This U.S.-Brazil award will support a research collaboration between Drs. Frank K. Cartledge and Marty E. Tittlebaum, Louisiana State University, and Drs. Persio de Souza Santos, Antonio C. Vieira Coelho, and Pedro Buchler, University of Sao Paulo, and Dr. Jo Dweck, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Partial support is being provided by NSF's Environmental Technology Program.
This study will look at the treatment of organic and mixed organic/inorganic wastes, specifically tannery wastes, and the use of organoclay as an additive in cement-based binder systems. Different mixes will be compared using spectroscopic techniques with the goal of defining factors responsible for effective treatment.
The Sao Paulo group has broad experience with real waste streams and the properties and uses of clay materials that are used for immobilization of organic-containing wastes. The LSU group has expertise in mechanistic studies employing various methods, particularly solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Together, these researchers could increase our understanding of the processes giving effective solidification/stabilization of hazardous wastes. ***
