Geochemical nanomaterials and their interactions with oxyanions, organic matter, biological components and contaminants in water
The molecular dynamics at geochemical interfaces control the fate and transport of biological and chemical compounds in the environment. This complex surface chemistry is not fully understood because few studies tackle the complexity representative of the environment (multicomponent systems, presence of organic matter, and biological components). This seeks to provide a more complete understanding of pollutant transport and transformation within the environment by taking on different aspects of the surface chemistry of geochemical interfaces.
Understand transformation of chemical pollutants (such as industrial solvents and personal care products) on geochemical interfaces. These pollutants include monoethanolamine, 2-butoxyethanol and methyl ethyl ketone and represent a broad class of compounds that include amino alcohols, glycol ethers and ketones, respectively. The role of pH in these processes is explored as there is a wide range of pH in different water systems.
Probe and understand the behavior of biological components, oxyanions, and dissolved organic matter on geochemical interfaces in complex media. The purpose of this is to both interrogate the surface of geochemical interfaces with different biological components and to also go beyond “one at a time” component interactions that most studies investigate in order to build towards a more relevant, multi-component system bound in the environment. This will allow for us to begin to unravel the chemical complexity of competing surface species and the possible synergistic effects of multi-component systems.
Develop new micro-spectroscopic tools to investigate the chemistry occurring on geochemical interfaces. This goal is focused on investigating geochemical interfaces using spatially resolved molecular-based spectroscopic probes. This novel approach will be particularly useful in discerning the complex nature of organic thin films as well as biofilms and their interactions with geochemically relevant surfaces in multi-component environments.