Euroclay2015 - Environment and Health

Asian Clay Minerals Group Research in Progress (II) (part of Euroclay2015)

steve.hillier — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 21:05:25 +0000

The Asian Clay Research Group was organized through the Nagoya and Seoul meeting in 2010 and 2012. We plan to hold the 3rd meeting in Guangzhou in 2016. Our first participation in The CMS meeting in College Station, Texas, USA (2014) was successful in terms of communicating/collaborating with other clay minerals groups. The purpose of this session, held as part of the Euroclay2015 meeting, is to bring active Asian clay scientists together and promote scientific communication and interaction with the international clay minerals community. We invite papers on, but not limited to, biotic and abiotic reactions in natural environments that impact a number of geological and environmental process, such as sediment diagenesis, colloid transport, and the mobility and the ultimate fate of organic and inorganic contaminants. Topics also include the science and technologies of industrial clays, including exploration and clay resource development, particle engineering from macro to nano, and chemical and physical modification.

Themes:

Energy

Environment and Health

Materials

Convenors:

Jinwook Kim Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

Jae-Min Oh Yonsei Unviersity, Wonju, Korea

Hyen-Goo Cho Gyeongsang National University, JinJu, Korea

Clay and fine particle-based materials for environmental technologies and clean up

steve.hillier — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 20:52:00 +0000

Environmental pollution is a growing public concern worldwide as society industrialises and citizens become more aware of the associated risks. Despite many resources being channelled towards the development of technologies for cleaning up contaminated environments, millions of contaminated sites still exist in sensitive locations because of the prohibitive cost of remediation or the lack of an effective technology to clean up sites to a level required by regulators. As a result, much scientific effort is being directed at developing new technologies which are both efficient and inexpensive. Natural materials such as clay minerals, which are inexpensive, highly adsorptive and available ubiquitously in all continents, hold great potential as environmental materials, both with and without modification. This symposium will highlight recent research advances in clay minerals-based remediation and remediation technologies including modified and non-modified clay minerals, redox active clay minerals, layered double hydroxides, bacteria supported clay minerals, and other novel fine particle based materials.

This session is supported by CRCCARE

Themes:

Environment and Health

Materials

Convenors:

Binoy Sarkar, University of South Australia, and CRC CARE, Australia

Ravi Naidu, CRC CARE, Australia

Anke Neumann, University of Newcastle, UK

Bioreactive clay minerals: impacts on environmental and human health

steve.hillier — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 12:58:46 +0000

Humans and animals have historically used clays to aid in digestion, protect skin, heal wounds and soothe musculoskeletal ailments. Pharmacopeias from the 17th century highlight medicinal uses of clay minerals, yet the mechanisms by which clays can be healthful or detrimental remain largely unknown today. Nano-technological advances in the last decade have revitalized research on the interactions of clays in mammalian systems. In this session we invite research that highlights new insights on the roles of bioreactive clays affecting human health. In particular we encourage research on medical or veterinary applications of clays and the mechanisms by which clays are beneficial or detrimental. Topics may include uses of clays in drug delivery, pelotherapy, hemostatic wound dressings, geophagy, antibacterial clays and clay toxicology. An important focus is the application of novel solutions to promote environmental and human health.

Themes:

Environment and Health

Convenors:

Lynda B. Williams Arizona State University, USA

Timothy P. Jones Cardiff University, UK

Fernando Rocha Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal

The many faces of chlorite

steve.hillier — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 12:40:44 +0000

This session focuses on the many geological occurrences of chlorite: from soils to detrital sediments, to sedimentary and diagenetic systems, to hydrothermal alterations and to low- and medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chlorite is everywhere. It forms as pure grains, or as interlayers with phyllosilicates such as smectite, serpentine, and vermiculite. The aim of this session is to bring together those with an interest in chlorite in any of its many forms, to present data from a wide variety of different analytical techniques, and to promote awareness of the complexity of chlorite and above all the potential for it to provide new and useful information on many geologic processes from the surface of the earth to deep in the crust.

Themes:

Energy

Environment and Health

Materials

Convenors:

Jeff Walker Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

Daniel Beaufort Université de Poitiers, France

Atsuyuki Inoue Chiba University, Japan

Natural zeolites – environmental, biomedical and industrial applications

steve.hillier — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:52:53 +0000

Natural zeolites are microporous hydrated aluminosilicate minerals having countless technological applications due to their unique physicochemical features such as cation exchange, selective adsorption, molecular sieving, catalysis, etc. As far as cation exchange is concerned, natural zeolites have been largely investigated for ammonia and heavy-metal removal, although modification of these minerals with long-chain cationic surfactants enhances their adsorption properties towards anions and low polar organic contaminants. In addition, they have also recently been considered as carriers of pharmaceutical-active ingredients. This session is designed to promote discussions on these topics but also on other interesting technological applications including water and wastewater treatment, soil remediation, treatment of radioactive waste, as well as application in the veterinarian, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.

Themes:

Energy

Environment and Health

Materials

Convenors:

Aleksandra Dakovic ITNMS, Physico-Chemical Laboratory, Belgrade, Serbia

Allessio Langella Sannio University, Italy

Linda Campbell The University of Manchester, UK

Clays in the Critical Zone: soils, weathering and elemental cycling

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:26:10 +0000

The “Critical zone" or CZ, includes the porous places extending from treetops to the bedrock, and more especially soils where organisms interact and shape the Earth’s surface over timescales from seconds to eons. Clay minerals and finely divided oxides are significant players within the CZ. In particular, they are known to be key in the fate of elements (both nutrients - including carbon - and pollutants) and molecules (e.g. pesticides but also drugs such as antibiotics). This session seeks contributions regarding chemical and structural characterization of clay sorption properties, sorption mechanisms of these species on clays, and structural modifications induced by the interactions of clays with these elements and molecules. The session will also welcome contributions that examine, at a more global scale, clays and their role in life-sustaining matters, such as water quality, land use, carbon cycling, soil quality, contaminant transport, weathering and climate change. In essence, ‘How do clays help us to understand CZ functions and how will the CZ change into the future?’.

Themes:

Environment and Health

Convenors:

Paul A. Schroeder University of Georgia, Athens, USA

Jason Austin University of Georgia, Athens, USA

Bruno Lanson Univ. Grenoble Alpes, France

Steve A Banwart University of Sheffield, UK

Halloysite: a unique, diverse and widely useful natural nanomaterial

admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 11:06:05 +0000

Halloysite is a clay mineral whose time has arrived. Until 2006, few papers were published on this mineral. Its main use was as a raw material for ceramics, in place of kaolinite. The approximately 800 papers published since then reflect its recognition as a nanomaterial, especially in nanotubes. These have proved widely useful, including as reinforcing fillers in plastics, as carriers for the controlled internal release of medicines – and of pesticides, and also for immobilizing catalysts. Nonetheless, it remains “a very strange mineral” as was once written. This symposium will discuss its proliferating uses and applications, its mineralogy and occurrence, to bring together scientists involved with all aspects of halloysite.

This session is supported by Applied Minerals

Themes:

Environment and Health

Materials

Convenors:

Jock Churchman University of Adelaide, Australia

Pooria Pasbakhsh Monash University Sunway, Malaysia