Our research aims to solve environmental problems using tools in Geochemistry and Mineralogy. We examine the formation of minerals in natural environments and the interactions of these minerals with toxic contaminants, focusing on changes in crystal structure, chemistry, reaction mechanisms, and reaction rates. My work aspires to solve problems such as the remediation of mine waste, the treatment of wastewater, the use of minerals in energy technology.
Current Projects
Manganese oxides and their applications
Manganese oxides have reactive properties that lend them to applications in the uptake of contaminant metals such as lead, zinc, and nickel. We collect natural manganese oxides from acid mine drainage remediation sites and similar environments where manganese oxides form, along with synthesizing manganese oxides in the laboratory. We have worked on characterizing these samples to examine the effects of manganese oxide properties on the uptake of metals to evaluate their effectiveness in contaminant uptake.
Urban soil contamination
Urban environments like Philadelphia have a long history of environmental contamination from centuries of industrial activity. We are collecting and analyzing soil samples around Philadelphia to analyze for metal contamination, with a particular focus on lead in soils. Lead ingestion can cause long-term neurological damage, especially in young children. The effects of lead toxicity can highlight societal and economic inequities in communities.
Barite precipitation and contaminant uptake
The fracking of shale reservoirs for natural gas have produced high salinity wastewaters containing contaminants from the subsurface, including hazardous ions such as Ra, Sr, and As. The formation of the mineral barite can uptake some of these ions during precipitation. The effectiveness and stability of contaminants co-precipitated with barite at varying salinities and in the presence of organic chemicals that are also found in fracking wastewater must be evaluated and engineered for optimal uptake.
Carbonate precipitation in porous media
Global climate change calls for efforts to mitigate atmospheric CO2. The sequestration of CO2 in geologic reservoirs serves as one path for mitigation. However, the stability of subsurface CO2 remains uncertain, and technology to seal leaks within reservoirs may be necessary. We seek to understand mineralization reactions in porous media with the goal of eventually engineering carbonate precipitation to seal leaks that may occur within the rock in which CO2 is stored.
Techniques
X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with
electron-dispersive X-ray microscopy, electron microprobe analysis,
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
time-resolved X-ray diffraction coupled with flow-through
reactions, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, X-ray
absorption spectroscopy,
Rietveld analysis, reactive transport modeling, synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping
Publications
Kim, JJ, Ling, FT, Platternberger, DA, Clarens, AF, Lanzirotti, A, Newville, M, Peters, CA. “SMART mineral mapping: Synchrotron-based machine learning approach for 2D characterization with coupled micro XRF-XRD”. Computers and Geosciences. 156. July 28, 2021. Ling, FT, Plattenberger, DA, Peters, CA, Clarens, AF. “Sealing porous media via calcium silicate reactions with CO2 to enhance the security of geologic carbon sequestration”. Environmental Engineering Science. Special Issue: Addressing Society’s Water and Energy Challenges with Reactive Transport Modeling. 38. 3. March 17, 2021.
Hunter, HA, Ling, FT, Peters, CA. “Coprecipitation of Heavy Metals in Calcium Carbonate from Coal Fly Ash Leachate”. Environmental Science & Technology: Water. Nov. 4, 2020. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.0c00109.
Ling, FT, Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Santelli, CM, Ilton, ES, Burgos, WD, Rose, AW. “A multi-method characterization of natural terrestrial birnessites”. American Mineralogist. June 4, 2020. https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2020-7303.
Plattenberger, DA, Brown, T, Ling, FT, Lyu, X, Fitts, J, Peters, CA, Clarens, AF. “Feasibility of using reactive silicate particles with temperature-responsive coatings to enhance the security of geologic carbon storage”. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 95. 102976. April 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2020.102976.
Hunter, HA, Ling, FT, Peters, CA. “Metals Coprecipitation with Barite: Nano-XRF Observation of Enhanced Strontium Incorporation”. Environmental Engineering Science. 37. 4. Nov. 11, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2019.0447. Plattenberger, DA, Ling, FT, Peters, CA, Clarens, AF. "Targeted Permeability Control in the Subsurface via Calcium Silicate Carbonation". Environmental science & Technology. 53(12). 7136-7144. May 28, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b00707.
Plattenberger, DA, Ling, FT, Tao, Z, Peters, CA, Clarens, AF. "Calcium Silicate Crystal Structure Impacts Reactivity with CO2 and Precipitate Chemistry". Environmental Science & TechnologyLetters. 5(9). 558 - 563. Aug. 24, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00386.
Ling, FT, Hunter, HA, Fitts, JP, Peters, CA, Acerbo, AS, Huang, X, Yan, H, Nazaretski, E, Chu, YS. "Nanospectroscopy Captures Nanoscale Compositional Zonation in Barite Solid Solutions". Scientific Reports. 1 - 11. 8:13041. Aug. 29, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-31335-3.
Ling, FT, Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Ilton, ES. "The relationship between Mn oxidation state and structure in triclinic and hexagonal birnessites". Chemical Geology. 216 - 217. Feb. 20, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.01.011.
Ling, FT, Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Ilton, ES, Kubicki, JD, Santelli, CM. "Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of triclinic and hexagonal birnessites". Spectrochimica Acta Part A. 178. 32 - 46. Jan. 17, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2017.01.032.
Ilton, E., Post, JE, Heaney, PJ, Ling, FT, Kerisit, SN. "XPS Determination of Mn Oxidation States in Mn(Hydr)oxides". Applied Surface Science. 366. Jan. 11, 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.12.159.
Ling, FT, Heaney, PJ, Post, JE, Gao, X. "Transformations from triclinic to hexagonal birnessite at circumneutral pH induced through pH control by common biological buffers". Chemical Geology. 416. Oct. 9, 2015. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.10.007.