Biography

Area(s) of Research

RESEARCH INTERESTS
  • Radiochemistry
  • Environmental Chemistry – Remediation Technologies
  • Nuclear Fuel Cycle – Waste Processing & Disposal

The Environmental Radiochemistry Research Group led by Dr. Vasileios Anagnostopoulos focuses on fundamental and applied aspects of radiochemistry and environmental chemistry.

One of the group’s main research areas is the fate of contaminants, such as heavy metals, radionuclides and organic pollutants in the environment. Our group studies the geochemical transformations of contaminants due to their interaction with Natural Organic Matter (NOM) and the redox phenomena that take place on the sediment-water interface, as well as mineral incorporation.

Our studies also focus on the retention-release cycles of contaminants in the natural environment as a function of ligand presence, redox potential, ionic strength etc. through kinetic, thermodynamic and speciation studies.

The elucidation of the mechanisms that dictate the behavior of contaminants in the environment allows us to develop and test the sustainability of innovative remediation strategies for different environmental systems, such as soil, groundwater, and the vadose zone.

Dr. Anagnostopoulos’ research also involves studies in the field of used nuclear fuel disposal. Studies focus on radionuclide interaction with geological media representative of waste disposal sites (geological repositories) under relevant conditions (reducing conditions, elevated temperature, and ionic strength) simulating scenarios of waste tank leakage or human intrusion. Of particular interest is understanding the fate and the risk associated with radionuclides released from radioactive waste, as well as the development of materials for radionuclide retardation in barrier systems within the waste repositories and waste processing.