Past Research

Landfill leachate

Landfill leachate

Our research group has worked in the past on a variety of projects focused on leachate treatment from finding ways to improve the UV transmittance of landfill leachate to treatment and detection of emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, plasticizers, etc.  We have used Fenton’s process and fungal bioreactors for treatment, and characterized dissolved organic matter in leachate.  Our current work sponsored by Environmental Research and Education Foundation focuses on quantifying microplastics in leachate from municipal landfills and anaerobic reactors processing a variety of solids waste, e.g., food, agricultural and biosolids waste.

Role of environmental buffers in potable water reuse

Role of environmental buffers in potable water reuse

This project, funded by NIWR and USGS, evaluated whether various environmental buffers used in potable water reuse remove or introduce a variety of conventional and emerging contaminants.  Wetlands, river, lake, groundwater storage and riverbank filtration were studied.  The contaminants evaluated included pharmaceuticals of various environmental fate, microbial contaminants and antibiotic resistance genes, contaminants indicative of urban atmospheric deposition, farm and road runoff, as well as a range of conventional water quality parameters.