Organic contaminants in soils and sediments

The fate of organic contaminants in soils and sediments is of primary concern in environmental science. The capacity to which soil constituents can potentially react with organic contaminants may profoundly impact assessments of risks associated with specific contaminants and their degradation products. In particular, clay mineral surfaces are known to facilitate oxidation/reduction, acid/base, polymerization, and hydrolysis reactions at the mineral-aqueous interface (1, 2). Since these reactions are occurring on or at a hydrated mineral surface, non-invasive spectroscopic analytical methods are the preferred choice to accurately ascertain the reactant products and to monitor reactions in real time, in order to determine the role of the mineral surface in the reaction. Additionally, the in situ methods employed allow us to monitor the ultimate changes in the physico-chemical properties of the minerals. 

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