Objective
The processes by which viruses are inactivated in sunlight-exposed surface waters remains largely unknown. This lack of information severely limits our ability to predict the efficiency of and rationally design natural treatment systems that utilize sunlight-mediated inactivation (e.g. constructed wetlands). Viruses commonly associate with particles in surface waters, including photoreactive particles that can 1) adsorb viruses and 2) produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to sunlight. Virus adsorption onto the surface of photoreactive particles exposes them to elevated ROS concentration and may increase inactivation compared to free viruses. The goal of this research is to characterize the adsorption and inactivation of particle-associated viruses in the dark and exposed to sunlight, with the aim of predicting the fate of viral pathogens within natural systems and using this information to improve their efficiency. We will quantify how different viral characteristics (e.g. isoelectric points, capsid size and composition, genome type) influence adsorption and inactivation, and which modes of inactivation are dominant (e.g. ROS damage to viral host binding sites, destruction of viral capsids by ROS or adsorption, and modification or destruction of genomic nucleic acids by ROS or nucleases). To aid in this study, a novel qPCR-based method for determining virus viability will be developed, a tool that will be of use for a variety of fields including environmental microbiology, public health and medicine. The detailed information gathered in this study will then guide the development of methods to improve the viral removal efficiency of a highly controllable constructed wetland. Different wetland configurations will be tested to promote virus adsorption onto iron-oxide coated sand and to maximize viral exposure to ROS. In so doing, this project will increase the efficacy of low-cost, effective systems for water and wastewater treatment.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- engineering and technology environmental engineering water treatment processes wastewater treatment processes
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules nucleic acids
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-2-IIF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.