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Synthesis and characterisation of an iron oxide mesoporous silica nano-composite and its application in removal of methylene blue dye (2024)
Journal Article
Saod, W. M., Oliver, I. W., Contini, A., & Zholobenko, V. (in press). Synthesis and characterisation of an iron oxide mesoporous silica nano-composite and its application in removal of methylene blue dye. Journal of Molecular Structure, 1319, Article 139390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2024.139390


Globally, effluents from textile industries and other waste streams have the potential to release vast amounts of chemical dyes and related substances into the environment. Treatment of water and waste-water to remove such pollutan... Read More about Synthesis and characterisation of an iron oxide mesoporous silica nano-composite and its application in removal of methylene blue dye.

Magnesium oxide loaded mesoporous silica: Synthesis, characterisation and use in removing lead and cadmium from water supplies (2023)
Journal Article
Saod, W., Oliver, I., Thompson, D., Holborn, S., Contini, A., Zholobenko, V., & Zholobenko, V. (2023). Magnesium oxide loaded mesoporous silica: Synthesis, characterisation and use in removing lead and cadmium from water supplies. Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enmm.2023.100817

Water pollution by potentially toxic elements such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) is a persistent problem in many parts of the world. It continues to have profound implications for drinking water supplies, wastewater discharge and environmental qualit... Read More about Magnesium oxide loaded mesoporous silica: Synthesis, characterisation and use in removing lead and cadmium from water supplies.

Zinc oxide – mesoporous silica nanocomposite: preparation, characterisation and application in water treatment for lead, cadmium and chromium removal (2023)
Journal Article
Saod, W. M., Oliver, I. W., Thompson, D. F., Contini, A., & Zholobenko, V. (in press). Zinc oxide – mesoporous silica nanocomposite: preparation, characterisation and application in water treatment for lead, cadmium and chromium removal. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/03067319.2023.2246016

Applications of nanomaterials in water and wastewater treatment and in environmental clean-up operations depend on the adsorption capacity of the materials for contaminants such as potentially toxic elements (PTEs). However, on their own nanoparticle... Read More about Zinc oxide – mesoporous silica nanocomposite: preparation, characterisation and application in water treatment for lead, cadmium and chromium removal.

Microbial genome (Illumina MiSeq) sequencing of drinking water treatment residuals to evaluate compatibility with environmental applications (2023)
Journal Article
Turner, T., Tonge, D., Glanville, H. C., Wheeler, R., & Oliver, I. W. (2023). Microbial genome (Illumina MiSeq) sequencing of drinking water treatment residuals to evaluate compatibility with environmental applications. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 195(9), 1027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11511-3

The clarification of drinking water leads to the production of large quantities of water treatment residuals (WTRs). DNA was extracted from six WTR samples collected from water treatment plants within the UK to compare their bacterial communities and... Read More about Microbial genome (Illumina MiSeq) sequencing of drinking water treatment residuals to evaluate compatibility with environmental applications.

Evaluating land application of pulp and paper mill sludge: A review (2022)
Journal Article
Turner, T., Wheeler, R., & Oliver, I. W. (2022). Evaluating land application of pulp and paper mill sludge: A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 317, 115439 - 115439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115439

It is estimated that >400 Mt of board and paper are produced globally per year, and that 4.3–40 kg (dw) of sludge like material, pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS), is generated for every tonne of product. PPMS are now more widely reused in agricultur... Read More about Evaluating land application of pulp and paper mill sludge: A review.

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in Graveyards with Contrasting Soil Types (2022)
Journal Article
Madden, C., Pringle, J., Jeffery, A., Wisniewski, K., Glanville, H., Heaton, V., …Oliver, I. (2022). Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in Graveyards with Contrasting Soil Types. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29, 55278–55292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19676-z

Human remains have been interred in burial grounds since historic times. Although the re-use of graveyards differs from one country, region or time-period to another, over time graveyard soil may become contaminated or enriched with heavy metal eleme... Read More about Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) Analysis of Heavy Metal Contamination in Graveyards with Contrasting Soil Types.

The use of portable XRF as a forensic geoscience non-destructive trace evidence tool for environmental and criminal investigations (2022)
Journal Article
Pringle, J., Jeffery, A., Ruffell, A., Stimpson, I., Pirrie, D., Bergslien, E., …Partridge, J. (2022). The use of portable XRF as a forensic geoscience non-destructive trace evidence tool for environmental and criminal investigations. Forensic Science International, 111175 - 111175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111175

Hand-held, portable X-Ray fluorescence instruments (pXRF) provide a means of rapid, in-situ chemical characterisation that has considerable application as a rapid trace evidence characterisation tool in forensic geoscience. This study presents both a... Read More about The use of portable XRF as a forensic geoscience non-destructive trace evidence tool for environmental and criminal investigations.

Evaluation and characterisation of metal sorption and retention by drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) for environmental remediation (2021)
Journal Article
Arab, K., Thompson, D., & Oliver, I. (2021). Evaluation and characterisation of metal sorption and retention by drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) for environmental remediation. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03674-8

Drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) are wastes generated when water is clarified using aluminium or iron salts. They are increasingly being considered as a resource with potential reuse value, particularly in relation to soil or water remediati... Read More about Evaluation and characterisation of metal sorption and retention by drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) for environmental remediation.

Assessing the impacts of land spreading water treatment residuals on the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, soil microbial activity and porewater chemistry. (2021)
Journal Article
Turner, T., Wheeler, R., & Oliver, I. (2021). Assessing the impacts of land spreading water treatment residuals on the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, soil microbial activity and porewater chemistry. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 40(7), 1964-1972. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5052

Water treatment residuals (WTRs), by-products of drinking water clarification, are increasingly recycled to land to promote circular economy and reduce disposal costs, yet there is a lack of published literature on their effects on soil ecology. In t... Read More about Assessing the impacts of land spreading water treatment residuals on the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, soil microbial activity and porewater chemistry..

Mine spoil remediation via biochar addition to immobilise potentially toxic elements and promote plant growth for phytostabilisation. (2021)
Journal Article
Thompson, D., Oliver, I., & Alhar, M. (2021). Mine spoil remediation via biochar addition to immobilise potentially toxic elements and promote plant growth for phytostabilisation. Journal of Environmental Management, 111500 - ?. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111500

There are thousands of disused and abandoned mining sites around the world with substantial accumulations of exposed mine spoil materials that pose a direct threat to their surrounding environment. Management of such sites, and neutralisation of the... Read More about Mine spoil remediation via biochar addition to immobilise potentially toxic elements and promote plant growth for phytostabilisation..

Trialling water treatment residuals in the remediation of former mine site soils: investigating improvements achieved for plants, earthworms and soil solution. (2020)
Journal Article
Arab, K., Thompson, D., & Oliver, I. (2020). Trialling water treatment residuals in the remediation of former mine site soils: investigating improvements achieved for plants, earthworms and soil solution. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1277-1291. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4706

During clarification processes of raw water a vast amount of by-product known as drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) are produced, being principally composed of hydroxides of the Al or Fe salts added during water treatment plus the impurities t... Read More about Trialling water treatment residuals in the remediation of former mine site soils: investigating improvements achieved for plants, earthworms and soil solution..

Potential Alternative Reuse Pathways for Water Treatment Residuals: Remaining Barriers and Questions—a Review (2019)
Journal Article
Turner, T., Wheeler, R., Stone, A., & Oliver, I. (2019). Potential Alternative Reuse Pathways for Water Treatment Residuals: Remaining Barriers and Questions—a Review. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 227 -227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-019-4272-0

Water treatment residuals (WTRs) are by-products of the coagulation and flocculation phase of the drinking water treatment process that is employed in the vast majority of water treatment plants globally. Production of WTRs are liable to increase as... Read More about Potential Alternative Reuse Pathways for Water Treatment Residuals: Remaining Barriers and Questions—a Review.

Ecotoxicological assessments of biochar additions to soil employing earthworm species Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus terrestris. (2019)
Journal Article
Elliston, T., & Oliver, I. (2019). Ecotoxicological assessments of biochar additions to soil employing earthworm species Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus terrestris. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 33410-33418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04542-2

Biochar is the degradation-resistant product generated by the pyrolysis of organic materials and is produced for the intended use of land application in order to promote carbon sequestration and soil improvement. However, despite the many potential b... Read More about Ecotoxicological assessments of biochar additions to soil employing earthworm species Eisenia fetida and Lumbricus terrestris..

Water treatment residuals as soil amendments: Examining element extractability, soil porewater concentrations and effects on earthworm behaviour and survival (2018)
Journal Article
Howells, A., Lewis, S., Beard, D., & Oliver, I. (2018). Water treatment residuals as soil amendments: Examining element extractability, soil porewater concentrations and effects on earthworm behaviour and survival. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.06.087

Drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs), the by-product of water clarification processes, are routinely disposed of via landfill however there is a growing body of research that demonstrates the material has great potential for beneficial use in en... Read More about Water treatment residuals as soil amendments: Examining element extractability, soil porewater concentrations and effects on earthworm behaviour and survival.

The Rise and Fall of a Collaboration: Reflections on the benefits, challenges and lessons learned from a joint England-China teaching initiative (2016)
Journal Article
Robinson, Z. P., Cage, A. G., Szkornik, K., Haffenden, A., Oliver, I. W., Stimpson, I. G., …Waller, R. I. (2016). The Rise and Fall of a Collaboration: Reflections on the benefits, challenges and lessons learned from a joint England-China teaching initiative. The Journal of Academic Development and Education, International Edition(5), 32-56

UK Higher Education Institutions are increasingly working with overseas institutions as a means of increasing numbers of international students. Transnational education (TNE) initiatives can take many forms, from overseas campuses, ‘flying faculty’ d... Read More about The Rise and Fall of a Collaboration: Reflections on the benefits, challenges and lessons learned from a joint England-China teaching initiative.

Lipid increases in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Scotland 1986–2008: an assessment of physical parameters and the influence of organic pollutants (2015)
Journal Article
Oliver, I. W., Macgregor, K., Godfrey, J. D., Harris, L., & Duguid, A. (2015). Lipid increases in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Scotland 1986–2008: an assessment of physical parameters and the influence of organic pollutants. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22(10), 7519-7528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4116-4

Recruitment of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has fallen steadily in recent decades, with current levels understood to be at around 5 % of those in the 1970s, and the species is now widely recognised as being endangered. Changes in ocean curren... Read More about Lipid increases in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in Scotland 1986–2008: an assessment of physical parameters and the influence of organic pollutants.

Should a water colour parameter be included in lake total phosphorus prediction models used for the Water Framework Directive? (2015)
Journal Article
Oliver, I., & Vinogradoff, S. (2015). Should a water colour parameter be included in lake total phosphorus prediction models used for the Water Framework Directive?. Journal of Environmental Management, 81 - 86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.09.012

Under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) lakes are classified according to a variety of criteria. This classification facilitates state of the environment assessments and helps identify work needed to achieve the objectives of the WFD, which are bro... Read More about Should a water colour parameter be included in lake total phosphorus prediction models used for the Water Framework Directive?.

Geochemical associations and availability of cadmium (Cd) in a paddy field system, northwestern Thailand (2014)
Journal Article
Kosolsaksakul, P., Farmer, J. G., Oliver, I. W., & Graham, M. C. (2014). Geochemical associations and availability of cadmium (Cd) in a paddy field system, northwestern Thailand. Environmental Pollution, 187, 153-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.01.006

The Mae Tao watershed, northwest Thailand, has become contaminated with cadmium (Cd) as a result of zinc ore extraction (Padaeng deposit) in the nearby Thanon-Thongchai mountains. Consumption of contaminated rice has led to documented human health im... Read More about Geochemical associations and availability of cadmium (Cd) in a paddy field system, northwestern Thailand.

UK monitoring and deposition of tephra from the May 2011 eruption of Grímsvötn, Iceland (2013)
Journal Article
Stevenson, J., Loughlin, S., Font, A., Fuller, G., MacLeod, A., Oliver, I., …Dawson, I. (2013). UK monitoring and deposition of tephra from the May 2011 eruption of Grímsvötn, Iceland. Journal of Applied Volcanology, 3 -?. https://doi.org/10.1186/2191-5040-2-3

Mapping the transport and deposition of tephra is important for the assessment of an eruption’s impact on health, transport, vegetation and infrastructure, but it is challenging at large distances from a volcano (>?1000 km), where it may not be visib... Read More about UK monitoring and deposition of tephra from the May 2011 eruption of Grímsvötn, Iceland.