A5010150746- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Recycling and Waste Management Techniques
- Urban Stormwater Management Solutions
- Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Water Quality and Pollution Assessment
- Water Quality Monitoring Technologies
- Water Quality Monitoring and Analysis
- Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants
- Water Quality and Resources Studies
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Coastal and Marine Dynamics
- Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
- Groundwater flow and contamination studies
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Heavy metals in environment
- Smart Materials for Construction
- Minerals Flotation and Separation Techniques
- Wind and Air Flow Studies
- Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
College of Charleston
2016-2025
University of Tübingen
2012-2020
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
2010-2013
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
2007
Wastewater treatment plants serve to collect and treat wastes that are known include microplastic (MP; synthetic polymer materials <5 mm in size) other small anthropogenic litter as particles, fibers microbeads. Here, we determined the loads removal efficiencies of three wastewater (WWTPs) with different sizes, operations service compositions discharging Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, USA over course a year. Overall, found MP concentrations (counts per L) varied within factor 2.5...
Abstract Microplastics are small (< 5 mm) synthetic polymers that a contaminant of emerging concern and can be difficult to identify due their diversity in size, shape composition. The hot needle test, or point helps researchers suspected microplastics under optical microscopy by probing physical melt deformation behavior, is low-cost practical method for widespread use. However, our knowledge the accuracy this test has not been fully evaluated. We noted articles commonly referenced do...
About 3 billion new tires are produced each year and about 800 million become waste annually. Global dependence upon from natural rubber petroleum-based compounds represents a persistent complex environmental problem with only partial often-times, ineffective solutions. Tire emissions may be in the form of whole tires, tire particles, chemical compounds, which is transported through various atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic routes built environments. Production use generates multiple heavy...
In situ amendment of activated carbon (AC) to sediments can effectively reduce the bioavailability hydrophobic organic contaminants. While biochars have been suggested as low-cost and sustainable alternatives ACs, there are few comparative sorption data especially for mercury (Hg) methylmercury (MeHg) at low porewater concentrations in sediments. Here we compare ability a wide range commercially available laboratory synthesized ACs sorb PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, inorganic Hg, MeHg environmentally...
As a proxy to trace the impact of anthropogenic activity, sedimentary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compared between early industrialized and newly countries Germany China, respectively. Surface sediment samples in Ammer River Liangtan China were collected compare concentration levels, distribution patterns, diagnostic plots PAHs. Total concentrations 16 PAHs sediments significantly higher by factor ~4.5 than those Liangtan. This contrast agrees with an extensive literature...
Remediation of contaminated sediments remains a technological challenge because traditional approaches do not always achieve risk reduction goals for human health and ecosystem protection can even be destructive natural resources. Recent work has shown that uptake persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the food web is strongly influenced by nature contaminant binding, especially to black carbon surfaces sediments. We demonstrate first time river application...
Sorbent amendment with activated carbon (AC) is a novel in situ management strategy for addressing human and ecological health risks posed by hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) sediments soils. A large body of literature shows that AC amendments can reduce bioavailability sediment-associated HOCs more than 60-90%. Empirically derived biodynamic models predict bioaccumulation benthic invertebrates within factor 2, allowing future scenarios under to be estimated. Higher dose smaller particle...
ABSTRACT Anoxia occurs in bottom waters of stratified estuaries when respiratory consumption oxygen, primarily by bacteria, outpaces atmospheric and photosynthetic reoxygenation. Once water becomes anoxic, bacterioplankton must change their metabolism to some form anaerobic respiration. Analysis redox chemistry samples spanning the oxycline Chesapeake Bay during summer 2004 suggested that there was a succession following loss oxygen. Bacterial community doubling time, calculated from...
Activated carbon (AC) amendment to polluted sediment or soil is an emerging in situ treatment technique that reduces freely dissolved porewater concentrations and subsequently the ecological human health risk of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs). An important question capacity amended AC after prolonged exposure field. To address this issue, sorption freshly spiked native HOCs aged under natural field conditions fresh amendments was compared for one two sediments. After 12-32 months...
The complex, varied composition (i.e., rubbers/elastomers, carbon black, fillers, additives, and embedded road materials) wide density range of tire wear particles (TRWPs) present challenges for their isolation identification from environmental matrices. Reliable quantification is important understanding the fate potential adverse effects TRWPs. To address monitoring needs, work adapts a series steps methods commonly applied microplastic analysis single-particle-level enumeration TRWPs...
In lowland coastal regions of the southeastern United States, stormwater ponds are being built as “green infrastructure” best management practice choice for addressing hydrologic changes associated with rapid urban and suburban development. addition to dampening storm flows, may provide pollution control other ecosystem services. However, not native this landscape. This review summarizes what is known about effectiveness these engineered ponds, which take many shapes forms, in context...
Phthalates are chemical additives to common consumer goods including cleaning products, cosmetics, personal care and plastic. Because they not chemically bound these products widely used, the potential for environmental contamination is significant. their metabolites have been associated with endocrine disruption reproductive impairment, among other adverse health effects, in laboratory animals human epidemiologic studies. Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) vulnerable pollutants...
Amendment of activated carbon to sediments has been shown effectively reduce the bioavailability hydrophobic organic contaminants, but concerns have raised about potential toxicological impacts administering a strong sorbent into sediments. The present study provides summary several investigations carried out as part pilot-scale in river understand secondary effects added sediment-associated polychlorinated biphenyls. While some previous laboratory amendment studies found reduced lipid...