This May sees the next talk in the monthly 'Water Colloquium' series organised by WIRC @ Bath exploring the breadth of water research being undertaken at the University of Bath and beyond.
Title: Linking chemical-soil interactions to pollutant fate and transport from soil to water
Speaker: Dr Brian J. Reid, Reader, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
When: Thursday 18th May 2017 at 1.15pm
Where: Room 2.1, 6 East, University of Bath (Location and maps)
Abstract: The seminar will begin by introducing the fundamentals of how chemical and physical phenomena underpin soil-pollutants interactions. From this perspective the implications of these interactions for pollutant bioavailability and transport will be developed. I will introduce seminal research relating to the application of cyclodextrins as bioavailability mimetics (and standardisation with the ISO). I will provide insights into the interplay between pollutant exposure, pollutant bioavailability and microbial adaptation. These dynamics govern the opportunities for pollutants to move through the environment and to be degraded. To conclude this half of the seminar, I will outline ongoing research with: a European agrochemical company and a UK water company, with whom, we are developing innovations to mitigate pesticide release into the environment and to evaluate pesticide attenuation-competence across water catchments. The second half of the seminar will consider the opportunities to use carbonaceous materials to alter the bioavailability and fate of chemicals. Here I will introduce experiments that highlight the influence of biochar on: soil properties and soil hydrology, and; the efflux of soil colloids, dissolved organic matter and agrochemicals. I will highlight recent successes in the application of biochars to mitigate pollutant phyto-accumulation and markedly reduce the cancer risks in China’s Cancer Villages.
Biography: Dr Brian Reid is a Reader in Soil Science at the University of East Anglia. Brian is a Technical Expert in Soil Quality to the BSI and a member of the ISO Soil Quality Technical Committee ‐ TC190. He holds an Adjunct Professorship with the Chinese Academy of Science. Brian has published >60 journal articles; these have accrued 3500 citations. His research focuses on soil ecosystem services and in particular interactions between soil and contaminants, agrochemicals and nutrients. Brian’s current research relates to:
i) the fate, availability and risk associated with chemicals in the environment,
ii) the role of soil carbon in controlling soil structure, soil hydrology and chemical mobility,
iii) the mobilisation of soil organic matter and soil colloids during intense rainfall events,
iv) innovation to minimise pesticide release into the environment.
Contact: Please email Sarah Eliot if you need any further information.
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