Dr. Tsanangurayi Tongesayi
Check out some of our latest work on Arsenic, which was featured at the 242nd American Chemical Society National Meeting.
“Plastic bottle” solution for arsenic - Article
Above center picture: Dr. Tongesayi (left) with Aracelis Lantigua (center) and Julia Elscheid addressing a press conference at the 242nd American Chemical Society National Meeting.
Current Research Interests
Environmental Toxicology: The focus is on the biogeochemistry of chemical species particularly heavy metals and metalloids; pesticides; and inorganic nutrients as influenced by both natural and anthropogenic-induced environmental conditions. Specifically, I look at the fate, speciation, mobility and bioavailability of these chemical species in the environment. Some of the factors I consider when dealing with biogeochemistry and toxicity include pH, ionic strength, natural organic matter, mineral oxide sorption sites, metal-metal interactions, temperature, light, anions, particulates and engineered nanoparticles.
Analytical Method Development & Innovative Water Solutions: The focus is on developing (i) analytical methods to detect and quantify nano-levels of toxic chemical species in environmental samples; (ii) remediation methods to remove the toxicants from drinking water and wastewater, and (iii) methods to assess bioavailability and phytoavailability of chemical toxicants. Because of the increase in knowledge about the toxicity of both synthetic and natural chemicals substances, quality standards, particularly in food and drinking water, are increasingly becoming more stringent. This development poses both analytical and environmental engineering challenges; first there is the need to develop methods that will detect and quantify levels that match the standards and secondly, efficient technological methods to remove contaminants from drinking water, for example, will need to be developed in order to meet the standards. There is also the need to develop faster, reliable and efficient methods to estimate the bioavailable and phytoavaible fractions of chemical toxicants in cases of inadvertent exposure.