The widespread presence of human-made contaminants in aquatic environments poses a significant threat to public health and ecosystems. Addressing this threat requires a fundamental, mechanistic understanding of how contaminants degrade, enabling predictions of their environmental fate and the development of targeted cleanup methods. Our research tackles this challenge by examining the abiotic transformation of organophosphonates, a class of highly used chelating compounds known for their environmental persistence and the potential to produce more toxic metabolites during standard water treatment processes.

Ruoning Guo

is a PhD working on the role of abiotic reactions for the fate of polyphosphonates in water bodies.

I specifically study homogeneous reaction kinetics to accurately determine the rate laws and constants for degradation processes, such as hydrolysis and metal-catalyzed oxidation. By combining these kinetic analyses with the identification of transformation intermediates and products, my work aims to clarify the detailed mechanisms and pathways of these organophosphonates. This mechanistic understanding is essential for evaluating their long-term environmental behavior and persistence, ultimately providing a scientific basis for better risk assessments and the advancement of water treatment technologies.

Jule Werner

is a PhD working on the degradation of aminopolyphosphonates by manganese dioxides in environmental systems.

I study the heterogeneous degradation of aminopolyphosphonates by manganese-containing minerals with a focus on the formation of transformation products (TPs), including AMPA and glyphosate. Specifically, I test how different environmental factors, such as pH, ligands, and mineral structure, influence degradation dynamics and TP formation. These experiments are combined with the development of different analytical techniques (e.g., derivatization, mass spectrometry, and compound-specific isotope analysis) to quantify and further analyze the TPs.