Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Outstanding Reviewers for Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts in 2019

We would like to highlight the Outstanding Reviewers for Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts in 2019, as selected by the editorial team, for their significant contribution to the journal. The reviewers have been chosen based on the number, timeliness and quality of the reports completed over the last 12 months.

We would like to say a big thank you to those individuals listed here as well as to all of the reviewers that have supported the journal. Each Outstanding Reviewer will receive a certificate to give recognition for their significant contribution.

Jonathan Benskin, Stockholm University, ORCID: 0000-0001-5940-637X
Delphine Farmer, Colorado State University, ORCID: 0000-0002-6470-9970
Paul Helm, University of Toronto Scarborough, ORCID: 0000-0002-7462-4217
Gerrad Jones, Oregon State University, ORCID: 0000-0002-1529-9506
Tara Kahan, University of Saskatchewan, ORCID: 0000-0001-5074-1155
Anne Soerensen, Stockholm University, ORCID: 0000-0002-8490-8600
Roxana Sühring, Stockholm University, ORCID: 0000-0002-7285-8044
Patricia Tcaciuc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ORCID: 0000-0001-7881-2314
Zhanyun Wang, ETH Zürich, ORCID: 0000-0001-9914-7659
Cora Young, York University, ORCID: 0000-0002-6908-5829

We would also like to thank the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts board and the Environmental Nanotechnology community for their continued support of the journal, as authors, reviewers and readers.

If you would like to become a reviewer for our journal, just email us with details of your research interests and an up-to-date CV or résumé.  You can find more details in our author and reviewer resource centre

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International Year of the Periodic Table: ESPI Themed Issue on Mercury

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table 2019 (IYPT) we are delighted to share with you ESPI’s recent collection on Mercury Biogeochemistry, Exposure, and Impacts

 Edited by ESPI Associate Editor Helen Hsu-Kim (Duke University) and Guest Editors Chris Eckley (EPA) and Noelle Selin (MIT), this issue highlights a selection of high-quality research relating to the fate and effects of mercury on humans and the environment. We’ve made these articles free to access until 30th November – we hope you enjoy reading them!

Read the full collection

Highlights include:

Hg isotopes reveal in-stream processing and legacy inputs in East Fork Poplar Creek, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
Jason Demers et al

Responses of deposition and bioaccumulation in the Great Lakes region to policy and other large-scale drivers of mercury emissions
Judith Perlinger et al

Microbial community structure with trends in methylation gene diversity and abundance in mercury-contaminated rice paddy soils in Guizhou, China
Dwayne Elias et al

Mining legacy across a wetland landscape: high mercury in Upper Peninsula (Michigan) rivers, lakes, and fish
Charles Kerfoot et al

Emerging investigator series: methylmercury speciation and dimethylmercury production in sulfidic solutions
Andrew M. Graham et al

Also, why not browse more of our great element-focussed work on Arsenic, Iron, Cadmium and the Radioelements

Click here to return to the Journal homepage

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Cryosphere Chemistry: Themed Issue in ESPI

Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (ESPI) seeks your high-impact research for our upcoming Themed Issue on Cryosphere Chemistry.  

Guest Edited by Rose Cory and Kerri Pratt (University of Michigan) this issue will showcase studies on chemical processes in sea ice, snow, glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost soils as well as studies on waters draining permafrost soils. A wide range of contributions are encouraged, from atmospheric chemistry (e.g. atmospheric aerosols and trace gases) to biogeochemistry (e.g. chemical weathering or organic matter chemistry). Laboratory, field or modeling studies from diverse environments (e.g. glaciers, high latitude and high altitude systems) are welcomed.

Submissions for this Themed Issue are due by 29th February 2020 – if you would like to submit to this Themed Issue, please contact the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts Editorial Office at espi-rsc@rsc.org to let us know.

 

Guest Editors (Left to Right): Rose Cory (University of Michigan) and Kerri Pratt (University of Michigan)

Click here to return to the journal homepage

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Dr Michelle Scherer et al. Win SERDP 2018 Project of the Year Award for Environmental Restoration

Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Scherer and her research group for winning the SERDP 2018 Project of the Year award for Environmental Restoration for their project Biologically Mediated Abiotic Degradation of Chlorinated Ethenes: A New Conceptual Framework.

This research which was funded by SERDP was recently published in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts Vol 20, issue 10, with the title  ‘Reduction of PCE and TCE by magnetite revisited‘ and featured as the outside front cover of the same issue.

 

Left picture: Dr Scherer and her team with the SERDP award, taken by Ben Zweig.  Right picture: ESPI front cover highlighting Dr Scherer et al.’s award winning work

 

 

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Fall ACS Symposium: Emerging Investigators in Environmental Science

We are delighted to announce a session taking place at the 256th ACS National Meeting & Exposition in Boston titled “Showcasing Emerging Investigators: A Symposium by the RSC Environmental Science Journals”. The session is presided over by the Editors-in-Chief for the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Environmental Science journals, Kris McNeill (ESPI), Peter Vikesland (ES Nano) and David Cwiertny (ESWRT). We warmly invite you to join us on 20th August for this exciting Symposium.

The Symposium will feature talks from six early career environmental scientists who have been featured as Emerging Investigators in either Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, Environmental Science: Nano or Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. The work that they will present at this event showcases the high-quality, cutting-edge research being conducted by the early-career members of our community.

Symposium details:

When: Monday 20th August, 1:00 PM

Where: Room 259A, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center

Speakers and Talk titles:

Stacey Louie University of Houston, USA

Formation and effects of heterogeneous protein-humic surface coatings on nanoparticles

Reginald Rogers Rochester Institute of Technology, USA

Using carbon nanomaterials to address the grand challenge of clean water for all people

Cora Young York University, Canada

Understanding long-range transport of perfluoroalkyl substances and flame retardants

Anke Neumann Newcastle University, UK

Reactions at the Fe mineral-water interface: Impact on contaminant fate

Nicole Fahrenfeld Rutgers University, USA

Viability and ecology-based tools to improve hazard characterization for environmental antibiotic resistance

Ameet Pinto Northeastern University, USA

Who, where, and why of the drinking water microbiome

            Find out more           

This Symposium complements the growing Emerging Investigators Series of papers published by each of the Environmental Science journals, as well as the broader mission of the RSC to support researchers in the early stages of their careers. Through the Emerging Investigator Series initiative, the journals provide a unique platform for early-career environmental scientists & engineers to showcase their work to the broadest possible audience. More details about the Emerging Investigators Series for each of the journals can be found at rsc.li/emerging-series

In addition, look out for Executive Editor Simon Neil during the event. You can meet him at the symposium or throughout the conference at the RSC stand (number 2008)

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Modeling in Environmental Chemistry: Themed Issue

Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (ESPI) seeks your high-impact research for our upcoming Themed Issue on Modeling in Environmental Chemistry

Edited by ESPI Associate Editor Matthew MacLeod (Stockholm University) and Guest Editors Todd Gouin (TG Environmental Research) and Tom McKone (University of California), this issue will showcase original research, perspectives, and reviews, relating to the use of modeling strategies to understand environmental systems. The scope of this issue is broad, and includes but is not limited to the following topics:

  • Global modeling of pollutants
  • Environmental fate modeling
  • Bioaccumulation modeling
  • Exposure assessment
  • Modeling in regulatory risk assessments
  • Toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic modelling

The submission window for this Themed Issue closes at the end of October 2017 – if you would like to submit to this Themed Issue, please contact the ESPI Editorial Office at espi-rsc@rsc.org to register your interest.

Guest Editors: Left to Right – Matthew MacLeod (Stockholm University) Todd Gouin (TG Environmental Research) and Tom McKone (University of California)

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Call for Input: Grand Challenges and Opportunities for Environmental Engineering and Science for the 21st Century

To help guide the next generation of environmental engineers and scientists, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has appointed a committee of experts to conduct a study on Grand Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Engineering and Science for the 21st Century.

Environmental challenges continue to multiply as the global population expands and as demands for clean water, food, and energy rise, all in the context of global climate change.  With expertise in a wide range of fields and with input from the scientific community, the committee will identify the biggest environmental challenges to be solved over the next several decades and comment on how education and training might be better aligned to address those challenges.

The committee slate is provisional, pending a 20-day comment period ending on March 29, 2017 and final approval.

 

                                                    Call for Input: What are the biggest challenges?

The committee invites the scientific community and the public to submit ideas about ambitious but achievable goals that harness science, technology, and innovation from environmental engineering and science to solve important national or global problems.  Submit your ideas here.

 

                                      First Public Meeting on May 4: Register Today!

The first public meeting will be held in Washington, DC and also on the web on Thursday, May 4, 2017 (agenda TBA).  Attendees will hear from committee chair Domenico Grasso of the University of Delaware and from the National Science Foundation and other sponsors about the goals of this effort.  The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) will also share insights into its highly successful Grand Challenges for Engineering study and campaign, upon which this new study is modeled. Register to attend today!

If you are interested in following the activities of this study, sign up for email updates on the study website and discuss the study on Twitter using #GrandChallenges.

 

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Major society chemistry publishers jointly commit to integration with ORCID

ORCID provides an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research, scholarship and innovation activities, ensuring authors gain full credit for their work.

Today, we signed their open letter, along with ACS Publications, committing to unambiguous identification of all authors that publish in our journals.

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The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) today each became signatories to the ORCID Open Letter, reasserting the commitment of both organizations to enhancing the scholarly publishing experience for researchers worldwide who are involved in chemistry and allied fields.

The commitment by these two global chemistry publishers to undertake new workflow integration with technology infrastructure provided by ORCID, a not-for-profit organization that provides unique identifiers for researchers and scholars, will enable both societies to provide unambiguous designation of author names within chemistry and across the broader sciences. This partnership with ORCID will resolve ambiguity in researcher identification caused by name changes, cultural differences in name presentation, and the inconsistent use of name abbreviations that is too often a source of confusion for those who must rely on the published scientific record.

By becoming signatories to the ORCID Open Letter, these two major chemical societies are voicing their intent to collect ORCID iDs for all submitting authors through use of the ORCID API, and to display such identifiers in the articles published in their respective society journals. The integration of such activities within the publishers’ workflows means authors will benefit from automated linkages between their ORCID record and unique identifiers embedded within their published research articles, ensuring their contributions are appropriately recognized and credited.

During the publishing process, ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry will automatically deposit publications to Crossref, which in turn will coordinate with ORCID to link and update the publishing activity populated to authors’ respective ORCID profiles, thus attributing each published work to the correct researcher. Existing holders of an ORCID iD will encounter a one-time prompt to grant permission for the linkage. If authors do not have an ORCID iD, they can easily enroll without navigating away from the publishers’ manuscript submission site. If users wish to revoke integrated ORCID profile access at any time, they can elect to do so through their ACS, Royal Society of Chemistry or ORCID accounts.

Both ACS Publications and the Royal Society of Chemistry understand the importance of attributing accurately the scholarly contributions of research scientists in the context of their other professional activities. “ACS has supported ORCID since the outset of the initiative,” says Sarah Tegen, Ph.D., Vice President of Global Editorial & Author Services at ACS Publications. “We are pleased now to align with the Royal Society of Chemistry in this endeavor, as both societies underscore our willingness not only to encourage and assist our respective authors in establishing their unique ORCID profiles, but also to help tackle the broader challenge of researcher name disambiguation in the scholarly literature. With the integration of author ORCID iDs in our publishing workflows, we will ensure that researchers receive proper credit for their accomplishments.”

Emma Wilson, Ph.D., Director of Publishing at the Royal Society of Chemistry adds, “We have been a supporter of ORCID since 2013, recognizing the benefits it brings to researchers; ORCID can and will make a huge difference to our authors’ ability to gain full credit for their work. ORCID will also help researchers meet the requirements of their research funders — for example, a number of funders have already announced that all grant applicants must now include a researcher’s ORCID iD. A unified system that integrates and links research-related information with accurate and timely linkage to the publishing output of authors has the potential to simplify and speed up their grant applications — something we know is important to researchers.”

“The ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry have been long-standing supporters of ORCID,” says Laurel Haak, Ph.D., Executive Director, ORCID. “We are pleased to see ORCID integration into ACS and Royal Society of Chemistry Publications systems. This will be a substantial benefit to researchers in the chemistry community, both in improving search and discovery of research articles, and for attribution and recognition of researchers’ contributions to the discipline.”

About the American Chemical Society and ACS Publications

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

ACS Publications, a division of the American Chemical Society, is a nonprofit scholarly publisher of 50 peer-reviewed journals and a range of eBooks at the interface of chemistry and allied sciences, including physics and biology. ACS Publications journals are among the most-cited, most-trusted and most-read within the scientific literature. Respected for their editorial rigor, ACS journals offer high-quality service to authors and readers, including rapid time to publication, a range of channels for researchers to access ACS Publications’ award-winning web and mobile delivery platforms, and a comprehensive program of open access publishing options for authors and their funders. ACS Publications also publishes Chemical & Engineering News — the Society’s newsmagazine covering science and technology, business and industry, government and policy, education and employment aspects of the chemistry field.

About the Royal Society of Chemistry

The Royal Society of Chemistry is the world’s leading chemistry community, advancing excellence in the chemical sciences. With over 50,000 members and a knowledge business that spans the globe, we are the U.K.’s professional body for chemical scientists; a not-for-profit organisation with 175 years of history and an international vision for the future. We promote, support and celebrate chemistry. We work to shape the future of the chemical sciences — for the benefit of science and humanity.

About ORCID

ORCID’s vision is a world where all who participate in research, scholarship and innovation are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders and time. ORCID provides an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research, scholarship and innovation activities. It provides open tools that enable transparent and trustworthy connections between researchers, their contributions and affiliations. The organization provides this service to help people find information and to simplify reporting and analysis. ORCID is a not-for-profit organization, sustained by fees from member organizations. Its work is open, transparent and non-proprietary. The organization strives to be a trusted component of research infrastructure with the goal of providing clarity in the breadth of research contributions and the people who make them.

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Emerging Investigator Series for Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts

Desiree Plata (Yale University) will be overseeing this series and reviewing applications.

Some of the best work in the field of Environmental Science being conducted by early-career researchers was showcased in the Emerging Investigators Issue of Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. As highlighted in the Editorial introducing this issue, starting in 2017, we will be running an Emerging Investigator Series, similar to the successful series of our sister journal Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology (http://rsc.li/emerging-series). This continuous format is designed to allow more flexibility for contributors to participate in the venture without the restriction of submission deadlines and benefit the Environmental Science community through continued exposure to the exciting work being done by its early-career members.

With the introduction of this new Series, we are delighted to announce that Desiree Plata will be taking on the role of Emerging Investigator Series Editor. Desiree has been an active member of the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts Editorial Board for over a year and will be overseeing this Series and reviewing applications going forward.

Desiree adds: “I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to build a rigorous series that highlights the most exciting advances in their research. In addition, I hope that the Series will inspire future research directions by identifying needs and synergies in the cross-cutting intellectual spaces we are defining as a community.”

To be eligible for the new Emerging Investigator Series you will need to have completed your PhD (or equivalent degree) within the last 10 years and have an independent career. If you are interested in contributing to the Series please contact the Editorial Office (espi-rsc@rsc.org) and provide the following information:

  • Your up-to-date CV (no longer than 2 pages), which should include a summary of education and career, a list of relevant publications, any notable awards, honours or professional activities in the field, and a website URL if relevant;
  • A synopsis of the article intended to be submitted to the Series, including a tentative submission date. This can be an original research or review article. Please visit the journal website for more details on article types.All articles published as part of the Emerging Investigator Series will be widely promoted and will be collated together on the Journal website. Please note that articles submitted to the journal for the Series will undergo the usual peer-review process.

We hope you enjoy reading the final Emerging Investigators issue in its current form; please contact the Editorial Office (espi-rsc@rsc.org) if you are interested to contribute to the Emerging Investigators Series.

Keep up to date with the latest papers added to this Series on our twitter feed (@EnvSciRSC) with the hashtags #EmergingInvestigators #ESPI

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DGT: using hydrogels to determine antimony

A photo of a disassembled DGT device, showing piston and cap. The device in this picture has been fitted with activated carbon for assimilating gold and/or bisphenols.

Researchers at Griffith University in Australia have developed a new diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) method to determine the concentration of antimony in polluted waters. This new technique also allows them to measure in situ the speciation of this metalloid in its different oxidation states. Speciation could be carried out before using solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges, but these present some limitations when it comes to analysing some complex mixtures like seawater.

On the other hand, DGT is a sampling technique that can be used to measure a myriad of analytes in different mixtures. DGT uses a combination of hydrogel-based layers to extract and retain the analyte, that can be eluted and determined later on. This technique has been used to measure trace metals, metalloids, sulphides, phosphates and ammonium. In this case, to enhance the affinity of DGT membranes to antimony, researchers have used thiol-based silica gel layers.

In this paper, the authors present a combination of methods that, ultimately, allows them to calculate the speciation of Sb(III) and Sb(V). The first method is used to determine the total amount of antimony in solution. This method, based on a Metsorb-DGT technique, was originally described in the literature for measuring Sb(V). The team demonstrated that it was equally effective absorbing Sb(III), which allows to determine the total amount of this metalloid. The second method presents a high selectivity of Sb(III) over Sb(V) using a new binding layer featuring a 3-mercaptopropyl functionalized silica gel. Subtracting both measurements, researchers can easily determine amounts of the different oxidation states.

World production trend of antimony (US Geological Survey, Wikimedia).

Antimony is a dangerous and toxic pollutant listed as a priority by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The production of this metalloid, mostly used in flame retardants and lead-acid batteries has grown over the last century, inevitably leading to pollution of the environment. Developing new methods to quantify antimony is always interesting to understand its behaviour and the biogeochemical processes it follows. The DGT method presented in this paper can measure antimony in situ, avoiding common issues (mostly speciation changes) of off-site analyses. Moreover, it has been proven to have an appropriate capacity to measure antimony even in highly polluted areas. Finally, these new methods have been tested in a wide range of pH, ionic strengths, and also in artificial seawater, proving the superiority of DGT over SPE in the determination of antimony in complex samples.

To read the full article for free* click the link below:

In situ speciation of dissolved inorganic antimony in surface waters and sediment porewaters: development of a thiol-based diffusive gradients in thin films technique for Sb(III).
W. W. Bennett, M. Arsic, D. T. Welsh, and P. R. Teasdale.
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6EM00189K

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About the webwriter

Fernando Gomollón-Bel is a PhD Student at the ISQCH (CSICUniversity of Zaragoza). His research focuses on asymmetric organic synthesis using sugars as chiral-pool starting materials towards the production of fungical transglycosidase inhibitors.

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*Access is free until 29/07/2016 through a registered publishing personal account.

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