Hanna Research Group

Fe and Mn oxides are generally the dominant redox-active components in soils, sediments, and other oxide-rich environments. These metal oxides can vary widely in physical and chemical characteristics, and exist as micro- and nano-size particles. They affect a wide range of processes, including anaerobic degradation of organic matter, biogeochemical cycling and availability of trace elements, and the mobility, redox transformation and toxicity of organic and inorganic contaminants. To emulate nature’s power features, we are developing a range of environmental clean-up technologies which use Fe or Mn chemistry to remediate groundwaters, wastewaters and soils. Different forms of Fe or Mn have been tested for activity against several different classes of environmental pollutants and for possible use as part of an environmental remediation technology. Those include microscale/nanoscale zero-valent metal particles, bimetallic reductive compounds, metal oxide or hydroxides, metal supported silica, biochar or pillared clays, and others. One of the most promising avenues of research involves the use of Fe0- or FeII-based materials for the reductive transformation of halogenated compounds, nitrocompounds and oxyanions. Another engineering application is the use of Fe/Mn-based materials as catalysts for the chemical oxidation of recalcitrant pollutants via Fenton reactions. Recognized as an important participant in environmental oxidation-reduction reactions, manganese (III/IV) oxides have significant potential for water and soil treatment application. We are also interested by light-assisted processes which can promote the redox cycle of Fe or Mn on oxide surfaces and further enhance the remediation performance, particularly when sunlight is used as radiation source. We also focus on developing new composite materials with Mn/Fe and biochar to be used as geomedia filter in Managed Aquifer Recharge for water resources protection.