Environmental Research and Outreach at Virginia Tech

Richard C. Rich (urban@vt.edu)

Department Chair

Political Science

Center For Environmental Applications Center For Environmental Applications of Remote Sensingof Remote Sensing

CEARS and partners in the Virginia Tech aerospace and ocean engineering department have built an electric, remotely piloted vehicle capable of carrying small sensor payloads.

Virginia’s GAP Analysis Project

• National Biologic Serviceand Virginia’sDepartment of Gameand Inland Fisheries

• Statewide assessment ofhabitat to evaluatecompleteness ofenvironmentsrepresented by publiclands

All plant biomass consists of cellulose fibers held together by a non-crystalline lignin-carbohydrate matrix. Ligno-cellulosic resources from agriculture and forestry have recently become the target for development of a wide range of new environmentally benign materials and products. We are involved in research to produce engineering fiber and chemical products via non-conventional processing of the ligno-cellulosic resource.

Fisheries and Wildlife Population Fisheries and Wildlife Population Dynamics Studies & ProjectsDynamics Studies & Projects

Individual Based Models Metapopulation Models Uncertainty and Risk Analysis Instream Flow and Hydropower Relicensing

Environmental Programs in Biology Aquatic Program began in 1968 under Dr. John Cairns, Jr.,

Director of Center for Environmental Studies 12 Faculty involved from microbiology, botany and zoology

Current Environmental Research Topics

Catastrophic events on aquatic ecosystem integrity Impact of energy production on aquatic resources Restoration/recovery of damaged ecosystems Evaluation of toxic substances in industrial effluents Acute chronic and in situ toxicity testing of water

and sediments

Environmental Programs in Biology Environmental Research Topics, Contd.

Laboratory/field validation of water quality Environmental impacts of abandoned mined land

discharges Predictive modeling of aquatic environments Watershed ecological restoration/management Pollutant effects on structure/function of algae &

fungi Evaluation of microorganism

aerial dispersion on public health Control of invading exotic

species of Asian clams & zebra mussels

Biology Faculty and their Research

E. F. Benfield (benfield@vt.edu), Stream Ecology, Ecosystem Processes, Biodiversity

R. E. Benoit (rbenoit@vt.edu), Microbiology, Physiology and ecology of aquatic anaerobic bacteria, Degradation of toxic organic compounds

A. L. Buikema (buik@vt.edu), Pollution and Physiological

Ecology of Aquatic Organisms D. S. Cherry (dcherry@vt.edu), Aquatic Ecology and

Ecotoxicology, Emphasizing Fish, Invertebrate, Algal and

Bacterial Populations A. C. Hendricks (ahenrix@vt.edu), Aquatic Ecology, Water

Pollution A. G. Heath (aheath@vt.edu), Environmental Animal

Physiology

Biology Faculty (cont.)

R. H. Jones (rhjones@vt.edu), Plant Ecology, Ecology of forested wetlands

F. M. A. McNabb (happy@vt.edu), Developmental Endocrinology, Disruption of thyroid function by chemical pollutants

P. S. Nagarkatti (pnagarka@vt.edu), Cellular and Molecular Immunology Effect of environmental pollutants on immune response (Immunotoxicology)

H. M. Valett (mvalett@vt.edu), Ecosystem and Microbial

Ecology of Groundwater, Streams, and Lakes J. R. Webster (jwebster@vt.edu), Stream Ecology, Ecosystem

Ecology

VT Department of Chemistry

33 full time faculty members, 40 support staff 30 post docs, 15 research scientists 110 graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) 250 undergraduate chemistry majors 3 research centers

Faculty Involved in Environmental Projects Gary L. Long, Environmental Analytical Chemistry Harold M. McNair, Analytical Chemistry Larry T. Taylor, Analytical Chemistry James M. Tanko, Organic Chemistry (“green

chemistry”)

Ongoing Environmental Projects of theDepartment of Chemistry

Determination of pesticides from soils using microwave assisted extraction.

Field sampling methods for rapid determination of toxic materials using Headspace GC.

Determination of metals in soils using chelate assisted microwave extraction and chelate assisted pressurized liquid extraction.

Pesticide extraction and determination using Supercritical Fluids.

Free Radical Chemistry in Supercritical CO2.

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING FACULTYAnd Their Areas of Specialization

Gregory D. Boardman, Professor Industrial wastewater treatment Hazardous waste management Environmental toxicology

Andrea M. Dietrich, Associate Professor Analysis of trace organic chemicals Characterization of organic chemicals in complex

environmental samples Toxicity mechanisms DBPs and taste-and-odor in water treatment

Marc Edwards, Associate Professor Corrosion of drinking water conduits Physiochemical treatment processes Applied aquatic chemistry

ENVIRO. ENGINEERING FACULTY, Contd.

Daniel L. Gallagher, Associate Professor Modeling fate and transport of subsurface contaminants Interaction of surface water and ground water Mathematical optimization and statistical analysis Statistical design of environmental monitoring programs Geographical information systems

J. Martin Hughes, Associate Professor Air pollution control technologies Stack gas characterization Air quality modeling Atmospheric environment, energy consumption and

resource utilization

ENVIRO. ENGINEERING FACULTY Contd.

John C. Little, Associate Professor Mass transfer and process dynamics in environmental

systems Hypolimnetic oxygenation of stratified reservoirs Characterizing sources and sinks in the indoor

environment Exposure to chemical contaminants in drinking water Microbial acquisition of nutrients from mineral surfaces Containment of hazardous waste using subsurface barriers

Nancy G. Love, Assistant Professor Catabolism of xenobiotic compounds and associated

stress responses in bacteria Application of biotechnological principles to environmental

engineering problems Development of biosensor technologies for environmental

applications Industrial and wastewater treatment processes

ENVIRO. ENGINEERING FACULTY, Contd.

William R. Knocke, W. Curtis English Professor Use of alternative oxidants in water treatment practice Residuals management eg: sludge dewatering and disposal Industrial waste management for heavy metals treatment and

recovery Optimization of water treatment processes

John T. Novak, Nick Prillaman Professor Sludge characterization, dewatering, and disposal Microbial degradation of subsurface contaminants Hazardous waste planning and site evaluations Biological wastewater treatment

Clifford W. Randall, C. P. Lunsford Professor Design and biochemistry of biological nutrient removal processes Industrial and biological wastewater treatment processes Watershed management for eutrophication control Water supply and waste disposal in developing countries

Production, Harvest, Storage, and Delivery of Herbaceous Biomass

Faculty in the Departments of Crop and Soil Environmental Science (CSES) and Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) have worked for over 10 years with the Biofuels Feedstock Development Program (BFDP) at ORNL to develop switchgrass as a feedstock for fuel and chemicals. Current projects are funded by the BFDP and the USDA National Needs Program.

CSES Contact: Dr. David Parrish, dparrish@vt.edu

BSE Contact: Dr. John Cundiff, jcundiff@vt.edu

The Bioconversion Initiative

A multidisciplinary group from The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The College of

Engineering, and The College of Forestry and Wildlife is in the planning stages of creating a large scale

bioconversion research, education, and service facility for Virginia Tech.

Bioconversion Initiative Activities:

Solid-State Fermentation—solid waste from the university will be composted and

applied to university cropland.

Bioenergy—Pilot plant activities to demonstrate technologies for production of

solid, liquid, and gaseous fuel from

renewable resources.

Bio-based Materials—Pilot plant activities to demonstrate technologies for production of

industrial products from renewable resources.