Download EnviRonmEntal and soil chEmistRy

REsearch topics in the working group
ENvironmental and soil chemistry
The working group of Environmental and Soil Chemistry follows various research topics in which you always have the possibility to work in a short-term project, to write a
case study or bachelor’s / master’s / diploma thesis and participate in current research
projects.
The different research questions are answered with different methods. Some require
a preliminary data sampling in the field which are treated in the laboratory afterwards,
others are based in the lab only. However, pure literature work is possible, too.
The following pages will introduce you into the different research topics and the
scientific staff. Please do not hesitate to ask the displayed contact persons for more
information.
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
January 2012
Environmental analytics
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Besides monitoring and measuring concentrations in the
environment, one major issue of environmental chemical
analyst is the development and application of new methods to get better insieght on the fate and risk of pollutants in the environment.
It is commonly accepted that simple determination of total concentrations does not reflect the risk and
that the behavior of the compounds under environmental conditions which determines e.g. the bio
availability has to be investigated.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• How to distinguish between total content and the bioavailable Contact person:
concentration of emerging substances in soils and sediments?
Dr. Nicole Bandow
[email protected]
Engineered inorganic nanoparticels (EINP) are continously being released into the environment. Risk
assessment is, however, currently hampered by the
lack of suitable methods to detect nanoparticles in
the environment.
Research Topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• Method development for 2D separation of nanoparticles
via coupling hydrodynamic, electrophoretic and spectro scopic techniques.
Contact person:
Denis Rakcheev
[email protected]
NaNOparticles in the environment
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Background:
During the last decade the production of engineered inorganic nanoparticles (EINP) has steadily increased and today they can be found in a multitude of daily use products such as cosmetics or textiles.
Although increasing research activity focuses on the fate of EINP in the environment, there is still a big
gap of knowledge with respect to their transformation and mobility in the environment.
Thus, we currently investigate engineered nanoparticles and their interactions with natural organic
matter, soils and (in)organic surfaces via a combination of several chromatographic, microscopic and
light scattering techniques.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• Investigation of model nanoparticle’s fate in different aquatic media.
• Interaction of natural organic substances like humic and fulvic acids with engineered nanoparticles in surface waters.
• Interaction of nanoparticles with organic and inorganic surfaces.
• Detection and investigation of nanoparticles in soils.
Contact persons:
Allan Philippe
[email protected]
Andre Dabrunz
[email protected]
Denis Rakcheev
Priya Abraham
[email protected] [email protected]
Dr. Ilona Heidmann
[email protected]
Interdisciplinary research
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Background:
We want to resolve part of the discrepancy between environmental knowledge and environmentally
responsible behavior with research in an interdisciplinary team to promote environmentally sustainable
behavior. We refer to ecologically and socially relevant topics, for example nanotechnology, renewable
energy or green genetic technology.
The below offered theses are literature based studies where you e.g. analyze the environmental knowledge in the scientific literature and compare this with the content in the media. You will be supported
by Dr. Ilona Heidmann and Dr. Jutta Milde.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• Discrepancies between scientific knowledge and media content - a comparative study of scientific literature and media content.
• Risk assessment and perception of risk – comparison of scientific and social point of view.
• Lobbying in science communication / environmental research / …
• Uncertain or faked? Discourse in science and media.
Contact person:
Dr. Ilona Heidmann
[email protected]
Water
meadows
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Background:
Water meadows management is a special way of agricultural irrigation using periodically flooding for
improving the water and nutrient supply of the meadows, which lead to an enhanced grass production.
Parts of the water meadows of Landau (Wässerwiesen) have been regularly flooded for more than 500
years with yet unknown impact on the ecosystem.
Comparison of e.g., soil characteristics, vegetation patterns and biodiversity of these areas allows a
direct investigation of the effect of hydrological alterations on the terrestrial ecosystem. We hypothesize that the continuous alteration between reducing and oxidizing conditions in the regularly flooded
meadows may have led to an accumulation of soil organic matter (SOM) with different properties with
respect to the non-flooded fields. Furthermore the regular shrinking and swelling of the soil can change
nature of binding of organic pollutants and thus their bio availability.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• Soil water balance and temporal changes in redox conditions under contrasting hydrological regimes in
water meadows in Landau.
• Influence of hydrological regimes on thermal behavior and surface properties of SOM in floodplain soils.
• Influence of water water plants on water quality and their role as possible source for contamination of
meadows.
• Influence of shrinking and swelling on adsorption and bioavailability of organic compounds in the soil.
Contact persons:
Dr. Nicole Bandow
[email protected]
Dr. Dörte Diehl
[email protected]
Martin Alt
[email protected]
Wastewater reuse on soil
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Background:
Shortage of water resources is an urgent issue in many regions in the world leading to different concepts facing the needs of agriculture.
In Palestinian Authorities and Israel waste water as e.g. pre-treated water from waste water treatment
plants or water of olive oil mills is often re-used. Despite the positive effects as high nutrient content
and water supply possible negative effects as decreased water holding capacity, salinization and quality
of soil organic matter of this practice are rather unknown.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• Does biodegradation reduce water repellency in olive oil mill wastewater contaminated soils?
• Retention of olive oil mill waste water by soils. To which extend is the waste water retained by soil and what characteristics does the leachate, which can contaminate the groundwater, have?
• What substances in the waste water are inducing the water repellency?
• Which long term effects does irrigation with pre-treated waste water on soil quality and physico-
chemical properties as water repellency, pH and salinity have on Israeli soils?
Contact persons:
Dr. Nicole Bandow
[email protected]
Dr. Dörte Diehl
[email protected]
Benjamin Peikert
peikert@uni-landau.
Fertilizers and other soil amendments
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Background:
Maintaining soil fertility is one of the most urgent human problems on earth.
It is estimated that up to 40% of the world‘s agricultural land is seriously degraded.
Fertilizers: To ensure food supply for the growing world population agriculture
depends on an increasing consumption of fertilizers. Unfortunately, fertilizers
do not only contain the basic (N, P, K), secondary (e.g. Ca, Mg, S), and micronutrients (e.g. Zn, Fe, Mo and Na). They may also contain traces of contaminants like Uranium and heavy metals like Cd, Pb and As which with increasing
fertilizer supply may enrich in the soils.
Therefore possible pathways of Uranium deriving from fertilizers in soils are of special interest.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case Studies:
• Characterization of solid minerals in fertilizer materials.
Contact person:
• Soil batch and soil column experiments.
• Dissolution kinetics of Uranium from fertilizer.
• Plant growth experiments.
Dr. Mohamed Azeroual
[email protected]
Terra preta is a black soil probably anthropogenically developed in former Indian cultures in Amazonia. It has a long lasting fertility of more than 1000 years
even under the extreme Amazonian climate. Palatine researchers successfully
produced this organic rich material. The so-called “Terra preta substrate” has
a high water holding and nutrient binding capacity which is supposed to be
related to the stability of the organic substrate.
Therefore it is planned to use Terra preta substrates, e.g., on degraded soils to re-establish an organic
matter layer and re-enable plant growth.
Research topics for Bachelor/Master/Diploma thesis/Case studies:
• Thermal behavior and surface properties of Terra preta
substrate
Contact persons:
• Changes of organic matter stability during the production
process
Dr. Jette Schwarz
Dr. Dörte Diehl
[email protected] [email protected]
Soil organic matter (SOM)
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Background:
Soil is a highly complex, heterogeneous and chemically ill-defined system. Organic matter regimes in
soil serve for various biological and physico-chemical processes. Water plays a key role in several processes by direct and indirect involvements. Water molecules are hypothesized to bridge between organic matter segments to form cross-links between the molecules. This can affect the SOM stability and
uptake and release of small molecules including pollutants.
A better understanding of the mechanism that water molecules undergo will open a better way to
control soil pollution and enhance remediation technologies.
Research topics for short-term projects:
• Root exudates
• Extracellular polymeric substances
• Soil-gel interactions
• Swelling processes in soil
• Microbial interactions in soil
Research topics for short-term projects:
• Humification by water
• Effects of water content on physical structure of soil
• Bridging of organic matter by water molecules
Contact persons:
PD. Dr. Jiří Kučerík
Prof. Dr. G. Schaumann
[email protected] [email protected]
Yamuna Kunhi Mouvenchery
[email protected]
Contact details
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND SOIL CHEMISTRY
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Schaumann
Building I, room 3.11
Phone: 06341 - 280 31571
[email protected]
Dr. Mohamed Azeroual
Building CIII, room 0.51
Phone: 06341 - 280 31585
[email protected]
Dr. Dörte Diehl
Building CIII, room 0.52a
Phone: 06341 - 280 31567
[email protected]
PD. Dr. Jiří Kučerík
Building I, room 3.29
Phone: 06341 - 280 31582
[email protected]
Dr. Ilona Heidmann
Building I, room 4.30
Phone: 06341 - 280 35303
[email protected]
Dr. Nicole Bandow
Building CIII, room 1.47
Phone: 06341 - 280 31568
[email protected]
Dr. Jette Schwarz
Building CIII, room 0.52b
Phone: 06341 - 280 31569
[email protected]
Yamuna Kunhi Mouvenchery
Building CIII, room 1.47
Phone: 06341 - 280 31574
[email protected]
Priya Abraham
Building CIII, room 0.54a
Phone: 06341 - 280 31579
[email protected]
Andre Dabrunz
Building CIII, room 1.47
Phone: 06341 - 280 31332
[email protected]
Allan Philippe
Building I, room 4.06
Phone: 06341 - 280 31589
[email protected]
Denis Rakcheev
Building I, room 2.24
Phone: 06341 - 280 31588
[email protected]
Benjamin Peikert
Building CIII, room 0.51
Phone: 06341 - 280 315674
[email protected]
Martin Alt
Building I, room 5.26
Phone: 06341 - 280 31474
[email protected]