Speaker: Tian Zhang, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, BCWRE, EASA, F.AAAS, Dist.M.ASCE
When: Feb. 13th, 11:00am
Where: KH A445 (Lincoln), 160 PKI (Omaha)
Title: Emerging Contaminants and Related Stories at UNL
Abstract: Emerging contaminants (ECs) are chemical and biological compounds that are not routinely monitored in the environment but have the potential to cause adverse ecological and human health effects. Among these, steroid hormones associated with agricultural activities have received increasing attention due to their persistence and biological activity at low concentrations. At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), our research addresses critical knowledge gaps surrounding the environmental behavior of ECs in agroecosystems. This presentation highlights a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)-funded project focused on the fate and transport of hormones originating from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) in soil environments. The project examines how soil properties and management practices influence hormone mobility, retention, and potential leaching to groundwater or runoff to surface waters. Building on this work, follow-up NSF-supported studies demonstrate that hormone sorption is strongly influenced by soil aggregate structure, with small particles (< 2000 nm) contributing disproportionately to overall sorption despite their low mass fraction. Results further indicate that partially dispersed soil aggregates better represent natural conditions and provide more realistic estimates of hormone transport in runoff than fully dispersed or whole-soil approaches. Together, these studies contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of EC dynamics in agricultural landscapes and support the development of science-based strategies to mitigate hormone transport and environmental exposure.
Dr. Tian Zhang’s distinguished career has spanned 32 years at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Zhang is a world-renowned leader in the area of sustainable water control technologies and has worked on diverse topics including non point source pollution control and nanotechnology. In this retrospective seminar, Dr. Zhang will
discuss his prior work on emerging contaminants and other water quality challenges.