Lab News
December 2023
Congratulations to Dr. Kenneth Hickenbottom (PhD) and Haley Grable (MS), who both defended their research in the past week and are moving on to full-time jobs in the consulting world!
September 2023
Both Mike and Kevin recently had papers accepted. Congratulations to both.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Organofluorine in Lakes and Waterways of the Northwestern Great Basin and Sierra Nevada
Reduction of Haloacetonitrile-Associated Risk by Adjustment of Distribution System pH
August 2023
Kenny's paper focused on water quality impacts of the Caldo and Mosquito Fires has been published in Water Research. Great job Kenny!
Wildfire Impact on Disinfection Byproduct Precursor Loading in Mountain Streams and Rivers
May 2023
Congratulations to Mike DeNicola, who graduated with an MS this spring. Mike's work has been noticed by various news outlets.
Swan Lake: New worries, same distrust (kolotv.com)
PFAS in Swan Lake | City of Reno
April 2023
Congratulations to Junli on a very strong paper in ES&T!
Thermal Decomposition of Two Gaseous Perfluorocarboxylic Acids: Products and Mechanisms
March 2023
Mike DeNicola has successfully completed his thesis oral defense and will graduate in May. Congratulations Mike!
January 2023
Congrats to Dr. Song on her second publication in only 2 months! She is working hard on her third.
Comparison of Oxidants Used in Advanced Oxidation for Potable Reuse: Non-Target Analysis and Bioassays.
December 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Mingrui Song for passing her dissertation defense, finding a post-doc position at UC-Riverside, AND for having a paper accepted, all within a 1-week period!
Contribution of Dimethylamine to N-nitrosodimethylamine Formation at Reverse Osmosis Water Reclamation Facilities
November 2022
Congratulations to Kevin Stewart on passing him MS thesis defense! Kevin will join Keller Associates in January.
October 2022
Our group has a new paper out focusing on measuring the volatility of dissolved PFAS and thier potential to act as a vapor intrusion threat above contaminated groundwater.
Henry’s Law constants of 15 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances determined by static headspace analysis
September 2022
With Junli transitioning to a new role as a post-doc at UC-Riverside, we welcome Seth McCoy! Seth is a new PhD student who earned his BS from Towson.
Dr. Hanigan was recently interviewed by the National Journal about the effects of wildfire on water quality.
California burning: How wildfires are threatening the West's water
August 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Junli Wang on the successful defense of his dissertation, "Thermal Decomposition Mechanisms of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Application to Analysis of Total Organofluorine."
April 2022
Junli's mandatory WFH project has been published in ES&T! He started this in March 2020, it was a long time in the making, and LOTS of effort to aggregate the data from this burgeoning field. Congrats Junli and all coauthors!
October 2021
1) Saeed's paper on atmospheric CO2 capture using wastewater was published. Congrats Saeed! This was a fun new research area for me.
2) Welcome to the lab Kenny and Jackie!
August 2021
1) Congrats to Junli on his paper publication in AWWA Water Science
Wang, J., Abusallout, I., Song, M., Marfil-Vega, R., Hanigan, D. Quantification of Per- and Pilyfluoralkyl Substances with a Modified Total Organic Carbon Aanlyzer and Ion Chromatography. AWWA Water Science, 2021. In Press
2) Junli also has a podium presentation at WQTC that will cover this and the most recent of his work. Mingrui was also accept to present a poster at WQTC on NDMA.
3) Welcome to the lab Mike and Nico!
July 2021
We had a new project get funded by the NSF! This was a proposal that Ibrahim Abusallout (prior post-doc, now at CDM-Smith), Chase Holton (Geosyntec), and I worked on collaboratively and I am very excited to get started on the work! This research will really help us answer some of the questions that resulted from our prior paper on volatile PFAS release from AFFF.
GOALI: Gas Phase PFAS and Organofluorine Release from AFFF: Measurement, Identification, and Exposure Mitigation
June 2021
Congrats to Utsav, Ibrahim, and Priyam on having papers recently accepted.
Quantification of Pharmaceuticals in the Sealant Fluids of Actively Used Waterless Urinals
https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1600
Rapid Defluorination of 22 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Water Using Sulfite Irradiated by Medium-Pressure UV
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EW00221J
Evidence of Low Levels of Trace Organic Contaminants in Terminal Lakes
doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131408
May 2021
Libby was one of two awarded AEESP Thesis awards this year. Congratulations, Libby, on this very prestigious and competitive award!
www.aeespfoundation.org/awards/Master-thesis
February 2021
Congrats to Priyam on her successful PhD defense!
January 2021
1) Congrats to Utsav in his successful defense of his PhD dissertation in December! Utsav is the first student to graduate from the group and will continue at UNR during S'21 as he finishes up publications.
2) With the imminent loss of Utsav we welcome our newest MS student, Kevin Stewart!
June 2020
1) Congrats to Priyam on her paper that was recently accepted.
Trace Organic Contaminants in Field-scale Cultivated Alfalfa, Soil, and Pore Water after 10 Years of Irrigation with Reclaimed Wastewater
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140698
2) Congrats to Mingrui on the scholarship (Air and Waste Management Association)
May 2020
1) Another paper from out lab that was a long time coming is out. Congrats Andy!
Reclaimed Wastewater as a Viable Water Source for Agricultural Irrigation: A Review of Food Crop Growth Inhibition and Promotion in the Context of Environmental Change
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139756
2) Congrats to Saeed on defending his MS! Congrats to Priyam and Utsav for advancing to PhD candidacy!
April 2020
It was a great month for our lab! Lots of hard work turned into tangible products.
1) Ibrahim and Utsav had a paper published in ES&T Letters. Congrats!
Release of Volatile Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Aqueous Film-forming Foam
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00052
2) Our review article on removal of PFASs with nano-enabled strategies was selected as one of the Best Papers published in ES:WR&T in 2019.
Removal of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances from Aqueous Systems by Nano-enabled Water Treatment Strategies
https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EW00621K
3) Our Guide to HRMS is out in JAWWA! Congrats to Libby and Priyam
A Layman's Guide to High-resolution Mass Spectrometry
https://doi.org/10.1002/awwa.1480
4) Utsav's paper was accepted at ES&T. Congrats Utsav!
Waterless Urinals Remove Select Pharmaceuticals from Urine by Phase Partitioning
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b06205
December 2019
1) Libby had a paper accepted. Congrats Libby!
Summation of Disinfection By-product CHO Cell Relative Toxicity Indices: Sampling Bias, Uncertainty, and a Path Forward
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EM00468H
2)The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at University of Nevada Reno is receiving applications for GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) PhD Fellowships.
unr_gaann_phd_fellowships_in_infrastructure_resilience.pdf
November 2019
1) Libby has been awarded a UNR Graduate Dean's Merit Scholarship AND won First Place at the AWWA WQTC Student Poster Competition with her poster titled, "Summation of Disinfection By-product Relative Toxicity Indices: Sampling Bias, Uncertainty, and a Path Forward." The poster was based on a publication we have in review.
2) Ibrahim won a UNR Postdoctoral Professional Development award
Congrats to both!
September 2019
1) Research has started on our SERDP PFAS project. Junli and Ibrahim are leading the effort
2) Saeed was awarded a CoEN differential fees scholarship. Congrats Saeed!
3) Junli presented at a SERDP Meeting San Diego, Ibrahim presented at the National Environmental Monitoring Conference in Jacksonville.
May 2019
1) Mingrui Song (PhD student studying nitrosamines) and Aron Chan (Ugrad researcher also studying nitrosamines) have joined our group. Welcome!
2) A couple papers published Spring '19
February 2019
Welcome to the lab Junli! Junli will pursue a PhD focusing on perfluoroalkyl substances in the environment.
January 2019
1) Congratulations to Andy Poustie, MS. The first graduate student out the door holding a diploma and a job offer!
2) Papers published in the Fall of '18
August 2018
1) Our group has been recommended for funding for a NSF and a SERDP project. More to come as things progress.
2) Welcome to the group Libby and Saeed! Libby will work on DBPs and organic contaminants. Saeed will work on gas separation membranes.
March 2018
New paper from our group describing functional assays to describe property-risk relationships of nanoparticles. Also, a favorite of mine describing ecosystem impact trade-offs resulting from the incorporation of nano UV filters into sunscreen.
December 2017
1) Welcome Priyam, Utsav, and Paul! The Hanigan Lab welcomes two new PhD students and one Ugrad researcher.
2) New papers out on novel coagulants in Separation and Purification Technology and titanium dioxide release from sunscreens used in recreational swimming and bathing.
September 2017
1) New project funded by the US Bureau of Reclamation - Desalination and Water Purification
Research Program in collaboration with Orange County Water District. This work is highly collaborative involving OCWD, Nevada, Colorado-Boulder, and San Diego State, and stems from preliminary work MS student Andrew Poustie conducted looking at disinfection by-products during water reclamation for potable reuse.
2) New paper out in Environmental Science: Nano
"Methodology for Quantifying Engineered Nanomaterial Release from Divers Product Matrices under Outdoor Weathering Conditions and Implications for Life Cycle Assessment"
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7EN00410A
June 2017
1) Hanigan had a paper published in the Journal of Environmental Science. It is a fun new take on in vitro vs in vivo platforms for comparative toxicity studies and was a collaboration with Oregon State's Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Lab.
"Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity of 15 Chlorinated, Brominated, and Iodinated Disinfection By-products"
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2017.05.008
2) Our research group has been awarded an internal UNR grant to look at CO2 capture from wastewater. Looking forward to getting this rolling.
April 2017
Several big things going on:
1) Welcome Richard Jacquet! Richard is a visiting scholar from Agen, France and will spend the summer with us
2) Congratulations to Chelsea! Chelsea has had a big semester, receiving both an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the AWWA Henry "Bud" Benjes/HDR Scholarship. Chelsea will use the NSF Fellowship to enroll in a PhD program, Fall 2017, at the University of Colorado, Boulder under Dr. Karl Linden.
December 2016
Our proposal has been funded by the USDA!
"Addressing Human Health Impacts from Emerging Contaminants in Reclaimed Water Used for Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture"
November 2016
Welcome to Andrew Poustie, the second member of the group.
September 2016
1) Welcome to Chelsea Cluff, the first member of the "group"
2) Dr. Hanigan is now a registered PE in Arizona. Thanks to all who wrote letters of reference!
April 2016
Hanigan has accepted a position at the University of Nevada, Reno. He will start in Fall, 2016 and is currently looking to recruit students. See the People page.
Congratulations to Dr. Kenneth Hickenbottom (PhD) and Haley Grable (MS), who both defended their research in the past week and are moving on to full-time jobs in the consulting world!
September 2023
Both Mike and Kevin recently had papers accepted. Congratulations to both.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Organofluorine in Lakes and Waterways of the Northwestern Great Basin and Sierra Nevada
Reduction of Haloacetonitrile-Associated Risk by Adjustment of Distribution System pH
August 2023
Kenny's paper focused on water quality impacts of the Caldo and Mosquito Fires has been published in Water Research. Great job Kenny!
Wildfire Impact on Disinfection Byproduct Precursor Loading in Mountain Streams and Rivers
May 2023
Congratulations to Mike DeNicola, who graduated with an MS this spring. Mike's work has been noticed by various news outlets.
Swan Lake: New worries, same distrust (kolotv.com)
PFAS in Swan Lake | City of Reno
April 2023
Congratulations to Junli on a very strong paper in ES&T!
Thermal Decomposition of Two Gaseous Perfluorocarboxylic Acids: Products and Mechanisms
March 2023
Mike DeNicola has successfully completed his thesis oral defense and will graduate in May. Congratulations Mike!
January 2023
Congrats to Dr. Song on her second publication in only 2 months! She is working hard on her third.
Comparison of Oxidants Used in Advanced Oxidation for Potable Reuse: Non-Target Analysis and Bioassays.
December 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Mingrui Song for passing her dissertation defense, finding a post-doc position at UC-Riverside, AND for having a paper accepted, all within a 1-week period!
Contribution of Dimethylamine to N-nitrosodimethylamine Formation at Reverse Osmosis Water Reclamation Facilities
November 2022
Congratulations to Kevin Stewart on passing him MS thesis defense! Kevin will join Keller Associates in January.
October 2022
Our group has a new paper out focusing on measuring the volatility of dissolved PFAS and thier potential to act as a vapor intrusion threat above contaminated groundwater.
Henry’s Law constants of 15 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances determined by static headspace analysis
September 2022
With Junli transitioning to a new role as a post-doc at UC-Riverside, we welcome Seth McCoy! Seth is a new PhD student who earned his BS from Towson.
Dr. Hanigan was recently interviewed by the National Journal about the effects of wildfire on water quality.
California burning: How wildfires are threatening the West's water
August 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Junli Wang on the successful defense of his dissertation, "Thermal Decomposition Mechanisms of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Application to Analysis of Total Organofluorine."
April 2022
Junli's mandatory WFH project has been published in ES&T! He started this in March 2020, it was a long time in the making, and LOTS of effort to aggregate the data from this burgeoning field. Congrats Junli and all coauthors!
October 2021
1) Saeed's paper on atmospheric CO2 capture using wastewater was published. Congrats Saeed! This was a fun new research area for me.
2) Welcome to the lab Kenny and Jackie!
August 2021
1) Congrats to Junli on his paper publication in AWWA Water Science
Wang, J., Abusallout, I., Song, M., Marfil-Vega, R., Hanigan, D. Quantification of Per- and Pilyfluoralkyl Substances with a Modified Total Organic Carbon Aanlyzer and Ion Chromatography. AWWA Water Science, 2021. In Press
2) Junli also has a podium presentation at WQTC that will cover this and the most recent of his work. Mingrui was also accept to present a poster at WQTC on NDMA.
3) Welcome to the lab Mike and Nico!
July 2021
We had a new project get funded by the NSF! This was a proposal that Ibrahim Abusallout (prior post-doc, now at CDM-Smith), Chase Holton (Geosyntec), and I worked on collaboratively and I am very excited to get started on the work! This research will really help us answer some of the questions that resulted from our prior paper on volatile PFAS release from AFFF.
GOALI: Gas Phase PFAS and Organofluorine Release from AFFF: Measurement, Identification, and Exposure Mitigation
June 2021
Congrats to Utsav, Ibrahim, and Priyam on having papers recently accepted.
Quantification of Pharmaceuticals in the Sealant Fluids of Actively Used Waterless Urinals
https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1600
Rapid Defluorination of 22 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Water Using Sulfite Irradiated by Medium-Pressure UV
https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EW00221J
Evidence of Low Levels of Trace Organic Contaminants in Terminal Lakes
doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131408
May 2021
Libby was one of two awarded AEESP Thesis awards this year. Congratulations, Libby, on this very prestigious and competitive award!
www.aeespfoundation.org/awards/Master-thesis
February 2021
Congrats to Priyam on her successful PhD defense!
January 2021
1) Congrats to Utsav in his successful defense of his PhD dissertation in December! Utsav is the first student to graduate from the group and will continue at UNR during S'21 as he finishes up publications.
2) With the imminent loss of Utsav we welcome our newest MS student, Kevin Stewart!
June 2020
1) Congrats to Priyam on her paper that was recently accepted.
Trace Organic Contaminants in Field-scale Cultivated Alfalfa, Soil, and Pore Water after 10 Years of Irrigation with Reclaimed Wastewater
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140698
2) Congrats to Mingrui on the scholarship (Air and Waste Management Association)
May 2020
1) Another paper from out lab that was a long time coming is out. Congrats Andy!
Reclaimed Wastewater as a Viable Water Source for Agricultural Irrigation: A Review of Food Crop Growth Inhibition and Promotion in the Context of Environmental Change
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139756
2) Congrats to Saeed on defending his MS! Congrats to Priyam and Utsav for advancing to PhD candidacy!
April 2020
It was a great month for our lab! Lots of hard work turned into tangible products.
1) Ibrahim and Utsav had a paper published in ES&T Letters. Congrats!
Release of Volatile Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from Aqueous Film-forming Foam
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00052
2) Our review article on removal of PFASs with nano-enabled strategies was selected as one of the Best Papers published in ES:WR&T in 2019.
Removal of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances from Aqueous Systems by Nano-enabled Water Treatment Strategies
https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EW00621K
3) Our Guide to HRMS is out in JAWWA! Congrats to Libby and Priyam
A Layman's Guide to High-resolution Mass Spectrometry
https://doi.org/10.1002/awwa.1480
4) Utsav's paper was accepted at ES&T. Congrats Utsav!
Waterless Urinals Remove Select Pharmaceuticals from Urine by Phase Partitioning
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b06205
December 2019
1) Libby had a paper accepted. Congrats Libby!
Summation of Disinfection By-product CHO Cell Relative Toxicity Indices: Sampling Bias, Uncertainty, and a Path Forward
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EM00468H
2)The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at University of Nevada Reno is receiving applications for GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) PhD Fellowships.
unr_gaann_phd_fellowships_in_infrastructure_resilience.pdf
November 2019
1) Libby has been awarded a UNR Graduate Dean's Merit Scholarship AND won First Place at the AWWA WQTC Student Poster Competition with her poster titled, "Summation of Disinfection By-product Relative Toxicity Indices: Sampling Bias, Uncertainty, and a Path Forward." The poster was based on a publication we have in review.
2) Ibrahim won a UNR Postdoctoral Professional Development award
Congrats to both!
September 2019
1) Research has started on our SERDP PFAS project. Junli and Ibrahim are leading the effort
2) Saeed was awarded a CoEN differential fees scholarship. Congrats Saeed!
3) Junli presented at a SERDP Meeting San Diego, Ibrahim presented at the National Environmental Monitoring Conference in Jacksonville.
May 2019
1) Mingrui Song (PhD student studying nitrosamines) and Aron Chan (Ugrad researcher also studying nitrosamines) have joined our group. Welcome!
2) A couple papers published Spring '19
- Yttrium Residues in MWCNT Enable Assessment of MWCNT Removal During Wastewater Treatment
- Ultrafiltration Membrane Microreactor (MMR) for Simultaneous Removal of Nitrate and Phosphate from Water
February 2019
Welcome to the lab Junli! Junli will pursue a PhD focusing on perfluoroalkyl substances in the environment.
January 2019
1) Congratulations to Andy Poustie, MS. The first graduate student out the door holding a diploma and a job offer!
2) Papers published in the Fall of '18
- Removal of Poly- and Per-fluoroalkyl Substances from Aqueous Systems by Nano-enabled Water Treatment Strategies
- Lower Molecular Weight fractions of PolyDADMAC coagulants disproportionately contribute to N-nitrosodimethylamine formation during water treatment
August 2018
1) Our group has been recommended for funding for a NSF and a SERDP project. More to come as things progress.
2) Welcome to the group Libby and Saeed! Libby will work on DBPs and organic contaminants. Saeed will work on gas separation membranes.
March 2018
New paper from our group describing functional assays to describe property-risk relationships of nanoparticles. Also, a favorite of mine describing ecosystem impact trade-offs resulting from the incorporation of nano UV filters into sunscreen.
December 2017
1) Welcome Priyam, Utsav, and Paul! The Hanigan Lab welcomes two new PhD students and one Ugrad researcher.
2) New papers out on novel coagulants in Separation and Purification Technology and titanium dioxide release from sunscreens used in recreational swimming and bathing.
September 2017
1) New project funded by the US Bureau of Reclamation - Desalination and Water Purification
Research Program in collaboration with Orange County Water District. This work is highly collaborative involving OCWD, Nevada, Colorado-Boulder, and San Diego State, and stems from preliminary work MS student Andrew Poustie conducted looking at disinfection by-products during water reclamation for potable reuse.
2) New paper out in Environmental Science: Nano
"Methodology for Quantifying Engineered Nanomaterial Release from Divers Product Matrices under Outdoor Weathering Conditions and Implications for Life Cycle Assessment"
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7EN00410A
June 2017
1) Hanigan had a paper published in the Journal of Environmental Science. It is a fun new take on in vitro vs in vivo platforms for comparative toxicity studies and was a collaboration with Oregon State's Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Lab.
"Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity of 15 Chlorinated, Brominated, and Iodinated Disinfection By-products"
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2017.05.008
2) Our research group has been awarded an internal UNR grant to look at CO2 capture from wastewater. Looking forward to getting this rolling.
April 2017
Several big things going on:
1) Welcome Richard Jacquet! Richard is a visiting scholar from Agen, France and will spend the summer with us
2) Congratulations to Chelsea! Chelsea has had a big semester, receiving both an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the AWWA Henry "Bud" Benjes/HDR Scholarship. Chelsea will use the NSF Fellowship to enroll in a PhD program, Fall 2017, at the University of Colorado, Boulder under Dr. Karl Linden.
December 2016
Our proposal has been funded by the USDA!
"Addressing Human Health Impacts from Emerging Contaminants in Reclaimed Water Used for Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture"
November 2016
Welcome to Andrew Poustie, the second member of the group.
September 2016
1) Welcome to Chelsea Cluff, the first member of the "group"
2) Dr. Hanigan is now a registered PE in Arizona. Thanks to all who wrote letters of reference!
April 2016
Hanigan has accepted a position at the University of Nevada, Reno. He will start in Fall, 2016 and is currently looking to recruit students. See the People page.