PhD position available in the Holmboe group!

Many countries such as Sweden rely on nuclear power to meet their energy needs. As a result, various types of deep geologic repository concepts for the disposal of nuclear waste are being planned worldwide. The goal of this PhD project is to study radiation-induced chemistry at the molecular level in the context of nuclear waste disposal, using advanced theoretical and experimental techniques, such as molecular simulations, gamma-radiation and X-ray synchrotron-based methods. This 4-year PhD project is funded by the Swedish Radiation Authority (SSM), and builds upon prior research in the Holmboe group in collaboration with Prof. Mats Jonsson, Applied Phys. Chem, KTH, Sweden.

Link to add in English

Figure 1. Schematic of flip-flopping of structural Fe(III) to Fe(II) and back, due to reactions with the primary radicals from water radiolysis.

August News on Boily “Ice in Rust” and “MgO Carbonation” Research Programs

Papers in press:

Chen T., Bui Thi. T.M., Luo T., Cheng W., Hanna, K. Boily J.-F. 2024. Redox-driven formation of Mn(III) in ice. Environ. Sci. Technol. paper here

Chen T., Boily J.-F., Hanna K. 2024. Transient adsorption of zwitterionic fluoroquinolones on Goethite during freeze-thaw cycles. ACS ES&T Water paper here

Luo T., Chen T., Cheng W., Lasabatère L., Boily, J.-F., Hanna K. 2024 Impact of water saturation on the fate and mobility of antibiotics in reactive porous geomedia. Environ. Sci. Technol.

Upcoming Oral Presentation at the 2024 Goldschmidt Conference in Chicago:

Sebaaly A., van Rijn F., Boily J.-F. Oxalate Driven Goethite Dissolution in Cold, Dark, Acidic Environments. Goldschmidt Conference. August 19, 2024.

https://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/22879

New Group Members

**Romana Szakal** (PhD student) November 2024

**Maria Arizaleta** (Postdoc) February 2025

Boily group partners with Boliden

Boliden and the “Industrial Doctor School for Research and Innovation” at UmU co-fund a PhD position on Nanoscale resolution of Acid Mine Drainage

News on Mg-carbonate projects in Boily group

1. Romana Szakal joins the group as a PhD student on November 2024. Funded by FORMAS project ” Direct mineralization of Atmospheric CO₂ by Enhanced Weathering”

2. We are hiring a PhD student in molecular modeling co-funded by FORMAS and SEED-HORIZON. This is a joint venture between Umeå University and IMT Atlantique with Andrey Kalinichev and Sébastien Le Crom.

3. Maria Arizaleta joins the group as a WISE-Kempe postdoc in early 2025

2024 Boily papers so far…

Chen T., Bui Thi. T.M., Luo T., Cheng W., Hanna, K. Boily J.-F. 2024. Redox-driven formation of Mn(III) in ice. Environ. Sci. Technol. paper here

Chen T., Boily J.-F., Hanna K. 2024. Transient adsorption of zwitterionic fluoroquinolones on Goethite during freeze-thaw cycles. ACS ES&T Water paper here

Luo T., Chen T., Cheng W., Lasabatère L., Boily, J.-F., Hanna K. 2024 Impact of water saturation on the fate and mobility of antibiotics in reactive porous geomedia. Environ. Sci. Technol.

Luong N.T. ‡, Hanna K., Boily J.-F. 2024 Water film-mediated photocatalytic decomposition of oxalate on TiO₂. J. Catal. 432, 115425

Yu et al. 2024. Storage and distribution of organic carbon and nutrients in acidic soils developed on sulfuric sediments: The roles of reactive iron and macropores. Environ. Sci. Technol. 58, 9200-9212.

Luo T., Le Crom S., Luong N.T., Hanna K., Boily J.-F. ‡ 2024 Goethite-bound copper controls the fate of antibiotics in aquatic environments. ACS Environ. Sci. Technol. Water. 4,638-647.

Luo T., Chen T., Boily J.-F., Hanna K. ‡ 2024. Mobility and transport of pharmaceuticals nalidixic acid and niflumic acid in saturated soil columns. Soil Environ. Health. 2, 100060.

Arbid Y., Usman M., Mathon B., Cedat B., Boily J.-F., Hanna K. 2024 Use of iron-bearing waste materials in laundry wastewater treatment. J. Wat. Proc. Eng. 57, 104717.

Yu C, Turner S., Huotari S., Shchukarev A., Österholm P., Lopez-Fernandez M., Högfors-Rönnholm, Mayanna S., Hogmalm J.K., Virtasalo J.J. Boily J.-F., Dopson M., Åström M.E. 2024. Manganese cycling and transport in boreal estuaries impacted by acidic Mn-rich drainage. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 365, 136-157.

Our “Rust in Ice” research group is growing in size!

Tao Luo just joined our group as a postdoctoral researcher! We thank the Carl-Tryggers foundation for support.

A new postdoc will also join the Boily group in 2024 to contribute to our growing research activities on ice research. We thank a recent November 2023 grant by the Kempe Foundation for support.

The ATOM MATLAB library has a new tutor…

The ATOM MATLAB library which can be used to build, manipulate and analyze atomistic structures used in molecular simulations has a new ChatGPT-based tutor (requires chatgpt plus for now..). It sort of works, but occasionally suffers from some hallucinatory behaviour… Try it out!

New paper on methylmercury bioavailability!

**Top right:** Principles for DOM-thiol controlled uptake of MeHg via thermodynamically or kinetically controlled mechanisms. **Bottom right**: Large, systematic decrease in DOM-thiols, and thereby increase in MeHg uptake across the terrestrial-marine aquatic continuum.

Research in Björn’s group show how the availability of methylmercury for incorporation at the base of the aquatic food web (by phytoplankton cellular uptake) is controlled by the concentration of thiol functional groups in dissolved organic matter. The research further shows how the concentration of DOM-thiols systematically decreases across the terrestrial-marine aquatic continuum.

Congratulations Tan!

PhD defense completed! Tan now moves to Chalmers as a postdoctoral researcher!

Congratulations Sébastien!

Sébastien Le Crom (Kempe Postdoc in Boily group) is beginning a “Maître de Conférence” position at Institut Mines-Télécom Nantes (France) in September 2023.

Sébastien also gave the following talk (link here) entitled “” at the 2023 Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference in Lyon:

Le Crom S., Boily J.-F. 2023 Ciprofloxacin Binding Mechanisms on Goethite: A Molecular Dynamics Study. Goldschmidt 2023 Conference.