UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 8, Page 8
October 20, 1994
Partnership gives 'a better way to look at problem'

     Soil contaminants are a critical problem at industrial waste
sites throughout the country. Each year, they cost industry and
government millions of dollars in remediation-the term used to refer
to reclaiming tainted soil through corrective processes. A better
understanding of the interactions of heavy metals and organic
chemicals in soils will result in the best and most cost-effective
ways to keep these pollutants from causing harm.
     For several years, Donald Sparks, Distinguished Professor of Soil
Science and chairperson of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences,
has been studying reaction mechanisms of metals and organic chemicals
with soil components and remediation of heavy-metal contaminated
soils.
     Since 1992, his work has been the focus of two Delaware Research
Partnership (DRP) projects, which are jointly funded by private
industry and the state government. The DuPont Co. is the industry
partner for both projects.
     "I appreciate the benefits of the DRP partnership," Sparks said.
"It allows me to expose my students and post-doctoral fellows to
modern techniques and equipment, and the interaction with industry has
been excellent.
     "Our relationship with DuPont is a two-way street: we're learning
from each other. The company has very good understanding of the need
to conduct state-of-the-art basic research that will ultimately
benefit society, as well as DuPont."
     Sparks' two DRP projects are concerned with issues of major
importance throughout the country. The first project is a study of the
reactions of pollutants with soil materials. The goal is to help
scientists develop a predictive scheme for assessing the fate and
mobility of contaminants in the soil and thus reduce the need to study
every pollutant before beginning remediation.
     The other DRP project deals with one of the fundamental problems
facing the development of effective remediation strategies-speciation,
the accurate identification of a contaminant. Working at the
Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, Sparks uses a powerful
light source, called X-ray absorption spectroscopy, to study heavy
metals in soils.
     Without disturbing the soil, he can analyze it to determine what
form the metal is, so the most effective remediation strategy can be
developed.
     Phil Walling, a technology development manager at DuPont who is
working with Sparks on the X-ray spectroscopy project said, "We've
known for a long time that Don Sparks and his staff have been involved
in metal speciation. Becoming his DRP partner gave us the opportunity
to tap into his expertise and the University's resources. This is a
critical area of research and our partnership allows us all to
leverage our limited resources. The partnership makes sense. It's a
better way to look at a problem!"
     Sparks' two DRP projects also have a strong educational
component. They provide an excellent learning experience for the
graduate students who have been assisting him. Students have had
meaningful interaction with industry, which helps to expand their
knowledge base. They have been exposed to sophisticated methods and
equipment they would not otherwise have had access to, such as the
multi-billion-dollar synchrotron radiation equipment at Brookhaven,
one of only three such sites in the country.
                                                          -Daphne Moss