The University of Sheffield
Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group

Jessica Bastock

Contaminant fate in charcoal amended systems

PhD Research Student

Address:
GPRG
Kroto Research Institute
North Campus, University of Sheffield
Broad Lane
Sheffield
S3 7HQ
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)114 222 5746
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 5701
Room: G22

email : j.bastock@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography

Since being awarded the degree of BSc (Hons) in Physical Geography from the Manchester Metropolitan University in 2005 I moved to the University of Sheffield to study for my MEng in Environmental Management of Urban Land and Water. Following completion of my masters I was provided with the opportunity to carry on my studies in the form of a PhD at the university working on The Charcoal Project.

Current Research Interests

Contaminant fate in charcoal amended systems.

The aim of my project is to determine the physical-chemical, hydrogeological and microbial processes affecting the fate of contaminants in soil amended with biologically enhanced charcoal.

The charcoal project is aimed towards the development of a new technology, that being biologically enhanced charcoal, however to realize the full potential of the technology the biologically enhanced charcoal must be thoroughly tested, through a series of column studies. The aim of the column studies is to simulate varying environmental conditions such as pH; intensity of rainfall; varying contaminant cocktails; different varieties of sediment etc, to predict how varying environmental conditions will the effect the efficiency of the technology. Data from these experiments will be used by the University of Surrey in aiding their field work with the charcoal and also to help understand the physical and chemical processes occurring in the unsaturated zone.

The objectives of my project are as follows;