Summary
The transport and transformation of organic and inorganic compounds is the focus of my research. Our laboratory has a long-term interest in the environmental photochemistry of organic compounds, and recently is focusing on the photolysis of pesticides on soil surfaces and in the gas phase. We have developed a heated gas-phase photoreactor which has been very useful in establishing concentrations of pesticides in the gas-phase which can be irradiated with solar simulators. We are also working on a variety of projects related to contamination from mining sites, both from current precious metals mining sites and historic mines. We have developed an anaerobic bioreactor that uses sulfate-reducing bacteria to raise the pH of wastewater and also to remove metals and sulfate from effluent streams. We are also studying the geochemistry of precious metals mining pit lakes, which will be created once many of the large mines close. The long-term impact of these pit lakes on the environment is unknown, and we are investigating methods to predict the eventual water quality in these lakes.
Education
B.S. 1972, University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph.D. 1977, University of California, Davis