patented technology removes CYA from water without requiring pool drainage. Bacteria that produce CYA-degrading enzymes treat water as it flows through a bioreactor. The bacteria are coated in a bacterial exoskeleton technology developed in Dr. Aksan’s lab to stabilize and protect the bacteria from chlorine. Researchers will now scale up the technology to demonstrate its effectiveness and economic feasibility in pools in Minnesota and Canada.

Impact

Draining just half the pools in the United States once a year to remove CYA requires three months’ worth of the water that flows through the Colorado River. On this scale, the wasted water, heat, and chemicals required to refill pools affects everyone. Developing a treatment for CYA that does not require pool drainage will benefit the environment while continuing to protect Minnesotans from waterborne pathogens.

Solution Demonstrated and Implemented

The PI and c-PIs worked with the industrial partners to demonstrate a solution to the problem that would save water, energy chemicals, and be cost-effective enough that a commercial product was feasible. The demonstration was successful. It has been implemented and a product is currently being marketed by the industrial partners. New patents that protect the technology are held jointly by the Danisco group of DuPont and the University of Minnesota.

The key conceptual leap was the realization that cyanuric acid (CYA) biodegradation could not be realized on the scale of large pools in the presence of chlorine. In light of that, an approach was developed to dechlorinate, treat the pool water, and rechlorinate. The successful method is described in detail in the paper and the patents included below. The method has further demonstrated at swimming pool scale at Danisco-DuPont, Sani Marc and King Technology.

Primary Investigator

Satoshi Ishii

Co-Investigators

Hao Wang, Nisha Vishwanathan (Graduate Scholar)

Industry Partners

Metropolitan Council

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Wastewater treatment plants across Minnesota can effectively remove organic carbon and phosphorus from wastewater, and convert toxic ammonia to less toxic nitrate. However, they still discharge large amounts of nitrate to public waterways, which may cause unwanted algae growth and local ecosystem damages.

Solution

Some microbes remove nitrate from water through a process called denitrification, which turns nitrate into gas phase nitrogen. While this process usually occurs in the absence of oxygen, recent research shows that some microbes can denitrify in the presence of oxygen (called aerobic denitrification). Aerobic denitrification should be compatible with current wastewater treatment technologies. However, it has not been tested as a water treatment solution to remove high concentrations of nitrate. Ishii’s team will explore and assess the efficacy of specific microbes in reducing nitrate concentrations within contaminated water. The lab-based approach will mimic wastewater treatment system conditions to evaluate actual scenarios.

Impact

The optimization of wastewater treatment systems to reduce nitrate can only progress after microbial communities are better understood and characterized. Long-term use of these optimized systems should reduce nitrate impairment of local ecosystems and help Minnesota meet nutrient reduction goals.

Primary Investigator

Paige Novak

Co-Investigators

William Arnold, William Northrop, Daniel Forbes

Industry Partners

Fulton Brewery; Metropolitan Council Environmental Services

Award Type

Demonstration Grant

Problem

Food industries, dairy industries, and breweries generate wastewater that contains compounds inherently high in chemical energy. Yet rarely is this chemical energy considered as a potential energy source/asset within the water treatment process. Additionally, at least in the Twin Cities, most wastewater is treated centrally through processes that consume electricity, the generation of which often contributes significant CO2 emissions, a key contributor to climate change.

Solution

Dr. Novak and her team designed a system that breaks down the high energy compounds in a cheap and efficient manner. The modular, customizable system utilizes chemical bacteria to break down the high energy compounds into the functional byproducts hydrogen and methane. Hydrogen and methane can then be captured for use as fuel.

Impact

This new process should reduce the cost and carbon footprint of wastewater treatment. The system also generates hydrogen and methane, which can be used as a fuel source. Currently installed at Minneapolis’ Fulton Brewery, the system has the potential to be installed at other breweries, dairies, and food manufacturers – thereby offering these benefits more broadly.

Principal Investigator

Claudia Schmidt-Dannert, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics

Co-Investigators

Maureen Quin, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics; Alptekin Aksan, Mechanical Engineering

Industrial Partner

Minnepura Technologies

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Across the state of Minnesota we face a variety of environmental contamination challenges, from heavy metal contaminated mine drainage streams in the north to pesticide and fertilizer compromised soils across our fertile farmlands. Bioremediation can be used to treat contaminated water or soil, but the techniques vary greatly depending on the contaminant and specific remediation needs of each ecosystem.

Solution

Encapsulins are bacterial proteins that have evolved to sequester heavy metals, thereby detoxifying bacterial cells. Encapsulin-based “Biohubs” encased in silica for preservation will be developed as a stable, adaptable, and reusable bioremediation material that can be modified with high specificity for a range of applications and contaminants.

Impact

Encapsulin-based Biohubs will be an economically feasible bioremediation solution because they use inexpensive silica as an encasement and can be manufactured using pre-existing microbial production systems. The high adaptability and stability of Biohubs provide numerous bioremediation applications for this biomaterial, including heavy metal sequestration and organic pollutant detoxification.

Principal Investigator

Satoshi Ishii

Co-Investigator

Cara Santelli

Industry Partner

Barr Engineering

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

High levels of manganese and sulfate are found in groundwater and surface water throughout Minnesota. These elements can cause aesthetic problems in drinking water, such as odor and poor taste. At excessive levels, they can also have adverse health effects for humans. Current filtration techniques for manganese and sulfate are expensive and require careful maintenance.

Solution

At Onneto Yu-no-taki waterfall in Japan, microorganisms precipitate manganese and sulfate out of the water simultaneously with the help of algae, which supplies organic carbon. This phenomenon inspired MnDRIVE researcher Satoshi Ishii to design a bioreactor that mimics the biofilm of algae, manganese-oxidizing microbes, sulfate-reducing bacteria and iron-reducing bacteria found at the waterfall site for sulfate and manganese remediation in Minnesota.

Impact

This bioreactor may provide a more cost-effective and lower maintenance solution to manganese and sulfate removal from Minnesota waters, which boosts opportunities for industries and water professionals in the state.

Primary Investigator

Chan Lan Chun

Co-Investigators

Eric Sangsaas

Industry Partners

InVironmental Integrity, Inc.

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Drainage from agricultural activity carries nitrate and excess nutrients which contribute to human health issues, like blue baby syndrome, and oxygen deficiency in aquatic ecosystems. Saturated land buffers containing wetland vegetation are built between agricultural fields and waterways to reduce nutrient runoff. Soil microorganisms in the vegetative buffer help remove the excess nutrients, but do so slowly, reducing the effectiveness of the buffers.

Solution

The Chun lab designed a system that integrates an electromagnetic field into the saturated buffer system. The electromagnetic fields stimulate the growth and metabolism of soil microbes capable of removing nitrate. Researchers will develop a lab-scale system to optimize the electromagnetic field conditions for increased nitrate consumption. The system will then be tested in a simulated environment using agriculture runoff from Minnesota farms, and ultimately can be deployed either in a bioreactor system or in the buffer itself.

Impact

Excess nutrients in the buffer will be removed more efficiently and minimize the area of buffer interacting with drainage flow, maximizing the water quality. Furthermore, the system could potentially suppress unwanted greenhouse gases produced as a byproduct of microbial processes and enhance the removal of nitrogen by the bacteria.

Primary Investigator

Abdennour Abbas

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

3M and Solenis LLC

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

In 2004, two-thirds of all impaired waters in Minnesota were contaminated with mercury, with some waterways containing more than 6 times the EPA limit. As a result of pregnant women consuming contaminated fish, 10 percent of tested newborns in the North Shore region showed levels of mercury exposure exceeding the EPA limit.

Solution

The Abbas lab recently developed a selenium-containing sponge that removes over 99 percent of mercury from water and prevents unwanted bacterial growth. Now, the lab will develop a composite sponge with additional layers that remove all microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

Impact

Selenium sponges are cost-efficient and will eliminate toxic byproducts of current mercury filtration systems. Improving the filtration of mercury and microorganisms will improve the health of local ecosystems and lower exposure of contaminants for the people around them.

Primary Investigator

Leonard Ferrington

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc., Tetra Tech (Center for Ecological Sciences), AmiThompson Consulting, LLC

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Fungicides accumulating in Minnesota’s surface waters threaten aquatic insects that rely on fungi in their stomachs to break down their food. Certain insect populations face declining growth rates, population size, and average life span, and one of the biggest contributors to these trends is the abundance of fungicides in waterways and ecosystems. In some cases, local species extinction has been documented.

Solution

Specific aquatic insects located in our state and region have been documented to maintain resilient gut fungi that can survive exposure to high levels of fungicides. Two groups of aquatic insects, “filter-feeders” and “shredders”, will be studied and analyzed specifically to identify environmentally tolerant gut fungi. Once identified, these resilient fungal strains will be isolated and used in a controlled cross-exposure experiment. Each insect will be exposed to the selected “fungicide resilient” fungi from the other insect to determine if cross-exposure will promote the replacement of less tolerant gut fungi.

Impact

Successful cross-exposure of tolerant gut-fungi could offer a tool to improve survivorship among insect populations exposed to high concentrations of fungicides. The revival of insect communities that have suffered due to fungicides would result in a more available food source for native fish and strengthen local ecosystems. This work also offers a potential water management tool for waterways contaminated with fungicides.

Primary Investigator

Chan Lan Chun

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Even at low levels, pharmaceuticals that enter Minnesota waterways can harm the environment and wildlife. The pharmaceuticals enter the environment through wastewater treatment plant effluent that is discharged in local waters, or in the wastewater sludge that is applied in farm fields. Pharmaceuticals do not degrade easily in fields, demanding new strategies to remove the pollutants from wastewater.

Solution

The Sander Lab will investigate aerobic bioremediation as a more effective strategy for removing pharmaceutical micropollutants at wastewater treatment plants. Researchers will track the fate of pharmaceuticals through the facility and propose optimized solutions based on the biodegradation of the micropollutants and flow capacity of the plant.

Impact

Improving pharmaceutical removal at wastewater treatment sites will reduce the amount of micropollutants that enter the environment, thereby protecting Minnesota’s water resources. A solution at the wastewater site will also allow for the continued application of sludge in farm fields, which is agriculturally beneficial for its high nutrient content.

Primary Investigator

Randall Hicks

Co-Investigators

Mikael Elias (Co-PI)

Industry Partners

AMI Consulting Engineers

Award Type

Seed Grant – Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Problem

Communities around the Great Lakes rely on maritime transportation to support the iron ore, slab steel, low sulfur coal, and non-ferrous metal industries, as well as tourism and boating. Ports in Lake Superior that are essential to these industries are facing accelerated loss of infrastructure as microbial biofilms corrode steel in the aquatic environment.

Solution

The biofilms that corrode docks, piers, and bulkheads in Lake Superior rely on quorum sensing, a type of bacterial cell communication, to colonize the steel surfaces. The Hicks Lab will disrupt this bacterial communication using a lactonase enzyme coating and test how the disruption affects biofilm formation and rate of corrosion. Lactonase has been successful in initial 2-month trials, but the MnDRIVE researchers will now investigate the enzyme’s effectiveness throughout a full year in the lake environment.

Impact

The Duluth-Superior Harbor, the largest port in the Great Lakes, has a $200 million annual impact on Minnesota’s economy. A solution for microbial corrosion of steel surfaces would protect this and other ports’ economic activities by reducing the rate of infrastructure loss. The novel lactonase-based approach could be patented by the University of Minnesota as an important solution for a widespread issue in the Great Lakes maritime transportation.

Primary Investigator

Romas Kazlauskas

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Graduate Research Scholar

Problem

Organic contaminants from oil spills, fracking fluids, and gasoline leaks are difficult to clean up because of their complex mixtures and hydrophobic properties. Current technologies utilize laundry detergents but are slow and require a high pH. New remediation methods are needed to remove organic contaminants.

Solution

MnDRIVE researchers in the Kazlauskas Lab will work to engineer an enzyme to target hydrophobic, organic contaminants at a neutral pH. The lab will start with an existing enzymes called Pseudomonas fluorescens esterase because of its ability to form peracetic acid from ethyl acetate in water, a key first step in removing organic materials. The enzyme will be engineered to be more hydrophobic near the active area to increase the use of similarly hydrophobic organic contaminants. The active site of the enzyme will also be modified to expand the number of organic contaminants that can be removed.

Impact

The Kazlauskas Lab will create around 1000 variants of the engineered enzyme and determine which are most effective at removing organic contaminants. Engineering Pseudomonas fluorescens esterase will also allow researchers to test its activity in simulated environments to determine how much of the enzyme should be applied to contaminated water.

Primary Investigator

Satoshi Ishii

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Agricultural runoff sends nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nutrients into rivers and lakes. This can cause eutrophication, where algae grow too quickly and damage the aquatic ecosystem. Agricultural runoff in Minnesota also contributes to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Some techniques can reduce runoff from fields, but it remains difficult to control N and P leaching completely.

Solution

The Ishii Lab will harness algae’s ability to grow quickly in the presence of excess N and P. Instead of causing eutrophication, the algae will remove N and P from runoff water in a bioreactor. Researchers will monitor water quality in the bioreactor and perform DNA/RNA analysis on efficient communities to optimize a granule-based algal bioreactor. Granules are microbial structures that sink when they become large enough, leaving clean water at the top. Bioreactors that use granular technology have higher nutrient removal efficiencies and less energy input compared to other nutrient removal systems.

Impact

An algal bioreactor can improve water quality in Minnesota’s aquatic ecosystems, as well as the Gulf of Mexico, without sacrificing agricultural activity. The algae biomass can be harvested for energy or reused as fertilizer because of its high nutrient content.

Primary Investigator

Guy Sander

Co-Investigators

NA

Industry Partners

NA

Award Type

Seed Grant – Undergraduate Research Scholar

Problem

Even at low levels, pharmaceuticals that enter Minnesota waterways can harm the environment and wildlife. The pharmaceuticals enter the environment through wastewater treatment plant effluent that is discharged in local waters, or in the wastewater sludge that is applied in farm fields. Pharmaceuticals do not degrade easily in fields, demanding new strategies to remove the pollutants from wastewater.

Solution

The Sander Lab will investigate aerobic bioremediation as a more effective strategy for removing pharmaceutical micropollutants at wastewater treatment plants. Researchers will track the fate of pharmaceuticals through the facility and propose optimized solutions based on the biodegradation of the micropollutants and flow capacity of the plant.

Impact

Improving pharmaceutical removal at wastewater treatment sites will reduce the amount of micropollutants that enter the environment, thereby protecting Minnesota’s water resources. A solution at the wastewater site will also allow for the continued application of sludge in farm fields, which is agriculturally beneficial for its high nutrient content.