Fate of emerging contaminants in landfill-leachate impacted wetlands
Wetlands are heavy metal accumulators and organic contaminants degraders in the environment, due to their specific biogeochemical processes enhanced by high organic matter and nutrient content, especially in the rhizosphere of wetland soils.
A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms controlling the retention or degradation of emerging contaminants is critical, in order to prevent or attenuate the effect of a changing environment and predict potential human exposure routes.
These mechanisms include chemical and biological transformations within water, sediments, microorganisms, and plants.
PI/Collaborators:
Lucia Rodriguez-Freire
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
lrfreire@njit.edu