Research Experience
Project Title: “Geochemical and biogeochemical controls on
radionuclide cycling in soils and sediments”
Project incorporates large-scale experiments, with
molecular-scale Synchrotron X-ray techniques to understand the
mechanisms and types of interactions by which biominerals form and how
the effect metal
mobility and speciation. Two such bio minerals
are calcium oxalate (formed within plants and soils), and uraninite
(formed by the bioreduction of U(VI) by bacteria).
(1) Sequestration of Sr(II) by Calcium Oxalate – A Batch Uptake Study and EXAFS Analysis of Reaction Products
Calcium oxalate (CaOx) is produced by 2/3 of all plant families, comprising up to 80 wt.% of the plant tissue and is found in many surface environments. It is unclear, however, how CaOx in plants and soils interacts with metal ions and possibly sequesters them. This study examines the speciation of Sr2+ following its reaction with CaOx. Batch uptake experiments were conducted over the pH range 4-10 and an ionic strength of 100 mM, using NaCl as the background electrolyte, and at initial Sr concentrations, [Sr], ranging from 0.01mM to 1 mM. Experimental results indicate that Sr2+ uptake by CaOx is independent of pH and correlates positively with Ca release, with higher initial [Sr] resulting in increased Ca release. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy was used to determine the molecular-level speciation of Sr2+ in the wet reaction products. Because of potential problems caused by asymmetric distributions of Sr-O distances when fitting Sr K-edge EXAFS data using the standard harmonic model, we also employed a cumulant expansion model and an asymmetric analytical model to account for anharmonic effects. For Sr-bearing phases with low to moderate first-shell anharmonicity, the cumulant expansion model is sufficient for EXAFS fitting; however, for higher degrees of anharmonicity, an analytical model is required. Deconvolutions of the Sr K-edge EXAFS were performed to identify features due to multi-electron excitation (MEE). MEE was found to give rise to low-frequency peaks in the Fourier Transform before the first shell of oxygen atoms, which do not affect EXAFS fitting results. Based on the batch uptake results and the EXAFS analyses of reaction products, we conclude that Sr2+ exchanges with Ca2+ at the CaOx surface to form a Sr-oxalate coating under the conditions of our experiments. As Sr-oxalate is two orders of magnitude less soluble that CaOx, this difference could potentially be a significant factor in the biogeochemical cycling of Sr2+ in soils and sediments or in plants or plant litter where CaOx is present. The formation of Sr-oxalate in these environments under conditions similar to those of our experiments should therefore retard Sr movement.
(2) Biogenic UO2 - characterization and surface reactivity
Nano-scale biogenic UO2
is easier to oxidize and more reactive to aqueous metal ions than bulk
UO2. In an attempt to
understand these
differences in properties, we have used a suite of bulk and surface
characterization techniques to examine differences in the reactivity of
biogenic UO2 versus bulk UO2 with respect to
sorption of
aqueous Zn(II). Precipitation of
biogenic UO2 was mediated by Shewanella
putrefaciens CN32, and the precipitates were washed using two
protocols:
(1) 5% NaOH, followed by 4 mM KHCO3/KCl (NA-wash; “NAUO2”,
to remove
surface organic matter), and (2) 4 mM KHCO3-KCl (BI-wash;
“BIUO2”,
to remove soluble uranyl species). BET
surface areas of biogenic-UO2 prepared using the two
protocols are
128.63 m2g-1 and 92.56 m2g-1,
respectively; particle sizes range from 2-10 nm as determined by
FEG-SEM. Surface composition was probed
using XPS,
which showed a strong carbon 1s signal for the BI-washed samples;
surface
uranium is > 90% U(IV) for both washing protocols.
U LIII-edge XANES spectra also indicate that U(VI) is
the dominant oxidation state in the biogenic UO2 samples. Fits of the EXAFS spectra of these samples
yielded half the number of uranium second-shell neighbors relative to
bulk UO2,
and no detectable oxygen neighbors beyond the first shell. At pH 7, the
sorption of Zn(II) onto both biogenic and bulk UO2 is
independent of
electrolyte concentration, suggesting that Zn(II) sorption complexes
are
dominantly inner-sphere. Fits of Zn
K-edge EXAFS spectra for biogenic UO2 indicate that Zn(II)
sorption
is dependent on the washing protocol.
Zn-U pair correlations are observed for both the bulk UO2
and
the NA-washed nanoparticulate samples, but not for the BI-washed
nanoparticulate samples, suggesting that Zn(II) sorbs directly to the UO2
surface in the absence of organic matter (independent of size), and
possibly to
organic matter when present. These
results suggest that the types of reactive sites on nanoparticulate
biogenic UO2
are the same as for bulk UO2, although with a much higher
surface
area and a greater number of reactive sites.
The presence of organic matter on the surface of biogenic UO2
appears to block the sorption of Zn(II) directly with the particle
surface. This coating would likely also
inhibit oxidants from attacking the biogenic UO2 surface.
(3) Using
synchrotron X-ray techniques to examine
uranium speciation as a function of depth in contaminated Hanford
Sediments
Processing ponds at the Hanford,
Washington Area 300 site were used for storing basic sodium aluminate
and
acidic U(VI)-Cu(II)-containing waste from 1943 to 1975. One result of
this
usage is a groundwater plume containing elevated levels of uranium and
copper
beneath the dry ponds and adjacent to the Columbia River.
We have used synchrotron-based micro-X-ray
diffraction (mXRD),
micro-X-ray
fluorescence (mXRF) mapping,
and mXAFS spectroscopic
techniques to probe the
distribution and speciation of uranium and copper through the vadose
and
groundwater zones beneath North Processing Pond #2 (NPP2).
Sediment samples were collected from the
vadose zone (8’ and 12’ depths), and the groundwater sample was
collected just
below the water table (12’-14’ depth).
U LIII-edge XANES spectroscopy indicates that uranium
is
primarily (> 95%) in the 6+ valence state. mXRF
mapping revealed two major uranium populations within the vadose and
groundwater zones: (1) diffuse uranyl associated with the surface of
most of
the minerals present, and (2) U(VI)-hotspots associated with surface
coatings
on muscovite and chlorite. These U(VI)-hotspots are frequently
spatially
correlated with Cu(II)-hotspots and were identified by mXRD as cuprosklodowskite (cps)
and metatorbernite (mtb) in the
groundwater zone. In contrast, the U(VI)-Cu(II)-containing precipitates
are
X-ray amorphous in the vadose zone.
These results complement those from Catalano et al. (2007) who
found
that the dominant uranium-bearing phase was metatorbernite in the upper
vadose
zone (4’ depth) and uranyl sorbed onto phyllosilicates in the
groundwater
zone. Our recent findings suggest that
U(VI) and Cu(II) remain strongly correlated with depth beneath NPP2,
and that
U(VI)-Cu(II) phases are potentially undergoing
dissolution/re-precipitation
reactions with changing water influx with depth. These
findings suggest that the fate and transport of uranium are
controlled in part by uranyl desorption and potentially dominated by
dissolution of U-Cu precipitates.
(4) Uranyl-chlorite
interactions (coming soon)
Sequestration of soluble uranium (U) by clay minerals is a potentially
major sink for U in contaminated environments. We have used a
series of batch sorption/desorption experiments combined with U LIII-edge
EXAFS spectroscopy to investigate the dominant sorption mechanism(s)
governing uranyl uptake by chlorite. Sorption was independent of ionic
strength, suggesting a dominantly inner-sphere sorption mechanism. At
pH 6.5, U(VI) uptake as a function of solution chemistry followed the
trend CO3-Ca-free system > CO3-Ca-bearing system > CO3-bearing
system. Conversely at pH 10, U(VI) uptake as a function of
solution chemistry followed the trend CO3-Ca-bearing system >
CO3-Ca-free system » CO3-bearing system. The minimum sorption
loading was 0.28 mmoles U g1 chlorite at pH 4, whereas the sorption
loading was 6.3 mmoles U g-1 chlorite pH 6.5 and pH 10.
Sequential desorption experiments suggest that (1) there was
little to no weakly bound U(VI) or U(VI) coprecipitated with
ferrihydrite, and (2) U(VI) inner-sphere sorption complexes can be
desorbed with 0.1 M HCl, but desorption is less kinetically inhibited
with 1.0 M HCl. Fits of the EXAFS spectra of the sorption samples
indicate that U(VI) forms inner-sphere sorption complexes at [Fe(O,OH)6]
octahedral sites in a bidentate manner. When CO3
and Ca were included, the EXAFS spectra fits indicate that U(VI)-CO3
sorption complexes were present, although there was no evidence for
U(VI)-CO3-Ca sorption complexes.
Long-term exposure of chlorite to U(VI) to promote ferrihydrite
formation or reduction of U(VI) by Fe(II) was performed under both
aerobic and anaerobic conditions to determine the role these uptake
mechanisms might play. EXAFS spectra of these samples indicated
the presence of 25% U(IV), where as no U(IV) was detected for the
sorption samples. An additional contribution to the spectra was
observed that is consistent with the U-U pair correlation in
uraninite. However, the presence of Ca in solution prohibited
U(VI) reduction. These results suggest that long-term exposure of
chlorite to uranyl could result in U sequestration as the relatively
insoluble UO2, versus more transient
sorption complexes. The results presented in this study can aid
surface complexation models of uranyl sorption on clay minerals by
accounting for the change in sorption mechanisms as a function of
solution chemistry.
Project Title: “Fate of metal-EDTA complexes
during plant uptake”
Project included greenhouse studies of plant
uptake of metal-EDTA solutions, and bench-top and synchrotron Fourier
Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy of plant samples at the
NSLS. FT-IR showed metal-EDTA complexes stay intact during plant
uptake, which would enable plants to remove higher concentrations of
toxic metals with the phytotoxic effect of the metals masked.
Student abstracts are available at the
Department of Energy's Office of Education site.
Project Title: “Highly
oxidized rocks from the San Gorgonio Pass, California; Petrology and
thermodynamic calculations”
Project included electron microprobe chemical analyses of
mineralogically exotic minerals and thermodynamic calculations of model
systems of the effect of oxygen fugacity on Mn-end member
garnet-epidote equilibrium. The paper is available
here.
Project Title: “Phytoremediation: the
use of plants to remove contaminants from soils – economic and
environmental considerations”.
Project included greenhouse and field experiments of plant uptake of
heavy metals and radionuclides. Analytical techniques included
ICP-AES of heavy metals, Gamma radiation counting for radio-cesium and
americium and Synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy of plant
samples to determine
redox state of metals taken up by hyperaccumulating plants.
For more information about Phytoremediation, click here for a review about how phytoremediation has been applied.
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Teaching Experience
view my teaching portfolio
*Recipient
of the 2004-2005 Centennial
Teaching Assistant Award*
GES 1 "Introduction to Geology" (Spring 2003)
Responsibilities; lead weekly laboratory session including
leading three field trips, weekly office hours, grade laboratory
projects and lecture exams and quizzes.
GES-80 "Earth Materials" (Fall 2002, 2003, and 2004)
Responsibilities; as head T.A, lead weekly laboratory
session including 15 lecture, weekly office hours, lead three reviews
sessions over the course of a quarter and grading laboratory projects,
laboratory finals, and bi-weekly lecture homework, and assist in
overnight field trip.
GES 90 "Introduction to Geochemistry" (Winter 2003)
Responsibilities; weekly office hours, grade bi-weekly
homework, lead review session prior to midterm and final.
GES-170 "Environmental Geochemistry" (Winter 2003)
Responsibilities; weekly office hours, grade bi-weekly
homework, lead review session prior to midterm, and assist in grading
of final project.
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Education