Environmental Nanoscience Laboratory

There are several implications of the study: i) hazardous waste management ii) soil and water contamination iii) riverbed filtration iv) nanofiltration-wastewater purification, food industry v) geothermal energy vi) enhanced oil recovery vii) bio-engineering 

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In our laboratory we address the following problems related to the fate and transport of NPs in the subsurface environment:

1. Effect of size and density of colloids/nanoparticles on the deposition kinetics through soil column experiments

2. Transport of colloid-aided-metal ion transport (e.g. Eu, U, Pb, Cr, As etc.) across granitic fractures (host rock of hazardous waste disposal) as a function of surface topography

3. To predict the stability, sorption coefficient of metal ions to colloids/nanoparticles under the groundwater and riverine water conditions further understanding their transport in the subsurface environment

4. Exploring the mobility and filtration mechanisms in the geochemically heterogeneous media (saturated soil zone) as a function of hydrodynamics and varying chemical conditions (such as pH, ionic strength etc.)

5. Fundamental understanding of colloid deposition process by determining the forces between colloid and surfaces as a function of metal ion concentration using atomic force microscopy

6. Performing the experiments to evaluate the sorption heterogeneity of metal ions with respect to surface heterogeneity – evaluation of reactivity of mineral surface with exposed mineral phases

7. To find the effect of rock fracture aperture distance on colloid sorption

8. Performing flow-through experiments with mineral surfaces to understand the deposition of colloids with respect to surface roughness

9. Evaluating the effect of hydrodynamics on colloid sorption at rough analog surfaces that mimic natural minerals

10. Effect of polydispersity on colloid sorption as a function of substrate roughness