GEOC Newsletter: Fall 2024
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
Dear colleagues and GEOC Division members,
The Division of Geochemistry (GEOC) has had a great 2024 so far. Many of our sessions have been filled and buzzing with discussion and conversation both in and out of the conference rooms and at our social/business meeting events. Our programming has been well received with a broad range of topics including biogeochemistry, intermediate and disordered phases, mineral-water interfacial geochemistry, crystallization, aggregation and dissolution processes, CO2 and storage, electro-analytical chemistry, critical minerals, and geochemical and social implications of mining. The spring 2024 conference was our second conference that included a session dedicated to recognizing diversity in geochemistry; a diversity session is also planned for Spring 2025. Our co-sponsored aquatic redox chemistry session with ENVR was also well attended in Spring 2024 and we look forward to future joint sessions with our colleagues in ENVR.
This year we have sought opportunities to increase representation of undergraduate participation through virtual sessions and undergraduate symposia. In addition, we continue to honor many of our outstanding geochemists through special symposia and the Geochemical Medal. In the spring we honored Michael L. Machesky and in the Fall 2024 meeting we honored the career of George Luther. This coming spring, we will honor Janet Hering with the 2025 ACS Geochemistry Division Medal.
In 2024, we also honored 4 early-career scientists and 8 (under)graduate students with travel awards. We recently formed a committee to expand the number of geochemistry awards that will be offered by the geochemistry division to recognize the many outstanding geochemists in the field at various career stages. If you are interested in being part of the new awards committee or have an interest in being more involved in the division governance, please contact me.
Division Chair
Lynn Katz
WRAP-UP OF FALL 2024 MEETING
The 2024 ACS Fall Meeting was held in Denver, CO, from August 18 to 22. 2024. The Geochemistry Division had 94 abstracts submitted to seven Oral and three Poster sessions. In particular, we were excited to host a special symposium in honor of the career of Prof. George Luther III titled “Advances in Environmental Electro-Analytical Chemistry” cohosted by ENVR. Our division also had 18 speakers who participated in the Sci-mix event. We sincerely thank to all invited and contributed presenters. We had the Geochemistry Division Social at Tom’s Watch Bar, which attracted approximately 50 people who enjoyed great time under the breezing vibrant atmosphere. We thank for the participation and continue to enlarge the breadth and connection within and across the Division.
TRAVEL AWARD WINNERS OF FALL 2024
Finally, we are happy to announce the recipients of two Early Career and four Student Travel Awards for the ACS Fall 2024 meeting. Congratulations!!
Early Career Awards
Dr. Sushobhan Pradhan, School of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, USA
Title: Microfluidics investigation on enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potential of carbonated brine flooding
Dr. Jing Zhang, College of Environmental Sciences. Peking University, China
Title: Mobility of Mo during microbially-mediated ferrihydrite transformation
Student Awards
Junghyun Lim, Department of Energy system engineering, Seoul National University, Korea
Title: Evaluating the effect of mine waste rock particle size on environmental impact using numerical modeling
Minkyoung Jung, Department of Energy, Chemical and Environmental Engineering Washington University in St. Louis, USA
Title: Molecular insights into struvite nucleation on alginate surfaces: Exploring interfacial chemistry in resource recovery systems
Shinyun Park, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, USA
Title: Coupling of organic fouling and mineral scaling in RO desalination: Exploring combined phenomena and antiscaling membranes
C. Heath Stanfield, Geophysical Sciences, Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, USA
Title: Carbon Mineralization, Critical Mineral, and Olivine Resource Evaluation Pathways for Mafic-Ultramafic Assets
2025 GEOCHEMISTRY DIVISION MEDAL RECIPIENT
Join us in congratulating Professor Janet Hering for her selection as the 2025 Geochemistry Division Medalist!
The ACS Geochemistry (GEOC) Division has selected Professor Janet Hering as the recipient of the 2025 Geochemistry Division Medal. One of GEOC’s missions is to "encourage the highest standards of excellence in developing and applying knowledge of chemistry and related sciences as they pertain to the understanding and exploration of Earth’s geosphere and extraterrestrial bodies." Professor Hering exemplifies this mission through her outstanding scientific accomplishments, impactful leadership, and dedicated service to the geochemistry community.
Professor Janet Hering is Director Emerita of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (Eawag) and Professor Emerita at both the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL) since 2023. Before moving to Switzerland in 2007, she was a faculty member at Caltech and UCLA. She is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and Academia Europaea.
Throughout her career, Professor Hering’s research has focused on the biogeochemical cycling of trace elements in natural waters, treatment technologies for removing inorganic contaminants from drinking water, and the exchange of knowledge at the interface of science, policy, and practice. She has also been a strong advocate for diversity in academia, particularly in supporting women in academic leadership. In 2015, she received the Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award from IUPAC. Professor Hering was the founding Vice Chair of the ETH Women Professors Forum, serving as Vice Chair from 2012 to 2016 and Chair from 2016 to 2020.
The Geochemistry Division Medal will be presented to Professor Hering at the 2025 ACS Spring Meeting in San Diego. In her honor, the GEOC Division is organizing a special symposium.
SPRING 2025 GEOC MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Geochemistry Division will host twelve sessions for the ACS Spring 2025 Meeting in San Diego, CA from March 23 to 27, 2025. Regular abstract submission is due September 30, 2024, and can be made via https://callforabstracts.acs.org/acsspring2025/GEOC. Late submission may be possible after the due date. Please contact the Program Chairs, Sang Soo Lee and Ian C. Bourg, by email (sslee@anl.gov and bourg@princeton.edu) for inquiry.
The Division also accepts applications for the Student Travel Award and Early Career Scientist Travel Award for the Spring Meeting. Each award includes the registration waiver, $200 stipend, and extended time allocation for oral presentation. The applications are due October 11, 2024, and should be sent to the program chair of the meeting, Sang Soo Lee, by email at sslee@anl.gov.
Symposium in Honor of Prof. Janet Hering, 2025 Geochemistry Medal Recipient
Organizers: Yuanzhi Tang (Georgia Tech), Chen Zhu (Indiana Univ.), Daniel Giammar (Washington Univ. St. Louis), James D. Kubicki (Univ. Texas El Paso), Sang Soo Lee (Argonne Nat’l Lab)
This symposium seeks to receive contributed submissions to honor the scientific achievement of Prof. Janet Hering, the Geochemistry Medal Award recipient.
Broadening Participation in Geochemistry: Bridging People, Science & Policy to Tackle Community, Regional & Global Issues that Affect Our Planet
Organizers: Ian C. Bourg (Princeton Univ.), Lynn E. Katz (Univ. Texas), Matthew R. Landsman (Lawrence Berkeley Nat’l Lab.), Lewis Stetson Rowles (Georgia Southern Univ.)
Geochemistry applies chemistry in an attempt to explain complex natural systems; geochemists are often responsible for improving our understanding of the natural world and using that understanding to protect the planet. These larger scale, complex problems require a diverse community of scientists, policy experts, and local, regional and international stakeholders. This session is dedicated to recognizing the importance of diversity and outreach across the field of geochemistry with focus on bridging people and science to communities.
The first part of this session will honor researchers and scientists from diverse backgrounds or those who have been champions for diversity in the field by reducing and eliminating bias and discrimination. Invited speakers will share experiences and challenges from their careers along with their vision for cultivating diversity, inclusion, and equity. The second part of this session will showcase research on geochemistry in historically marginalized communities. Of particular interest are studies focused on how geochemical phenomena and anthropogenic contamination have impacted humans or the environment and how interactions among scientists, policy experts and stakeholders have helped to create sustainable solutions to regional and global environmental issues and resource acquisition.
Chemistry Under Nano-scale Confinement
Organizers: Anthony Pablo Baldo (Sandia Nat’l Lab.), Bidemi Tokunbo Fashina (Sandia Nat’l Lab.), Luis Ruiz Pestana (Univ. Miami)
Cosponsor: PHYS
Interfacial chemistry has been studied for centuries. However, it has been gradually recognized that the well-studied and understood chemical and physical properties of the surface-liquid interfaces change when confined (e.g., aqueous solution confined by surfaces). Hence, the existing knowledge on unconfined interfacial systems is not always directly transferrable to nanoscale confined systems. For example, the chemical properties (e.g., coordination chemistry, dielectric properties, nucleation and other phase changes) and biological processes (e.g., ion transport, and annealing in DNA) is dependent on the environment–confined or unconfined. Confinement additionally introduces a higher surface-to-volume ratio where interfacial effects become more relevant. To these ends, surface chemistry and termination, the presence of electrolytes, pH, and temperature, for example, must all be considered to understand chemistry in nanoconfined systems. The understanding of the reactivity of nanoconfined systems is important in separation science, critical material recovery, nano-catalysis, nuclear waste storage, understanding geochemical cycling, etc. Nanoconfined systems are ubiquitous from naturally confined systems, layered and modulated clay minerals, zeolites, nano-porous sedimentary rocks, and nano-cracks in soil/rock grains, etc. to synthetic confined systems such as carbon nanotubes, mesoporous oxides, nano-porous ceramic membranes, nanosensors, etc. The understanding of the reactivity and properties of confined systems remains poorly understood. We invite contributions that further our understanding of interfacial and non-interfacial chemistry under nano-confinement. The topics to be covered in this session include, but are not limited to: (1) interfacial reactivity at nanoconfined surfaces and in nanopores; (2) nanoconfinement effects on electron transfer; (3) nanoconfinement phenomena that can be traced to the field-scale; (4) dissolution, nucleation, and crystal growth under nanoconfinement; (5) nanoconfinement effects on reaction thermodynamics and kinetics; (6) nanoscale confinement effects on dynamics and structure of molecules; (7) novel experimental and computational methods for studying nanoconfined surfaces and solutions; (8) transport properties within nanopores; (9) properties of nano-porous materials at the mesoscale.
Environmental Radiochemistry
Organizers: Julia Neumann (Argonne Nat’l Lab.), Sarah A. Saslow (Pacific Northwest Nat’l Lab.)
Joint Sponsor: NUCL
Cosponsor: ENVR
Understanding the mobility of radionuclides and heavy metals in nature plays a pivotal role in developing appropriate remediation strategies for these (radioactive) pollutants. This session will highlight recent scientific advancements and challenges for understanding the physicochemical processes that control the fate, transport, and remediation of radionuclides and heavy metals in various environmental compartments. Contributions focused on elucidating processes relevant to (1) reactivity at mineral/water interfaces, including adsorption and desorption, (2) radionuclide/heavy metal incorporation into mineral phases and/or assemblages, (3) redox chemistry, (4) radionuclide/heavy metal speciation, (5) colloid formation and transport, and (6) radionuclide/heavy metal immobilization by remediation technologies are of interest to this session. Exploring and predicting the behavior of radionuclides and heavy metals under the complex chemistries found in nature are also of interest, e.g., the effects of co-mingled competing contaminants and local biogeochemistry. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue among experts from different fields, spanning computational to experimental research at molecular to field scales, this session aims to advance our collective understanding of environmental radiochemistry and promote sustainable solutions for managing radioactive contamination worldwide.
Frontiers in Analytical and Computational Geochemistry
Organizers: Sharon Bone (SLAC Nat’l Accelerator Lab.), Ian C. Bourg (Princeton Univ.), Si Athena Chen (Oak Ridge Nat’l Lab.), Kideok D. Kwon (Kangwon Nat’l Univ., Korea), Sang Soo Lee (Argonne Nat’l Lab)
Cosponsor: COMP, ANYL
This session aims to highlight recent progress in the development and application of high-level theories and state-of-the-art methodologies to unravel novel understanding of complex geochemical processes. The session specifically focuses on in-situ and operando studies of geochemical systems, leveraging innovative (multimodal) spectroscopic, scattering, and imaging techniques, along with theoretical analysis using supercomputing and machine learning capabilities. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: (1) Bridging the gap between experiments and simulations; (2) Visualization of chemical and structural complexities; (3) Multiscale characterization of geological materials and interfaces; and (4) New algorithms and data process schemes to enhance the integration and analysis of complex geochemical datasets.
Fundamentals of Structure and Reactivity at Mineral-Water Interfaces
Organizers: Jacquelyn N. Bracco (City University, New York), Benjamin A. Legg (Pacific Northwest Nat’l Lab), Thomas Underwood (Pacific Northwest Nat’l Lab)
Cosponsor: ENVR
Geochemical reactions at mineral-water interfaces play a critical role in determining various micro- and macroscopic processes in natural environments, including contaminant transport, rock weathering, and change in porosity and permeability in porous media. Understanding these processes requires characterization of interfacial structure and reactivity at the molecular scale. This session will highlight recent experimental and computation research on geochemical interfacial systems covering from ideal single-crystal surfaces to complex environmental nanoparticles and porous media. The topics of interest in this session include, but are not limited to: (1) Surface structure and chemistry of minerals and nanoparticles; (2) Adsorption/desorption thermodynamics and kinetics; (3) Mineral dissolution and nucleation/growth; (4) Surface mediated redox reactions; (5) Multi-scale nature of mineral–water/rock water interfaces in porous media; (6) Geochemical interfaces in extreme environments; (7) Development of new computational and experimental methods for interface research. We encourage contributions from a broad range of scientific disciplines that highlight advances in experimental, computational, and theoretical designs to bridge observations over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales.
Geochemical Pathways for Carbon Capture, Removal, Utilization, and Storage: Laboratory to Field
Organizers: Greeshma Gadikota (Cornell Univ.), Erika La Plante (Univ. California, Davis), John Loring (Pacific Northwest Nat’l Lab), Juliane Weber (Oak Ridge Nat’l Lab)
Cosponsor: I&EC, ENVR, COLL
Capture and sequestration of CO2 are considered the most feasible long-term strategies to address climate challenges caused by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Understanding physicochemical interactions between geologic materials and carbon-containing media across wide spatial and temporal scales is needed for large-scale deployment of cost-effective technologies to meet climate mitigation targets. This session will be a cross-disciplinary discussion that spans fundamental science of CO2 related geochemical processes and practical applications for the development of the materials and technologies for CO2 sequestration. We are seeking abstracts on topics including but not limited to: (1) Capture, conversion, and sequestration of CO2 using geo- and geo-inspired materials; (2) Geological CO2 sequestration by mineral carbonation, solubility, and physical trapping; (3) Enhanced weathering; (4) Critical element recovery with concurrent CO2 storage; (5) Effect of confinement on CO2-containing fluids; (6) Multiscale modeling and experimentation of the carbonation kinetics and dynamics of carbon related chemical reactions; (7) Direct air capture via mineral looping and ocean-based CO2 removal techniques. We welcome experimental, theoretical and field investigations, including research of new material development and monitoring techniques for lab- or field-scale applications.
Geochemical Processes and Energy in Subsurface Environments
Organizers: Lawrence M. Anovitz (Oak Ridge Nat’l Lab), Ke Yuan (Oak Ridge Nat’l Lab)
Subsurface environments play a crucial role in energy production and waste storage. Utilizing subsurface space for clean energy production and carbon sequestration has become a key strategy for achieving a carbon-free economy. Despite significant advancements in understanding chemical and chemically induced physical processes (chemomechanics) through in situ time-resolved techniques and computational simulations, many critical questions and challenges remain. This session highlights recent advances in experimental and computational methods that enhance our understanding of reactions in subsurface environments. The topics to be covered in this session include but are not limited to: Origin of geologic H2; Geothermal energy production; Nucleation, growth and multiphase reaction; Water/gas/ solid interfaces; Underground storage of H2 and CO2; Underground gravity energy storage (air/CAES, compressed fluids); Radioactive waste disposal; Permeability manipulation; Fracture initiation/seismic effects; Caprock efficiency and improvement.
Geochemical, Environmental and Sociotechnical Implications of Mining
Organizers: Laura Bilenker (Auburn Univ.), Mathias Burisch (Colorado School of Mines), Andrew Martin (Univ. Nevada, Las Vegas), Adam C. Simon (Univ. of Michigan)
Cosponsor: ENVR, ENFL
Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and climate provisions of legislation including the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act that call for significant increases in renewable energy infrastructure will require mining mineral resources at an unprecedented scale and speed. This pressure to diminish CO2 emissions, and to also find and produce minerals will be enormous. We must appreciate that mineral production has the potential to adversely affect the environment and communities, and there is a high degree of skepticism on the topic of responsible mining. This means that the minerals and energy sectors face greater challenges than ever before. This sessions focuses on 1) the formation of mineral resources and the use of this knowledge for responsible resource exploration and extraction, (2) new and less invasive approaches for the exploration and extraction of raw materials, 3) innovative approaches to geometallurgy, mineral processing, and the recycling of end-products containing metals and minerals to develop circular economies, and 4) securing supplies of industrially important, critical, and strategic metals, and. industrial minerals that are subject to global or regional supply disruption. We welcome abstract submission that cover any of these topics, including field studies (terrestrial, marine, planetary), biogeochemical and geochemical characterization of mining sites and their associated waters, mineralogical and metallurgical investigations, as well as experimental, thermodynamic and modeling approaches to resource geochemistry and geology, and long-term monitoring programs, remote systems, and community-based monitoring.
Separation Science and Technologies for Critical Materials
Organizers: Eunhyea Chung (Seoul Nat’l Univ., Korea), Grant Johnson (Pacific Northwest Nat’l Lab.), Slawo Lomnicki (Louisiana State Univ.), Elias Nakouzi (Pacific Northwest Nat’l Lab.), Tanya Prozorov (Ames Nat’l Lab.)
Joint sponsor: ENVR
Cosponsor: ENFL
Critical materials like rare earth elements are increasingly needed for advanced electronics, clean energy, and defense-related technologies. Most of these materials are currently mined and extracted using energy- and chemical-intensive processes that generate environmentally harmful waste and carbon dioxide emissions. To establish a responsibly sourced and stable domestic supply chain for critical materials, it will be necessary not only to obtain these elements from primary ores but also to extract them from abundant unconventional feedstocks such as recycled electronics, produced waters, mine tailings, and geothermal brines. Transformative advances in critical material extraction and separation will be enabled by an improved fundamental understanding of 1) interfacial interactions, 2) the enthalpy and entropy changes associated with demixing transitions, 3) the coupling of reactivity and separations, 4) new synthesis techniques and the degradation of materials over time, 5) how external forces and fields may be leveraged to control transport and reactivity, and 6) supply chains to predict what elements will become critical in the future. Disruptive advances in separations will also require translating this fundamental scientific understanding into scalable and economically viable technologies. This symposium will provide a forum for chemists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists to learn about and discuss the latest developments in critical material separations, engineering, and technology. The forum's broad fundamental and applied scope is intended to attract leading researchers, early career scientists, and engineers from academia, national laboratories, and industry.
Sun, Sand, and Sustainability: Early Career Researchers Forging Advances in Marine Chemistry
Organizers: Julian Bobb (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.), Bhavya Singhi (Zeus Industrial Products, Inc.)
Joint sponsor: YCC
Cosponsor: ENVR, ANYL
This symposium is open to all topics of marine chemistry, geochemistry, environmental chemistry, and closely related fields. We are especially looking for presentations from early career researchers who are currently in school or within 10 years of starting their career. This session aims to publicize innovative research findings geared towards addressing the impact of human and environmental factors on oceans and marine ecosystems, and the strategies being explored to mitigate those effects.
General Geochemistry
Organizer: Sang Soo Lee (Argonne Nat’l Lab.), Ian C. Bourg (Princeton Univ.)
This session is open to any papers related to the broad field of geochemistry. We are especially looking for presentations in areas that broaden our division both in terms of the composition and diversity of the membership as well as the breadth of topics explored. In addition, we are seeking presentations that address teaching pedagogy and novel approaches to engaging students at all levels.
CALL FOR TRAVEL AWARD APPLICATIONS
ACS Geochemistry Division, Spring 2025 Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 23-27, 2025
Application Submission Due Date: Friday, October 11, 2024
Submission by email to the Program Chair, Sang Soo Lee (sslee@anl.gov)
Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to accept applications for the Geochemistry Division’s Student Travel Award and Early Career Scientist Travel Award for the Spring 2025 ACS Meeting in San Diego, CA (March 23-27, 2025). See below for award descriptions and procedures.
Student Travel Award
Number of awards: Up to 4 awards based on the quality of the applications.
Award: (1) The Geochemistry Division will pay for the awardees’ registration for the ACS National Meeting plus a $200 stipend. (2) Awardees will be given an extended time allocation (typically 25-30 minutes) for their oral presentations.
Eligibility: (1) The applicant must be an undergraduate or graduate student. (2) The applicant must have already submitted a regular abstract to MAPS for the meeting (see Application Procedure for details). (3) The applicant must be the presenting author. (4) Only one application per presenting author will be considered. (5) The awardee must be a member of ACS Geochemistry Division at the time of the conference.
Early Career Scientist Travel Award
Number of awards: Up to 2 awards based on the quality of the applications.
Award: (1) The Geochemistry Division will pay for the awardees’ registration for the ACS National Meeting plus a $200 stipend. (2) Awardees will be given an extended time allocation (typically 25-30 minutes) for the oral presentation.
Eligibility: (1) The applicant must have received their PhD degree within 7 years of the award submission deadline (October 11, 2024). If there are extenuating circumstances (such as time off for raising children), please contact: sslee@anl.gov (2) The applicant must have already submitted a regular abstract to MAPS for the meeting (see Application Procedure for details). (3) The applicant must be the presenting author. (4) Only one application per presenting author will be considered. (5) The awardee must be a member of ACS Geochemistry Division at the time of the conference.
Application Procedures
Submitting your regular abstract to the ACS Meeting Abstract Programming System (MAPS http:// maps.acs.org) before the abstract due date (September 30, 2024).
Submit a separate, extended abstract to the GEOC Program Chair, Sang Soo Lee, at: sslee@anl.gov
Extended abstracts should not exceed one page (use at least 11-pt font, single-line spacing, and 1-inch margins) and may contain tables and figures (counted toward the page limit). Make sure to (1) include your name, affiliation, abstract title, and abstract number, and (2) indicate whether you are an undergraduate/graduate student (for the Student Travel Award) or your PhD degree date/year (for the Early Career Scientist Travel Award).
Extended abstracts must be received by October 11, 2024.
Evaluation
Abstracts will be judged based on the impact on the field of geochemistry, technical approach, quality and clarity of writing, relevance of the abstract to the symposia and national meeting themes, and balance among different symposia.
Award winners will be announced by the end of October 2024.
Questions?
General information about the conference can be found at: https:// www.acs.org/content/acs/en/ meetings/national-meeting.html
Call for Abstracts can be found at: https://callforabstracts.acs.org/acsspring2025.
Questions about the awards should be directed to sslee@anl.gov
GEOC FALL 2024 ELECTION: CALL FOR NOMINATION
ACS Geochemistry Division is currently seeking nominations for two officer positions, Program Chair Elect and Councilor, who will assume their roles in January 2025. A brief description of each role is provided below.
Program-Chair Elect (4-year term, 2025 – 2028): This officer will serve as Program-Chair Elect in the first year, shadow the Program Chair, and assist the Division Chair with the direction and management of the Division. In the second year, the candidate will serve as Program Chair and organize the symposium at the fall and spring national meetings. In the third year, the candidate will serve as Division Chair, and finally as Immediate Past Division Chair in the fourth year.
Councilor (3-year term, 2025 – 2027): This officer will attend and represent the Geochemistry Division at the Council meetings of the ACS and serve as a member on the Executive Committee. More details about councilor duties can be found at: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/about/governance/ councilors.html.
Notes:
Self-nominations and consensual nominations of colleagues are encouraged.
Nomination and the signatures of support must be submitted by October 15, 2024.
Per GEOC Bylaws, all nominations must be accompanied by at least 10 signatures of support from current ACS GEOC Members (including current Division Committee members). The Division Committee can help with obtaining the signatures of support.
Statement of support template: “I, ___________, support _____ nomination for (position) in the American Chemical Society Geochemistry Division. I confirm that I am a member of the ACS Geochemistry Division.”
Please submit the nomination/self-nomination or any questions to:
Qingyun Li
ACS Geochemistry Division Secretary
qingyun.li@stonybrook.edu