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Welcome to
Darbha's research group
Environmental Nanoscience Laboratory
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"Sustainable environment is essential for sustainable life"
Understanding the fate of pollutants in the environment:
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:
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Effect of size and density of colloids/nanoparticles on the deposition kinetics through soil column experiments
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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
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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
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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.)
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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
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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
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To find the effect of rock fracture aperture distance on colloid sorption
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Performing flow-through experiments with mineral surfaces to understand the deposition of colloids with respect to surface roughness
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Evaluating the effect of hydrodynamics on colloid sorption at rough analog surfaces that mimic natural minerals
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Effect of polydispersity on colloid sorption as a function of substrate roughness
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Selected publications of the topic:
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Effect of irrigation water type and other environmental parameters on CeO2 nanopesticide-clay colloid interactions, Ekta Tiwari, Mithu Mondal, Nisha Singh, Nitin Khandelwal, Fazel Abdolahpur Monikh, Gopala Krishna Darbha, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 22, 1, 2020 (Selected as cover page article)
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A Dose Metrics Perspective on the Association of Gold Nanomaterials with Algal Cells, Fazel Abdolahpur Monikh, Benjamin Fryer, Daniel Arenas-Lago, Martina G. Vijver, Gopala Krishna Darbha, Eugenia Valsami-Jones, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Environmental Science and Technology (Letters), 2019, 6 ,12, 732-738.
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Understanding the stability of nanoplastics in aqueous environments: effect of ionic strength, temperature, dissolved organic matter, clay, and heavy metals: Nisha Singh, Ekta Tiwari, Nitin Khandelwal, Gopala Krishna Darbha, Environmental Science: Nano, 2019,6, 2968-2976. (Selected as cover page article)
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