ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5552-566X
Current Organisation
The University of Newcastle
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Other Chemical Sciences | Environmental Chemistry (incl. Atmospheric Chemistry) | Soil Chemistry (excl. Carbon Sequestration Science)
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Rehabilitation of Degraded Urban and Industrial Environments | Rehabilitation of Degraded Mining Environments |
Related Links
Publications
The application of rapid handheld FTIR petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminant measurement with transport models for site assessment: A case study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Anodic stripping voltammetric determination of traces of Pb(II) and Cd(II) using a glassy carbon electrode modified with bismuth nanoparticles
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-2014
Application of neural networks with novel independent component analysis methodologies to a Prussian blue modified glassy carbon electrode array
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.TALANTA.2014.08.010
Abstract: Sodium potassium absorption ratio (SPAR) is an important measure of agricultural water quality, wherein four exchangeable cations (K(+), Na(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) should be simultaneously determined. An ISE-array is suitable for this application because its simplicity, rapid response characteristics and lower cost. However, cross-interferences caused by the poor selectivity of ISEs need to be overcome using multivariate chemometric methods. In this paper, a solid contact ISE array, based on a Prussian blue modified glassy carbon electrode (PB-GCE), was applied with a novel chemometric strategy. One of the most popular independent component analysis (ICA) methods, the fast fixed-point algorithm for ICA (fastICA), was implemented by the genetic algorithm (geneticICA) to avoid the local maxima problem commonly observed with fastICA. This geneticICA can be implemented as a data preprocessing method to improve the prediction accuracy of the Back-propagation neural network (BPNN). The ISE array system was validated using 20 real irrigation water s les from South Australia, and acceptable prediction accuracies were obtained.
Current applications of colourimetric microfluidic devices (smart phone based) for soil nutrient determination
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2021
Rapid In-Field Approaches for Delineating VOC in Both Soil Vapour and Groundwater for Vapour Intrusion Assessment
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 18-10-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FENVS.2021.746195
Abstract: Traditional contaminated site characterisation approaches are time-consuming, labour-intensive, and demand a high level of expertise. This case study provides a rapid field-based solution to investigating a VOC contaminated site and its vapour incursion by combining soil vapour and groundwater survey. To fully assess the volatile organic compound (VOC) distribution in a contaminated site, a number of self-developed soil vapour s ling probes (SVSPs) were placed vertically at different locations in a grid with different depths. Hence, 3D subsurface contour maps for VOC concentrations in soil vapour can be obtained and used to help identify hot spots and the migration patterns of VOCs. This SVSP is “easy-to-install” in the field and a cost-effective solution for rapid assessment of soil vapour s les. The SVSPs can be installed both vertically and horizontally. If there is a requirement to take soil vapour s les beneath an existing building from a potential contamination source zone, SVSPs can be horizontally installed beneath the building without compromising its structural integrity. In addition, to ascertain the correct groundwater channels that are likely to carry contaminants from a potential source zone, an electrical resistivity tomography technique was employed to provide the preliminary information for groundwater delineation in a complex groundwater channel network.
Determination of Munsell Soil Colour Using Smartphones
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-03-2023
DOI: 10.3390/S23063181
Abstract: Soil colour is one of the most important factors in agriculture for monitoring soil health and determining its properties. For this purpose, Munsell soil colour charts are widely used by archaeologists, scientists, and farmers. The process of determining soil colour from the chart is subjective and error-prone. In this study, we used popular smartphones to capture soil colours from images in the Munsell Soil Colour Book (MSCB) to determine the colour digitally. These captured soil colours are then compared with the true colour determined using a commonly used sensor (Nix Pro-2). We have observed that there are colour reading discrepancies between smartphone and Nix Pro-provided readings. To address this issue, we investigated different colour models and finally introduced a colour-intensity relationship between the images captured by Nix Pro and smartphones by exploring different distance functions. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the Munsell soil colour accurately from the MSCB by adjusting the pixel intensity of the smartphone-captured images. Without any adjustment when the accuracy of in idual Munsell soil colour determination is only 9% for the top 5 predictions, the accuracy of the proposed method is 74%, which is significant.
Conducting polymer based visible light photocatalytic composites for pollutant removal: Progress and prospects
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2022
Integrated electrochemical treatment systems for facilitating the bioremediation of oil spill contaminated soil
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2017.02.079
Abstract: Bioremediation plays an important role in oil spill management and bio-electrochemical treatment systems are supposed to represent a new technology for both effective remediation and energy recovery. Diesel removal rate increased by four times in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) since the electrode served as an electron acceptor, and high power density (29.05 W m
Predicting copper phytotoxicity based on pore-water pCu
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-01-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S10646-015-1605-7
Abstract: The free ion activity and "biotic ligand" models predict that the free metal ion and other pore-water parameters describe terrestrial phytotoxicity. In this study, pore-water chemistry and measured Cu(2+) was used to describe phytotoxicity of cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) in 10 contrasting soils at different soil Cu loadings. Both soil solution Cu (Cu(pw)) and Cu(2+) successfully described the response variable for all ten soils with R(2) values of 0.73 and 0.66, respectively. Separation of soils as acid and alkaline and fitting separately showed that there was a strongly significant fit for both log Cu(2+) and log Cu(pw) in acidic soils (R(2) = 0.92 and 0.86, respectively) but weakly significant fit for alkaline soils. The pCu EC50 and EC10 values in all acidic soils for cucumber were 5.83 (6.03-5.63) and 7.53 (8.27-7.00), respectively. In our dataset alkaline soils need to be treated in idually. In addition, pCu could be predicted based on pH and total concentration alone. Despite only 12 weeks 'ageing' there was quantitative agreement between pCu model from this study and predicted pCu from Sauvé et al. This agreement from studies performed independently indicates that, at least in the case of Cu(2+), the difference in an ageing period of ≥10 years appears minimal.
Novel methodologies for automatically and simultaneously determining BTEX components using FTIR spectra
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.TALANTA.2015.07.044
Abstract: This study introduced a patented novel methodological system for automatically analysis of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) spectrum data located at 'fingerprint' region (wavenumber 670-800 cm(-1)), to simultaneously determinate multiple petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) in real mixture s les. This system includes: an object oriented baseline correction Band decomposition (curve fitting) method with mathematical optimization and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for determination, which is suitable for the characteristics of this IR regions, where the spectra are normally with low signal to noise ratio and high density of peaks. BTEX components are potentially lethal carcinogens and contained in many petroleum products. As a case study, six BTEX components were determinate automatically and simultaneously in mixture vapor s les. The robustness of the BTEX determination was validated using real petroleum s les, and the prediction results were compared with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
The fate of carbon in a mature forest under carbon dioxide enrichment
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-04-2020
Application of infrared spectrum for rapid classification of dominant petroleum hydrocarbon fractions for contaminated site assessment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SAA.2018.09.024
Abstract: In this study, the infrared spectrum (4000-400 cm
Zinc-arsenic interactions in soil: Solubility, toxicity and uptake
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2017.08.093
Abstract: Arsenic (As) and zinc (Zn) are common co-contaminants in mining impacted soils. Their interaction on solubility and toxicity when present concurrently is not well understood in natural systems. The aim of this study was to observe their interaction in solubility (soil-solution), bioaccumulation (shoot uptake) and toxicity to cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) conducting 4 weeks pot study in 5 different soils spiked with As (0, 2, 4, 8 to 1024 mg kg
Effects of competition and herbivory over woody seedling growth in a temperate woodland trump the effects of elevated CO2
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-04-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-018-4143-1
Abstract: A trend of increasing woody plant density, or woody thickening, has been observed across grassland and woodland ecosystems globally. It has been proposed that increasing atmospheric [CO
Determination of Trace Lead and Cadmium in Water Samples by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry with a Nafion-Ionic Liquid-Coated Bismuth Film Electrode
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-02-2014
Interactive effects of PAHs and heavy metal mixtures on oxidative stress in Chlorella sp. MM3 as determined by artificial neural network and genetic algorithm
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
Pore-water carbonate and phosphate as predictors of arsenate toxicity in soil
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 16-11-2016
Abstract: Phytotoxicity of inorganic contaminants is influenced by the presence of competing ions at the site of uptake. In this study, interaction of soil pore-water constituents with arsenate toxicity was investigated in cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) using 10 contrasting soils. Arsenate phytotoxicity was shown to be related to soluble carbonate and phosphate. The data indicated that dissolved phosphate and carbonate had an antagonistic impact on arsenate toxicity to cucumber. To predict arsenate phytotoxicity in soils with a erse range of soil solution properties, both carbonate and phosphate were required. The relationship between arsenic and pore-water toxicity parameters was established initially using multiple regression. In addition, based on the relationship with carbonate and phosphate we successively applied a terrestrial biotic ligand-like model (BLM) including carbonate and phosphate. Estimated effective concentrations from the BLM-like parametrization were strongly correlated to measured arsenate values in pore-water (R
Review and Perspective: Gas Separation and Discrimination Technologies for Current Gas Sensors in Environmental Applications
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 19-04-2023
Are root elongation assays suitable for establishing metallic anion ecotoxicity thresholds?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Copper interactions on arsenic bioavailability and phytotoxicity in soil
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ECOENV.2017.11.025
Abstract: Arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) are co-contaminants in the environment but little is known about their ecological impact as mixtures in soil. In this study, we investigated the combined As-Cu interactions on toxicity and uptake as binary mixtures in 5 contrasting soils. The study included solubility, contaminant uptake and toxicity in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) as a model plant species. Soils were spiked in idually and as a mixtures at 10 different As levels (2, 4, 8 up to 1024mgkg
The Key Factors for the Fate and Transport of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil With Related in/ex Situ Measurement Methods: An Overview
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 20-12-2021
DOI: 10.3389/FENVS.2021.756404
Abstract: Once petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) are released into the soil, the interaction between PHs and soil media is dependent not only upon the soil properties but also on the characteristics of PHs. In this study, the key factors influencing the interactions between PHs and soil media are discussed. The key factors include: 1) the characteristics of PHs, such as volatility and viscosity and 2) soil properties, such as porosity, hydraulic properties and water status, and organic matter and 3) atmospheric circumstances, such as humidity and temperature. These key factors can be measured either ex-situ using conventional laboratory methods, or in situ using portable or handheld instruments. This study overviews the current ex/in situ techniques for measuring the listed key factors for PH contaminated site assessments. It is a tendency to apply in situ methods for PH contaminated site characterisation. Furthermore, handheld ortable Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) instrument provides tremendous opportunities for in-field PH contaminated site assessment. This study also reviewed the non-destructive FTIR spectroscopy analysis coupling with handheld FTIR for in-field PH contaminated site characterisation, including determining the concentration of total PH, dominant PH fractions and soil key properties for PH transport modelling.
Application of Ion Selective Electrode array to simultaneously determinate multi-free ions in solution
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
Voltammetric Determination of Lead (II) and Cadmium (II) Using a Bismuth Film Electrode Modified with Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2014
Application of mathematical models and genetic algorithm to simulate the response characteristics of an ion selective electrode array for system recalibration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
Rapid on-site detection of underground petroleum pipeline leaks and risk assessment using portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and solid phase microextraction
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2023
Investigation of copper(II) interference on the anodic stripping voltammetry of lead(II) and cadmium(II) at bismuth film electrode
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-11-2013
Electrochemiluminescence Aptasensor for Charged Targets through the Direct Regulation of Charge Density in Microchannels
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 15-12-2021
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ANALCHEM.1C04815
Abstract: The change of surface charge density can cause many changes in physical or chemical properties and has been applied to design many sensitive sensors. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a negatively charged target in neutral or alkaline solutions. In this work, a microchannel-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor for OTA detection based on this character had been designed. The charged target directly combined with functionalization layers of the microchannels, which caused surface charge density variation and therefore resulted in the change of ECL intensity of the (1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II)/tripropylamine system. The decrease of ECL intensity is linearly dependent on OTA concentration ranging from 0.5 to 4 ng mL
Predicting plant uptake of cadmium: validated with long-term contaminated soils
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-09-2016
DOI: 10.1007/S10646-016-1712-0
Abstract: Cadmium accumulates in plant tissues at low soil loadings and is a concern for human health. Yet at higher levels it is also of concern for ecological receptors. We determined Cd partitioning constants for 41 soils to examine the role of soil properties controlling Cd partitioning and plant uptake. From a series of sorption and dose response studies, transfer functions were developed for predicting Cd uptake in Cucumis sativa L. (cucumber). The parameter log K
Copper-complexed clay/poly-acrylic acid composites: Extremely efficient adsorbents of ammonia gas
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2016
Application of portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometer for rapid field based determination of TCE in soil vapour and groundwater
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Petroleum hydrocarbon rhizoremediation and soil microbial activity improvement via cluster root formation by wild proteaceae plant species
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Smartphone app-based/portable sensor for the detection of fluoro-surfactant PFOA
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2017.10.057
Abstract: We developed a smartphone app-based monitoring tool for the detection of anionic surfactants (AS), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Akin to the methylene blue active substances (MBAS), liquid-phase extraction (LPE) is employed to extract the hydrophobic ion-pair of dye (ethyl violet)-AS to an organic phase (ethyl acetate). The colour (RGB) of the organic phase is read using a smartphone camera with the help of a reading kit. The value of RGB is carefully corrected and linked to the concentration of ASs with a standard deviation of <10% in the 10-1000 ppb (part per billion) range. In order to avoid the interference arising from inorganic anions (such as those found in tap water and groundwater), the water s le is pre-treated either by solid-phase extraction (SPE), which takes ∼30 min, or by dual liquid-phase extraction (dual-LPE, developed by us), which takes ∼5 min. In the latter case, the organic phase of the first LPE (equilibrium with water s le) is transferred and subjected to a second LPE (equilibrium with Milli-Q water) to remove any potential background interference. In the meantime, SPE can also pre-concentrate ASs at 100-1000 times (in volume) to benefit the sensitivity. Consequently, our smartphone app can detect PFOA spiked in tap/groundwater with an LOD of 10 ppb (∼12 nM, dual-LPE of ∼5 min), or 0.5 ppb (∼1.2 nM, SPE of ∼3 h), suggesting that it has the potential to succeed as a pre-screening tool for on-site application and in common laboratory tests.
Simultaneously determining multi-metal ions using an ion selective electrode array system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2016
Novel recalibration methodologies for ion-selective electrode arrays in the multi-ion interference scenario
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-12-2017
DOI: 10.1002/CEM.2870
Application of neural networks with novel independent component analysis methodologies for the simultaneous determination of cadmium, copper, and lead using an ISE array
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-02-2014
DOI: 10.1002/CEM.2599
Related Organisations
Related Funding Activities
Discovery Indigenous - Grant ID: IN190100044
Start Date: 05-2019
End Date: 05-2023
Amount: $496,166.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity