Dr. Richelle Allen-King

Office: 761 Natural Sciences Complex Phone: 716.645.4287 Email: richelle@geology.buffalo.edu Website: Home Page Title: Professor Degree: PhD, Earth Sciences (Hydrogeology), University of Waterloo, 1991 Specialty: Hydrogeochemistry

Courses Offered

GLY 161 Introduction to Environmental Geochemistry
GLY 462/562 Advanced Environmental Geochemistry
GLY 568 Environmental Organic Geochemistry

Research Interests

My main research interests are understanding and integrating the basic processes which control the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment, particularly in groundwater. Our current understanding of these processes, or lack thereof, limits our ability to predict natural fate and to plan and conduct appropriate remediation of contaminated sites. Most of my current research has to do with transport and/or transformation of organic contaminants, including chlorinated solvents, hydrocarbons, pesticides and recently personal care products. This encompasses a broad range of problems. For example, our group is currently engaged in a study which tests how geologic-process based knowledge can improve our understanding of the composition and variability of aquifer properties as they relate to pollutant transport. In another study, we are investigating the transport pathways by which agricultural chemicals move within and out watersheds. One more example looks at how chemical oxidants used to remediate groundwater contaminants affect and are affected by the natural groundwater system. In addition to field investigation, my research includes laboratory experiments using gas chromatography for analysis of the organic compounds of interest. Analyses of sediments and water can also include: grain size, mineralogy, surface area and fraction organic carbon content; and major cations and anions, and organic carbon content.

Recent Publications (* signifies student)

Mumford*, K.G., Thomson, N.R. and Allen-King, R.M., 2005. Bench-scale investigation of permanganate natural oxidant demand kinetics. Environ. Sci. Technol, 39(8): 2835-2840.

McLeod, P.B.*, van den Huevel-Geve, M.J., Allen-King, R.M., Luoma, S.N. and R.G. Luthy, 2004. Effects of particulate carbonaceous matter on the bioavailability of benzo[a]pyrene and 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl to the clam, Macoma balthica. Environ. Sci. Technol., 38:4549-4556.

Rivett, M.O. and R.M. Allen-King. 2003. A controlled field experiment on groundwater contamination by a multicomponent DNAPL: Dissolved-plume retardation. J. Contamin. Hydrol.,66:117-146.

Moysey, S, J. Caers, R. Knight, and R.M. Allen-King, 2003. Stochastic estimation of facies using ground penetrating radar data. Stochastic Environmental Research and Rish Assessment, 17: 306-318.

Slater, G.F., B. Sherwood Lollar, R.M. Allen-King, S.O. O'Hannesin. 2002. Isotopic fractionation during reductive dechlorination of TCE by zero valent iron: Influence of surface treatment. Chemosphere, 49:587-596.

Allen-King, R.M., P. Grathwohl, and W.P. Ball. 2002. New paradigms for modeling paradigms for the sorption of hydrophobic organic chemicals to heterogeneous carbonaceous matter in soils, sediments, and rocks. Advances in Water Resources, 25:985-1016.

Keller, C.K., R.M. Allen-King, R. O'Brien*. 2000. A framework for integrating quantitative geologic problem solving into courses across the undergraduate geology curriculum. J. Geoscience Education, 48:459-463.