This grant will allow the purchase of a BET surface area analyzer in support of earth and environmental sciences research and teaching in the Department of Physical Sciences at Chapman University, a small, independent, liberal arts university located in a culturally diverse community in southern California. The requested instrument will be of immediate and significant benefit to ongoing research projects in environmental geochemistry, specifically 1) a study of heavy metal sorption and (co)precipitation to iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles upon initial exposure and with subsequent aggregation/growth of the nanoparticles and 2) the identification of metal concentration trends in mine wastes as a function of particle size involving the physical size separation of heterogeneous mine wastes into discrete size fractions with subsequent characterization of these fractions according to chemical composition, mineralogy, and surface area. Both projects hold significant implications for the mobility, bioavailability, and fate of these contaminants in the environment. In addition, this grant will generate opportunities for independent research to environmental science and (geo)chemistry undergraduate students, provide additional research-grade instrumentation to enhance both research and education capabilities, and initiate a new collaborative partnership between Chapman University and the U.S. Geological Survey.
