Wiele Yan’s visit from Texas Tech University leads to extending knowledge and fostering collaboration

Detailed introduction to technologies based on modified iron nanoparticles (nZVI) as well as presentation of the latest research results were mentioned in the lecture by Weile Yan, Texas Tech University, named ‘Tailoring Iron Surface for Degradation of Persistent Organic Contaminants in Groundwater’. Wiele Yan has been collaborating with the RCPTM environmental group for a couple of years. Her visit in August was supposed to foster the collaboration with the centre and finish a joint publication that was in progress.

“Weile Yan’s research involves iron-based reductive technologies in a broader perspective. It is the area of surface modification of iron nanoparticles that is crucial for our current research. She tackled this issue both in her lecture and in the follow-up discussion with the members of the environmental group,” said Jan Filip, the group leader.

In her lecture, material research overlapped with environmental chemistry, microbiology, and technologies for treating waters contaminated with organic substances. The researcher dealt with the issue of enhancing the reactivity and selectivity of iron nanoparticles by the means of their surface modification. She emphasised the method of sulfidation of the iron nanoparticle surface.