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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]