Fate and remediation of persistent organic pollutants in contaminated soils and water

Environmental pollution from both traditional and emerging persistent organic pollutants poses a significant global challenge. The fate, transport, and remediation of these pollutants are governed by their interactions with environmental surfaces, solution chemistry, and intrinsic physicochemical properties. A deeper understanding of these interactions is crucial for unraveling the complex processes that influence pollutant behavior and remediation in both terrestrial and aquatic systems.
My research focuses on sorption and heterogeneous redox processes in soil and water, with two primary objectives: assessing the environmental fate of pollutants and advancing remediation strategies for contaminated soil and water. Developing innovative remediation approaches requires a comprehensive understanding of how pollutants interact with mineral and organic constituents in soil, as well as co-occurring compounds in complex environmental matrices. Reactive transport modeling plays a key role in deciphering these interactions and predicting pollutant behavior across
different environmental scenarios.
In this talk, I will present examples from our work highlighting the role of reactive minerals in controlling the fate, transport and remediation of different contaminants in natural systems. This includes a diverse range of organic pollutants—such as hydrocarbons, pesticides, chlorinated organics, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—examined across multiple spatial and temporal scales.
By integrating these research components across various environmental contexts, my work enhances our understanding of pollutant dynamics in soil and water systems, ultimately contributing to the development of more effective remediation strategies.