Professor, School of the Environment/Chemistry
Dr. Dirk Wallschläger’s research is primarily on the speciation of anion-forming trace metal(loid)s in natural environments and in industrial waste streams. He has developed analytical methods for the speciation of such elements, particularly arsenic, selenium and chromium in liquids and solids using ion chromatography coupled to inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS). He then applies these methods to study the cycling, transformation and fate of these elements in natural and industrial systems.
In the environment, the generated data are used to study geochemical transport processes and assess the risk arising from existing contaminations. In industrial waste streams, he uses these approaches to design and control custom-tailored treatment strategies.