Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
Filter Total Items: 3785
Importance of microscopy in durability studies of solidified and stabilized contaminated soils Importance of microscopy in durability studies of solidified and stabilized contaminated soils
Solidification/stabilization (S/S) is recognized by the U.S. EPA as a best demonstrated available technology for the containment of contaminated soils and other hazardous wastes that cannot be destroyed by chemical, thermal, or biological means. Despite the increased use of S/S technologies, little research has been conducted on the weathering and degradation of solidified and stabilized...
Authors
I. Klich, L.P. Wilding, L.R. Drees, E. R. Landa
Molecular analysis of microbial community structures in pristine and contaminated aquifers: Field and laboratory microcosm experiments Molecular analysis of microbial community structures in pristine and contaminated aquifers: Field and laboratory microcosm experiments
This study used phylogenetic probes in hybridization analysis to (i) determine in situ microbial community structures in regions of a shallow sand aquifer that were oxygen depleted and fuel contaminated (FC) or aerobic and noncontaminated (NC) and (ii) examine alterations in microbial community structures resulting from exposure to toluene and/or electron acceptor supplementation...
Authors
Y. Shi, M.D. Zwolinski, M.E. Schreiber, J.M. Bahr, G.W. Sewell, W.J. Hickey
Characterizing a sewage plume using the 3H-3He dating technique Characterizing a sewage plume using the 3H-3He dating technique
An extensive 3H-3He study was performed to determine detailed characteristics of a regional flow system and a sewage plume over a distance of 4 km in a sand and gravel aquifer at Otis Air Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts. 3H-3He ages increase with depth in individual piezometer clusters and with distance along flowpaths. However, the age gradient with depth (Δt/Δz) is smaller in the plume...
Authors
Stephanie Dunkle Shapiro, Denis LeBlanc, Peter Schlosser, Andrea Ludin
Assessing groundwater vulnerability to agrichemical contamination in the Midwest US Assessing groundwater vulnerability to agrichemical contamination in the Midwest US
Agrichemicals (herbicides and nitrate) are significant sources of diffuse pollution to groundwater. Indirect methods are needed to assess the potential for groundwater contamination by diffuse sources because groundwater monitoring is too costly to adequately define the geographic extent of contamination at a regional or national scale. This paper presents examples of the application of
Authors
M. R. Burkart, D.W. Kolpin, D.E. James
Bacteriophage PRD1 and silica colloid transport and recovery in an iron oxide-coated sand aquifer Bacteriophage PRD1 and silica colloid transport and recovery in an iron oxide-coated sand aquifer
Bacteriophage PRD1 and silica colloids were co-injected into sewage-contaminated and uncontaminated zones of an iron oxide-coated sand aquifer on Cape Cod, MA, and their transport was monitored over distances up to 6 m in three arrays. After deposition, the attached PRD1 and silica colloids were mobilized by three different chemical perturbations (elevated pH, anionic surfactant, and...
Authors
J. N. Ryan, M. Elimelech, R.A. Ard, R.W. Harvey, P.R. Johnson
A siphon gage for monitoring surface-water levels A siphon gage for monitoring surface-water levels
A device that uses a siphon tube to establish a hydraulic connection between the bottom of an onshore standpipe and a point at the bottom of a water body was designed and tested for monitoring surface-water levels. Water is added to the standpipe to a level sufficient to drive a complete slug of water through the siphoning tube and to flush all air out of the system. The water levels in...
Authors
Timothy D. McCobb, Denis R. LeBlanc, Roy S. Socolow
Simultaneous reduction of nitrate and selenate by cell suspensions of selenium-respiring bacteria Simultaneous reduction of nitrate and selenate by cell suspensions of selenium-respiring bacteria
Washed-cell suspensions of Sulfurospirillum barnesiireduced selenate [Se(VI)] when cells were cultured with nitrate, thiosulfate, arsenate, or fumarate as the electron acceptor. When the concentration of the electron donor was limiting, Se(VI) reduction in whole cells was approximately fourfold greater in Se(VI)-grown cells than was observed in nitrate-grown cells; correspondingly...
Authors
R.S. Oremland, J.S. Blum, A.B. Bindi, P.R. Dowdle, M. Herbel, J.F. Stolz
High-pressure size exclusion chromatography analysis of dissolved organic matter isolated by tangential-flow ultra filtration High-pressure size exclusion chromatography analysis of dissolved organic matter isolated by tangential-flow ultra filtration
A 1,000-Dalton tangential-flow ultrafiltration (TFUF) membrane was used to isolate dissolved organic matter (DOM) from several freshwater environments. The TFUF unit used in this study was able to completely retain a polystyrene sulfonate 1,800-Dalton standard. Unaltered and TFUF-fractionated DOM molecular weights were assayed by high-pressure size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The...
Authors
C.R. Everett, Y.-P. Chin, G. R. Aiken
Spectroscopic confirmation of uranium(VI)-carbonato adsorption complexes on hematite Spectroscopic confirmation of uranium(VI)-carbonato adsorption complexes on hematite
Evaluating societal risks posed by uranium contamination from waste management facilities, mining sites, and heavy industry requires knowledge about uranium transport in groundwater, often the most significant pathway of exposure to humans. It has been proposed that uranium mobility in aquifers may be controlled by adsorption of U(VI)−carbonato complexes on oxide minerals. The existence...
Authors
John R. Bargar, Rebecca Reitmeyer, James A. Davis
GIXAFS study of Fe3+ sorption and precipitation on natural quartz surfaces GIXAFS study of Fe3+ sorption and precipitation on natural quartz surfaces
Grazing-incidence EXAFS has been used to characterize the structure of Fe3+ sorbed onto natural single crystal quartz surfaces. Fe3+ sorption at ca. 5% monolayer coverage on a natural crystal allowed to equilibrate in air resulted in formation of hematite nuclei with strong texturing on r-and m-planes. EXAFS calculations suggests that both O and Fe backscattering is necessary to yield...
Authors
G. Waychunas, J. Davis, R. Reitmeyer
Denitrification in marine shales in northeastern Colorado Denitrification in marine shales in northeastern Colorado
Parts of the South Platte River alluvial aquifer in northeastern Colorado are underlain by the Pierre Shale, a marine deposit of Late Cretaceous age that is
Authors
Peter B. McMahon, J.K. Böhlke, Breton W. Bruce
Quantification of aerobic biodegradation and volatilization rates of gasoline hydrocarbons near the water table under natural attenuation conditions Quantification of aerobic biodegradation and volatilization rates of gasoline hydrocarbons near the water table under natural attenuation conditions
Aerobic biodegradation and volatilization near the water table constitute a coupled pathway that contributes significantly to the natural attenuation of hydrocarbons at gasoline spill sites. Rates of hydrocarbon biodegradation and volatilization were quantified by analyzing vapor transport in the unsaturated zone at a gasoline spill site in Beaufort, South Carolina. Aerobic biodgradation...
Authors
Matthew A. Lahvis, Arthur L. Baehr, Ronald J. Baker