Below is a transcript of our conversation with CMU Assistant Professor Dr. Itzel Marquez and Amina Torres, CMU Dearborn Senior
David Nicholas:
I'm David Nicholas and this is Central Focus, a weekly look at research activity and innovative work from Central Michigan University's students and faculty. In an earlier segment, we learned about PFAS contamination in fish rearing ponds in West Michigan. Waste from a former tannery dumped in landfill had leached into ground and then surface water. Geology has led to the engineering work of Doctor Itzel Marquez, Assistant Professor in CMU's School of Engineering and Technology. Working with Michigan's Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, the goal is to devise systems to restore waterways like this, making them once again a suitable habitat for rearing fish. It is a capstone project for six students, including Amina Torres, a senior from Dearborn. She joined me in studio with Dr. Marquez as I learned how their efforts are building on those of earlier CMU faculty and students.
Itzel Marquez:
After Doctor Lemke concluded, (concluded) their study on the Belmont Ponds and they found that the presence of these compounds, called PFAs, which is one of the contaminants of concern in the ponds, the DNR and EGLE Michigan (EGLE) decided to stop their fish reading operations in the ponds. And so, they haven't been using the ponds for their purpose, but it is, it represents the ponds represent a benefit for the state of Michigan, and they would like to have those operations restarted. But for that they need to make sure that these compounds, PFAs are not reaching the water in the ponds. And so that is where our team of environmental seniors came in and they are working on proposing some mitigation strategies that would help bring those ponds back into operation.
DN:
And so, when it comes to your students from engineering and technology, where are you at in the research towards finding that ability to restore or the (the) method that you are working to develop for that restoration to take place?
IM:
Yes, so this is, this is not exactly a research project. What we call in the School of Engineering Technology, a senior design. So, all of our seniors in all our engineering majors do a capstone project in their final year where we try to connect them with a with a real world client. And solve a problem that this client has. And so, our client right now is Michigan EGLE and the DNR and the students are working on designing the treatment system and the remediation system that would allow the ponds to be (be) back, to be back in operation.
DN:
Capstone project, CMU seniors, and you mentioned working with, that includes Dearborn senior Amina Torres, and we say welcome to you as well, Amina. What part of the team or (or) what are the different roles that you and your fellow students are playing, perhaps swapping some of those tasks at hand to (to) get as much experience as possible, sorts of things are you doing then in the work on this project?
Amina Torres:
Currently we've split up into, so there's six of us. So, we split up into three teams of two. My team with my other classmate Carson, we are doing some research on activated, granulated activated carbon filters and ion exchange resins and seeing and those would be used in a pump and treat. So those would be like the groundwater underneath the ponds that have been infected with the PFAS would be pumped up and then treated either with activated carbon or the ion exchange resins and then put back into the ponds from like the top and then the other two groups are working on looking into a liner for the pond. And so that would just like stop all of the groundwater from getting into the ponds. And then in situ… treatment, which don't know too much about right now. But that's gonna be the other part of the project. We have three options for the MDNR and EGLE to choose from.
DN:
From the School of Engineering and Technology at CMU, a Capstone Project towards work to restore ponds in West Michigan that have been contaminated with PFAS. One of the students working on that, Dearborn senior, Amina Torres. One of six students working with faculty member Doctor Itzel Marquez. Thanks to both of you for taking the time to talk with us and good luck as your work continues.
