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Carol A. Johnson

Mailing Address:
4044 Derring Hall
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 USA

Office: 5043 Derring Hall
Office Phone: 540.231.3358
Fax: 540.231.3386
cjohns49@vt.edu

Research interests: Fate and transport of contaminants in the environment, contaminant remediation, mineral-metal-microbe interactions, naturally-occurring nanoparticles

Brief Resesearch Description: Currently I am working on a project to try to synthesize nano-sized mackinawite (FeS). Mackinawite is a naturally occurring mineral that is a metastable precursor to pyrite (FeS2). It has been shown to have a high affinity for metal and metalloid species that are also environmental contaminants, such as arsenic, chromium, uranium, cadmium, mercury, etc. To characterize the nanoparticles and understand their behavior I get to use cool instruments like Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) on the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), and surface area measurements as well. After I perfect the nanomineral synthesis and characterize it, I plan on performing batch adsorption experiments with an oxyanion such as arsenic to test its reactivity and try to understand its chemistry.
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY