Dr. Juan Diego Rodriguez-Blanco
Associate Professor, Geology
Biography
I am an Ussher Associate Professor in Nanomineralogy. I am an experimental mineralogist, highly experienced in crystallisation and environmental geochemistry. I have a strong successful track record in quantifying natural processes in the laboratory and applying these results to illuminating natural and societally relevant processes. Currently I am building a strong research group of experts in experimental nanomineralogy and also developing very strong national and international collaborations. My goals are to develop new methods for the removal of (in)organic waste products from drinking water, to and to design more energy efficient separation and recycling methods for strategic metals and to develop new carbon capture and storage techniques. The purpose of my research is to find out how to manage resources in a way that we can preserve the quality of life that we have now into the future generations. In particular, my research is focused on the understanding of mineral nucleation and growth from solution and mineral-water interaction processes. I am using a multidisciplinary approach to understand: a) Mineral formation and its role in geochemical cycles: I study the mechanisms of crystallisation of minerals at the nanoscale in order to understand the formation processes of carbonate minerals and their relevance for carbon capture and storage, biogeochemical element cycling and biomineralisation processes. b) The interaction of common seawater ions, pollutants and organics with mineral surfaces: I aim to shed light on mineral-water reactions that can be applied to remediate polluted waters and soils, to control the mobility and to find new sources of strategic metals. In particular, I focus my work on the evaluation of the capacity of carbonates, sulphates and phosphates to remove pollutants and rare-earths from natural waters with the purpose of designing more energy efficient separation and recycling methods for strategic metals.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Melanie Maddin, Rémi Rateau, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Luca Terribili, Beatriz Vallina, Kristina Petra Zubovic, Crystallization, replacement, and redox pathways governing rare earth carbonate and phosphate formation, CrystEngComm, 28, (9), 2026, p1453 - 1469, p1453-1469
Kristina Petra Zubovic, Anna Horvath, Daniel Brien, Rémi Rateau, Luca Terribili, S. J. Winters, Emeline Docaigne, Paul C. Guyett, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Crystallisation of CaCO3 polymorphs induced by layered PET-based microplastic particles, Environmental Sciences Europe, 37, (1), 2025
Andrea Pierozzi, Niamh Faulkner, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Luca Terribili, Melanie Maddin, Federica Meloni, Kavya Devkota, Kristina Petra Zubovic, Paul C. Guyett, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Natural carbonation in alkali basalts: Geochemical evolution of Ca"Mg"Fe carbonates at Sverrefjellet, Svalbard, Carbon Capture Science & Technology, 17, 2025, p100510 - 100510, p100510-100510
Melanie Maddin, Luca Terribili, Rémi Rateau, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Nanophase REE phosphate crystallization induced by vivianite oxidation: mechanistic insights and mineralogical implications, RSC Advances, 15, (14), 2025, p11257 - 11270, p11257-11270
Adrienn Maria Szucs, Rémi Rateau, Melanie Maddin, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Transient Epitaxial Growth of Rare Earth Carbonates during Low-Temperature Replacement of Calcite, Aragonite, and Dolomite, Crystal Growth & Design, 25, (21), 2025, p9275 - 9287, p9275-9287
Gabrielle Stockmann, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Editorial for Special Issue "Research on Ikaite"Natural Occurrences and Synthetic Mineral Precipitation", Minerals, 15, (5), 2025, p524 - 524, p524-524
Andreea Elena Maftei, Alecsandra Lupu, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Rémi Rateau, Loredana Brinza, Chromium removal via coprecipitation with carbonates and iron oxyhydroxides minerals: The effect of organic complexing agents, The Science of The Total Environment, 965, 2025, p178686 - 178686, p178686-178686
Luca Terribili, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Melanie Maddin, Kristina Petra Zubovic, Rémi Rateau, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Mechanistic Insights into the Early-Stage Crystallization and Nanophase Formation of Metastable Light Rare-Earth Carbonates, Crystal Growth & Design, 25, (4), 2025, p945 - 962, p945-962
Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Rémi Rateau, Melanie Maddin, Luca Terribili, Temporal growth of epitaxial layers in the CaCO3-REECO3OH system during mineral replacement processes, 2024
Dideriksen, K. and Zhen-Wu, B.Y. and DobberschÃŒtz, S. and RodrÃguez-Blanco, J.D. and Raahauge, P.J. and Ataman, E. and Oelkers, E.H. and Stipp, S.L.S., A quantitative description of barite thermodynamics, nucleation and growth for reactive transport modelling, Applied Geochemistry, (106033), 2024
Maddin, M. and Rateau, R. and Szucs, A.M. and Terribili, L. and Hoare, B. and Guyett, P.C. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Chemical Textures on Rare Earth Carbonates: An Experimental Approach to Mimic the Formation of BastnÀsite, Global Challenges, 2024
Andrea Pierozzi, Rémi Rateau, Andrea Orlando, Daniele Borrini, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Carbonation experiment of basaltic crystals and glasses using supercritical CO2 under different PT conditions, 2024
Melanie Maddin, Rémi Rateau, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Luca Terribli, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Complex Multi-Stage Replacement Reactions in the REE-CaCO3 System, 2024
Luca Terribili, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Mechanistic insights into the fluorite-fluocerite-bastnasite transformation, 2024
Rateau, R. and Maddin, M. and Szucs, A.M. and Terribili, L. and Drost, K. and Guyett, P.C. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Utilization of Eggshell Waste Calcite as a Sorbent for Rare Earth Element Recovery, ACS Omega, 2024
Terribili, L. and Rateau, R. and Maddin, M. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., The role of fluocerite in the genesis of bastnÀsite: mechanistic insights and transformation pathways, Nanoscale, 16, (27), 2024, p13183-13196
Melanie Maddin, Rémi Rateau, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Luca Terribili, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Transient crystallisation of rare earth carbonates during the hydrothermal oxidation of siderite, RSC Advances, 14, (48), 2024, p35305 - 35322, p35305-35322
Rémi Rateau, Kerstin Drost, Melanie Maddin, Adrienn Maria Szucs, Luca Terribili, Paul C. Guyett, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Sustainable recovery of rare earth elements with eggshell waste calcite, 2024
Szucs A. M., Maddin M., Brien D., Rateau R., Rodriguez-Blanco J. D., The role of nanocerianite (CeO2) in the stability of Ce carbonates at low-hydrothermal conditions, RSC Advances, 13, (10), 2023, p6919 - 6935
Terribili, Luca; Rateau, Remi; Szucs, Adrienn Maria; Maddin, Melanie; Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego , Impact of rare earth elements on CaCO3 crystallisation: Insights into kinetics, mechanisms, and crystal morphology, Crystal Growth & Design, 2023
Szucs, A.M. and Maddin, M. and Brien, D. and Guyett, P.C. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Targeted Crystallization of Rare Earth Carbonate Polymorphs at Hydrothermal Conditions via Mineral Replacement Reactions, Global Challenges, 2022
Szucs, Adrienn Maria; Stavropoulou, Alexandra; O'Donnell, Claire; Davis, Seana; Rodríguez Blanco, Juan Diego, Reaction pathways towards the formation of bastnäsite: replacement of calcite by rare earth carbonates., Crystal Growth & Design, 21, (1), 2021, p512 - 527
González-Santamaría, D.E., Justel A., Fernández, R., Ruiz, A.I., Stavropoulou, A., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Cuevas, A., SEM-EDX study of bentonite alteration under the influence of cement alkaline solutions., Applied Clay Science, 212, 2021, p10622-
Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Adrienn Maria Szucs, From poorly-ordered precursors to crystals: Factors contributing to spherulitic growth of dolomite, 2021
Okhrimenko, D.V., Lakshtanov, L.Z., Olssonc, M.H.M., Ceccato, M., Dalby, K.N., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Andersson, M.P., Stipp, S.L.S., Adsorption of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds (NHC) on soil minerals: Quinoline as an example., Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 611, 2021, p125899-
Szucs, A.M., O'Donnell, C., Davis, S., Stavropoulou, A. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., How does bastnäsite form? Replacement of calcite by rare earth carbonates, 31th Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, Lyon, France. Online conference, 2021, 2021
Adrienn Maria Szucs, Alexandra Stavropoulou, Claire O"Donnell, Seana Davis, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Mechanisms of bastnasite formation: replacement of calcite by rare earth carbonates., 2021
Verma, Ankit Kumar; Bourke, Mary C.; Viles, Heather A.; Osinski Gordon R; Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, The effect of impact-generated heterogeneities and discontinuities on the subsequent weathering of impactites: insights from laboratory experiments, Earth and Space Science Open Archive, 2020, p10.1002/essoar.10505291.1
Adrienn Maria Szucs, Claire O'Donnel, Seana Davis, Alexandra Stavropoulou, Juan Diego Rodriguez"Blanco, Interaction of Calcite with Rare Earth Hydrothermal Fluids, Goldschmidt Abstracts, 2020, p2522 - 2522, p2522-2522
Müller, I.A., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Storck, J-C, Santilli do Nascimento, G., Bontognali, T.R.R., Vasconcelos, C., Benning, L.G., Bernasconi, S.M., Calibration of the oxygen and clumped isotope thermometers for (proto-)dolomite based on synthetic and natural carbonates., Chemical Geology, 525, 2019, p1 - 17
Steele, A., Benning, L.G., Wirth, R., Siljeström, S., Fries, M.D., Hauri, E., Conrad, P.G., Rogers, K., Eigenbrode, J., Schreiber, A., Needham, A., Wang, J.H., McCubbin, F.M., Kilcoyne, D., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Organic synthesis on Mars by electrochemical reduction of CO2, Science Advances, 4, 2018, peaat5118 (10 pages)
Mia Rohde Nielsen, Magnesium Sulphate's Influence on Calcium Carbonate Minerals, New Insights into the role of the MgSO4° ion pair, University of Copenhagen, 2018
Geosciences; Special Issue "Dynamics and Kinetics of Melt-Fluid-Rock Interactions", MDPI, [eds.], 2018-2018
Ossorio, M., Stawski, T.M., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Sleutel, M., García-Ruiz, J.M., Benning, L.G., Van Driessche, A.E.S., Physicochemical and Additive Controls on the Multistep Precipitation Pathway of Gypsum., Minerals, 7, 2017, p140-
Special Issue "Rare-Earth Carbonates", Minerals, [eds.], 2017-2018
Lorenz, B., Ceccato, M., Andersson, M.P., Dobberschütz, S., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Dalby, K.N., Hassenkam, T., Stipp, S.L.S. , Salinity-Dependent Adhesion Response Properties of Aluminosilicate (K-Feldspar) Surfaces, Energy & Fuels, 31, 2017, p4670 - 4680
ACC and vaterite as metastable intermediates in the solution based crystallization of CaCO3. in, editor(s)Alexander van Driessche, Matthias Kellermeier, Liane G. Benning, Dennis Gebauer , New Perspectives on Mineral Nucleation and Growth, Switzerland, Springer International Publishing, 2017, pp69 - 88, [Juan Diego Rodriguez-Blanco, Karina K. Sand, Liane G. Benning]
Roncal-Herrero, T., Astilleros, J.M., Bots, P., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Prieto, M., Benning, L.G., Fernandez-Diaz, L., Reaction pathways and textural aspects of the replacement of anhydrite by calcite at 25 °C., American Mineralogist, 102, 2017, p1270 - 1278
Besselink, R., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Stawski, T.M., Benning, L.G., Tobler, D.J. , How short-lived ikaite affects calcite crystallisation, Crystal Growth & Design, 17, 2017, p6224 - 6230
Montanari, G., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Bovet, N., Stipp, S.L.S.,Tobler, D.J., Impact of citrate ions on the nucleation and growth of anhydrous CaCO3, Crystal Growth & Design, 17, 2017, p5269 - 5275
Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D, From atoms to minerals: how calcium carbonates form and why we should care, Geophysical Research Abstracts, European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017, Vienna, 2017, 19, 2017, ppEGU2017-1814
Nielsen, M.R., Sand, K.K., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Bovet, N., Generosi, J., Dalby, K.N., and Stipp S.L.S., Inhibition of Calcite Growth: Combined Effects of Mg2+ and SO42-, Crystal Growth & Design, 16, 2016, p6199 - 6207
Tobler, D.J., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Sørensen, H.O., Stipp, S.L.S., Dideriksen, K., Effect of pH on Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Structure and Transformation., Crystal Growth & Design, 16, 2016, p4500 - 4508
Voigt, Martin, Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Vallina, Beatriz, Benning, Liane G., Oelkers, Eric H., An experimental study of hydroxylbastnasite solubility in aqueous solutions at 25 degrees C, Chemical Geology, 430, 2016, p70 - 77
Andersson, M. P., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Stipp, S. L. S., Is bicarbonate stable in and on the calcite surface?, Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 176, 2016, p198 - 205
Stawski, Tomasz M., van Driessche, Alexander E. S., Ossorio, Mercedes, Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Besselink, Rogier, Benning, Liane G., Formation of calcium sulfate through the aggregation of sub-3 nanometre primary species, Nature Communications, 7, 2016, p10177-
Vallina, Beatriz, Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Brown, Andrew P., Blanco, Jesus A., Benning, Liane G., The role of amorphous precursors in the crystallization of La and Nd carbonates, Nanoscale, 7, (28), 2015, p12166 - 12179
Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Shaw, Samuel, Benning, Liane G., A route for the direct crystallization of dolomite, American Mineralogist, 100, (5-6), 2015, p1172 - 1181
Tobler, Dominique J., Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Dideriksen, Knud, Bovet, Nicolas, Sand, Karina K., Stipp, Susan L. S., Citrate Effects on Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC) Structure, Stability, and Crystallization, Advanced Functional Materials, 25, (20), 2015, p3081 - 3090
Hodson, Mark E., Benning, Liane G., Demarchi, Bea, Penkman, Kirsty E. H., Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan D., Schofield, Paul F., Versteegh, Emma A. A., Biomineralisation by earthworms - an investigation into the stability and distribution of amorphous calcium carbonate, Geochemical Transactions, 16, (4), 2015
Cobourne, G., Mountjoy, G., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Benning, L. G., Hannon, A. C., Plaisier, J. R., Neutron and X-ray diffraction and empirical potential structure refinement modelling of magnesium stabilised amorphous calcium carbonate, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 401, 2014, p154 - 158
Hubbard, Christopher G., West, L. Jared, Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Shaw, Samuel, Laboratory study of spectral induced polarization responses of magnetite - Fe2+ redox reactions in porous media, Geophysics, 79, (1), 2014, pD21 - D30
Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Shaw, Samuel, Bots, Pieter, Roncal-Herrero, Teresa, Benning, Liane G., The role of Mg in the crystallization of monohydrocalcite, Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 127, 2014, p204 - 220
Vallina, B., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Brown, A. P., Benning, L. G., Blanco, J. A., Enhanced magnetic coercivity of alpha-Fe2O3 obtained from carbonated 2-line ferrihydrite, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 16, (3), 2014, p2322-
Vallina, Beatriz, Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Blanco, Jesus A., Benning, Liane G., The effect of heating on the morphology of crystalline neodymium hydroxycarbonate, NdCO3OH, Mineralogical Magazine, 78, (6), 2014, p1391 - 1397
Tobler, D. J., Blanco, J. D. Rodriguez, Dideriksen, K., Sand, K. K., Bovet, N., Benning, L. G., Stipp, S. L. S., Gaillardet, J, The effect of aspartic acid and glycine on amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) structure, stability and crystallization, Procedia Earth and Planetary Science, 10, 2014, p143 - 148
Beatriz Vallina Antuña, The role and effect of rare-earth elements and Fe3+ during the crystallisation of nanostructured materials synthesised from carbonates, University of Oviedo (Spain), 2014
Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Vallina, Beatriz, Blanco, Jesus A., Benning, Liane G., The role of REE3+ in the crystallization of lanthanites, Mineralogical Magazine, 78, (6), 2014, p1373 - 1380
Vallina, Beatriz, Rodriguez-Blanco, Juan Diego, Brown, Andrew P., Blanco, Jesus A., Benning, Liane G., Amorphous dysprosium carbonate: characterization, stability, and crystallization pathways, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 15, (2), 2013, p1438-
Bots, P., Benning, L. G., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Roncal-Herrero, T., Shaw, S., Mechanistic Insights into the Crystallization of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC), Crystal Growth & Design, 12, (7), 2012, p3806 - 3814
Sand, K. K., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Makovicky, E., Benning, L. G., Stipp, S. L. S., Crystallization of CaCO3 in Water-Alcohol Mixtures: Spherulitic Growth, Polymorph Stabilization, and Morphology Change, Crystal Growth & Design, 12, (2), 2012, p842 - 853
Van Driessche, A. E. S., Benning, L. G., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Ossorio, M., Bots, P., Garcia-Ruiz, J. M., The Role and Implications of Bassanite as a Stable Precursor Phase to Gypsum Precipitation, Science, 336, (6077), 2012, p69 - 72
Sand, K.K. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D. and Makovicky, E. and Benning, L.G. and Stipp, S.L.S., Aragonite growth in water-alcohol mixtures: Classical or nonclassical crystallization?, 1419, 2012, pp7-13
Van Driessche, A.E.S. and Benning, L.G. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D. and Ossorio, M. and Bots, P. and GarcÃa-Ruiz, J.M., The role and implications of bassanite as a stable precursor phase to gypsum precipitation, Science, 335, (6077), 2012, p69-72
Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Shaw, S., Bots, P., Roncal-Herrero, T., Benning, L. G., The role of pH and Mg on the stability and crystallization of amorphous calcium carbonate, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 536, 2012, pS477 - S479
Pósfai, M. and Csákberényi-Malasics, D. and Kovács Kis, V. and Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D. and Benning, L.G. and ReÄ nik, A., Structures and Transformations of Synthetic and Bacterial Iron Monosulfides, Microscopy and Microanalysis, 18, 2012, p1714-1715
Csakberenyi-Malasics, D., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Kis, V. K., Recnik, A., Benning, L. G., Posfai, M., Structural properties and transformations of precipitated FeS, Chemical Geology, 294, 2012, p249 - 258
Roncal-Herrero, T. and RodrÃguez-Blanco, J.D. and Oelkers, E.H. and Benning, L.G., The direct precipitation of rhabdophane (REEPO4 · H 2O) nano-rods from acidic aqueous solutions at 5-100 °c, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 13, (9), 2011, p4049-4062
Roncal-Herrero, T., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Oelkers, E. H., Benning, L. G., The direct precipitation of rhabdophane (REEPO4 center dot nH(2)O) nano-rods from acidic aqueous solutions at 5-100 A degrees C, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 13, (9), 2011, p4049 - 4062
Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Shaw, S., Benning, L. G., The kinetics and mechanisms of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) crystallization to calcite, via vaterite, Nanoscale, 3, (1), 2011, p265 - 271
Astilleros, J. M., Godelitsas, A., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Fernandez-Diaz, L., Prieto, M., Lagoyannis, A., Harissopulos, S., Interaction of gypsum with lead in aqueous solutions, Applied Geochemistry, 25, (7), 2010, p1008 - 1016
Roncal-Herrero, T., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Benning, L. G., Oelkers, E. H., Precipitation of Iron and Aluminum Phosphates Directly from Aqueous Solution as a Function of Temperature from 50 to 200 degrees C, Crystal Growth & Design, 9, (12), 2009, p5197 - 5205
Rodriguez, J. D., Jimenez, A., Prieto, M., Torre, P., Garcia-Granda, S., Interaction of gypsum with As(V)-bearing aqueous solutions: Surface precipitation of guerinite, sainfeldite, and Ca2NaH(AsO4)(2)center dot 6H(2)O, a synthetic arsenate, American Mineralogist, 93, (5-6), 2008, p928 - 939
Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Shaw, S., Benning, L. G., How to make 'stable' ACC: protocol and preliminary structural characterization, Mineralogical Magazine, 72, (1), 2008, p283 - 286
Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Jimenez, A., Garcia-Granda, S., Prieto, M., Interaction of gypsum and As(V)(aq) at different pH ranges, Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, 71, (15), 2007, pA846-
Rodríguez-Blanco, J.D., Jiménez, A., and Prieto. M., Oriented Overgrowth of Pharmacolite (CaHAsO4·2H2O) on Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), Crystal Growth & Design, 7, 2007, p2756 - 2763
Kohler, S. J., Cubillas, P., Rodriguez-Blanco, J. D., Bauer, C., Prieto, M., Removal of cadmium from wastewaters by aragonite shells and the influence of other divalent cations, Environmental Science & Technology, 41, (1), 2007, p112 - 118
Jimenez, A., Rodriguez, J. D., Torre-Fernandez, L., Prieto, M., Garcia-Granda, S., Crystal structure of dicalcium sodium monohydrogen diarsenate hexahydrate, Ca2Na HAsO4 AsO4 center dot 6H(2)O, Zeitschrift Fur Kristallographie-New Crystal Structures, 221, (3), 2006, p241 - 242
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Rateau, R., Maddin, M., Szucs, A.M., Terribili, L. Guyett, P.C., Zubovic, K.P., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Sustainable rare earth capture using seashell carbonates: Mineralogical pathways and comparative uptake behaviour of mussel, cockle, and oyster shells, Science of The Total Environment, 1027, 2026, p181698-
Hodson, M.E., Benning, L.G., Cinque, G., Dermachi, B., Frogley, M., Penkman, K.E.H., Rodriguez-Blanco, J.D., Schofield, P.F., Versteegh, E.A.A., Wehbe, K., Synchrotron-based micro Fourier transform infrared mapping to investigate the spatial distribution of amorphous and crystalline calcium carbonate in earthworm-secreted calcium carbonate balls., Spectroscopy Europe, 28, (3), 2016, p12 - 15
Research Expertise
Description
My research establishes experimental nanomineralogy as a bridge between fundamental mineral-formation science and solutions to resource and environmental challenges. I investigate nucleation, crystallisation and mineral"water reactions from the nanoscale upwards, combining time-resolved experiments, electron microscopy, spectroscopy and diffraction. This programme has evolved from defining pathways of carbonate, sulphate and phosphate formation to three connected priorities: understanding how critical-metal minerals and ore textures develop; designing lower-energy routes for rare-earth separation and recovery; and controlling mineral reactions for carbon capture and water remediation. The distinctive contribution of my work is to resolve transient phases and multistep reaction pathways, and then translate that mechanistic understanding into applications. My group has elucidated pathways to a key mineral for energy and industry, bastnäsite, including the roles of fluocerite and nanocerianite; demonstrated targeted crystallisation of rare-earth carbonate polymorphs; quantified how rare earths modify CaCO3 crystallisation kinetics, morphology and replacement textures; and shown that waste eggshell calcite can recover rare-earth elements from water. These advances connect economic geology, geochemistry, crystallisation science, nanomaterials and the circular economy. This coherent focus is supported by sustained output, leadership and a rising trajectory. As PI, I have secured more than €900,000, including the Research Ireland SEleCTOR award, and built a research team spanning PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and MSc/undergraduate projects. SEleCTOR alone delivered more than nine peer-reviewed papers, two book chapters, extensive international dissemination and award-winning researcher development, while generating further publications and new research directions. My international profile "evidenced by significant collaborations, invited and keynote lectures, and the European Association of Geochemistry Distinguished Lecturer Award" has enhanced Trinity"s visibility in nanomineralogy, critical raw materials and environmental geochemistry. Together, these achievements demonstrate a substantial, sustained and internationally recognised programme with clear potential for continued excellence and impact.Projects
- Title
- SEparating Critical metals ThrOugh mineRal crystallization (SEleCTOR)
- Summary
- The goal of SEleCTOR is to develop novel, clean and cheap protocols to separate rare earths from waters. We will design functionally engineered nanosized carbonates with targeted structures and surface properties that will control the selective capture of specific rare earths from water. Rare earths (e.g., lanthanum, neodymium, dysprosium) are indispensable elements for smart technology and their utilisation is a key economic indicator. However, their supply is at risk in the medium term (2020-2030) because their demand is steadily increasing and their separation requires inefficient, expensive and environmentally aggressive extraction methods. SEleCTOR aims to build a deep, fundamental understanding of how rare earths fractionate during the formation of synthetic Ca-Mg-Sr carbonate nanominerals. By manipulating basic parameters (e.g., supersaturation, Ca/Mg/Sr ratio, pH, temperature) it will be possible to design carbonate nanominerals with targeted structural and surface properties that will promote the capture of specific rare earth elements from aqueous solutions. This method will decrease water contamination and reduce Ireland's reliance on energy imports. I will combine my world-class skills in mineral-water interaction and mineral formation processes with leading knowledge in carbonate and rare earth geochemistry at Trinity College Dublin to establish a unique platform for rare earth recovery.
- Funding Agency
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Date From
- 01/09/2020
- Date To
- 31/08/2024
- Title
- TARGETing crystallisation for Enhanced Carbon Capture and Storage (TARGET-CCS)
- Summary
- This project aims to investigate the poorly understood geochemical conditions under which metastable carbonates can crystallise during the interaction of CO2-rich fluids with basaltic rocks in order to enhance their stability and maximise their capacity to store CO2.
- Funding Agency
- Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
- Date From
- 01/09/2018
- Date To
- 31/08/2022
- Title
- Design of synthetic rare-earth carbonate minerals for chemical filters
- Summary
- Today, mineral-water interaction studies have become increasingly relevant to environmental problems. In particular, many studies address the use of ubiquitous minerals (e.g., gypsum, calcite) for the potential purification and removal of toxic pollutants from wastewaters. This project will evaluate the feasibility of synthetic rare-earth carbonates as green chemical filters for industry. In particular, the aims of this study are: (i) to find out the precise conditions at which rare- earth carbonates are able to remove specific (in)organic pollutants from natural waters, (ii) determine the mechanisms by which the removal of pollutants takes place, (iii) quantify the efficiency and reproducibility of the decontamination process and the course of the reaction over time. We will do this by carrying out batch experiments in which pollutants will be interacted with rare-earth carbonates while they crystallise from solution. We will test common and problematic soil pollutants: divalent and trivalent cations (e.g., Pb2+, Cr3+) and simple organics (e.g., chlorinated solvents like perchloroethene). Besides, a bonus to this project will be the use of synchrotron-based techniques to follow these reactions in situ and real time. This will allow us to obtain high-resolution kinetic data to understand the nature of the crystallisation mechanisms as well as the fate of pollutants.
- Funding Agency
- Trinity College Dublin
- Date From
- 01/09/2019
- Date To
- 31/08/2023
- Title
- Targeting the crystallisation of environmentally and technologically important inorganic materials by a novel hydrothermal injection process.
- Summary
- In this project we aim to explore the crystallisation of environmentally and technologically relevant materials under hydrothermal conditions using a novel "hydrothermal injection" reactor designed at TCD. This reactor system allows targeting of the nucleation and growth of specific crystalline phases by the introduction of reagents to a pre-heated, pressurised aqueous system at the exact temperature desired. Internal temperature and pressure monitoring enable precise control of the sample environment. These combined factors will facilitate a greater understanding of the relationship between the hydrothermal conditions of temperature, pressure, and time and the structure and morphology of the obtained products, giving fundamental insights into crystallisation mechanisms and pathways. Here we aim to apply this novel reactor technology to developing a deeper understanding of the hydrothermal crystallisation of important naturally occurring minerals, such as the Ca-Mg-Sr carbonates, as well as expanding on existing work on the generation of functional II-VI semiconducting nanomaterials.
- Funding Agency
- Trinity College Dublin
- Date From
- 01/09/2018
- Date To
- 31/08/2021
- Title
- MetalIntelligence Research Training Network - Project: Efficient characterisation of minerals and fabrics with the scanning electron microscope
- Summary
- This project is part of the H2020 MetalIntelligence Research Network (European Industrial Doctorates - 6 PhD students). The general objectives of this research network are: i) Training and equipping a new generation of leaders in the minerals processing field. ii) Providing lasting novel technological and training methods to build capacity and improve efficiency. iii) Undertaking innovative research across the trans-disciplinary edges of sector compartments. This specific research project ("Efficient characterisation of minerals and fabrics with the scanning electron microscope") aims at bridging the gap between industry and academia in terms of mineral and material (natural or synthetic) characterisation. SEM-EDS allows for data acquisition within a reasonable timeframe and can be also used for in situ chemical analysis, grain association and mineral liberation analysis (MLA), using AZtec software, developed by industry partner Oxford Instruments. However, distinguishing among different grains and their associations is still difficult to be satisfactorily achieved and is very time-consuming. Thus, the key objective of this project is to improve the software limitations so as to make MLA quicker and more accurate, resulting in more industry-relevant analysis turnaround.
- Funding Agency
- European Commission
- Date From
- 01/09/2017
- Date To
- 31/08/2020
- Title
- NanoCArB: The role of boron in the crystallisation and surface properties of CaCO3 at the nanoscale
- Summary
- marie_curieNanoCArB is an FP7 EU-funded Marie Curie project: "The role of boron in the crystallisation and surface properties of CaCO3 at the nanoscale". The goal of NanoCArB is to carry out an in depth study of the effects of boron in the chemistry and crystallisation of carbonates. How surface properties of calcite in contact with borate-rich solutions are affected at the atomic- and nanoscale, is a subject that only has been addressed in the laboratory from a basic viewpoint. This study will enable me to provide key information on how to improve water cleaning treatments, scaling inhibition methods, develop better strategies to extract oil from chalk, and also to advance in the understanding of processes that occur at the global scale (e.g. ocean acidification, climate change).
- Funding Agency
- EU FP7
- Date From
- 2015
- Date To
- 2016
- Title
- Gypsum grows from sub-3 nm rod-shaped primary particles. What are they?
- Summary
- We studied the early stages of crystallization of calcium sulfates from solution to understand the early stage formation processes of bassanite, also known as "Plaster of Paris", and transformation to gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O)
- Funding Agency
- Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
- Date From
- 22/05/2015
- Date To
- 24/05/2015
- Title
- Coarsening and stability of calcite in subsurface environments: an in-situ SAXS/WAXS study
- Summary
- Synchrotron-based experiments to study the coarsening of calcite at ambient and hydrothermal conditions. Principal investigator I wrote the proposal, designed experiments, attended beamtime and evaluated the synchrotron data.
- Funding Agency
- Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
- Date From
- 09/05/2014
- Date To
- 13/05/2014
- Title
- The crystallization of calcium sulphates: a mechanistic insight into an elusive process
- Summary
- I studied the crystallization of calcium sulfates from solution to understand the early stage formation processes of two of the most important industrial minerals (bassanite, also known as "Plaster of Paris" and gypsum).
- Funding Agency
- Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
- Date From
- 14/09/2012
- Date To
- 18/09/2012
- Title
- Crystallization of calcium carbonate polymorphs in the presence of Mg, SO4 and PO4 ions: from primary nanoparticles to crystalline minerals
- Summary
- Synchrotron-based experiments to study crystallization of calcium carbonate polymorphs in the presence of Mg, SO4 and PO4 ions to shed light on the most important processes of carbonate biomineral formation in seawater. Co-principal investigator. I participated on proposal writing, design of experiments, attended beamtime and evaluated the synchrotron data.
- Funding Agency
- Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
- Date From
- 08/07/2010
- Date To
- 12/07/2010
- Title
- Fundamental studies of carbonate biomineral formation processes - primary particles to aggregates
- Summary
- Synchrotron-based experiments to study the crystallisation of carbonates in situ and real-time. Co-principal investigator. I participated on proposal writing, design of experiments, attended beamtime and evaluated the synchrotron data.
- Funding Agency
- Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
- Date From
- 31/07/2009
- Date To
- 04/08/2009
- Title
- Supercritical CO2 REactivity in polymineralic-fluid systems (SCORE)
- Summary
- The interaction of Ca-Mg-Fe bearing rocks with CO2 is a recommended technology to promote carbon capture and storage (CCS) via mineral trapping. Although much has been learned during the last decades about the CCS under basaltic reservoirs, the physicochemical relationships between water, dissolved ions and growing crystals in complex multicomponent systems are not well understood at the micro- and nanoscale and at the fundamental level. This knowledge gap is even larger when research involves supercritical CO2. For example, during the last decade much laboratory-based research on Ca-Mg-Fe carbonate formation has been focused on the dissolution and co-precipitation in CO2-rich aqueous solutions with one or two components (e.g., forsterite-magnesite system). However, research mimicking complex geologic systems involving multiple minerals and various ions simultaneously in solution and supercritical CO2 is very scarce. SCORE will experimentally fill this gap: We will follow a bottom-up experimental approach to study the formation mechanisms and kinetics of carbonate minerals at the atomic and nanoscale to evaluate the effect of multicomponent solutions and polymineralic systems during CCS under supercritical CO2 conditions. Results will allow predicting carbon uptake and reaction behaviour for large field sequestration projects.
- Funding Agency
- SFI via iCRAG
- Date From
- 01/09/2022
- Date To
- 31/08/2026
- Title
- Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer for the characterisation of geologic and environmentally-relevant materials and rocks
- Summary
- I applied to this funding scheme to purchase a FTIR Spectrometer for research and teaching purposes. This is a compact and versatile instrument used to obtain infrared spectra of solid materials. It can deliver reliable data by minimizing the steps needed to measure and identify materials. This instrument will be installed in the Earth Surface Research Laboratory (ESRL, that will act as a partner in this project) at Trinity College Dublin to provide state-of-the-art bulk-rock geochemical analyses for the research community in Ireland.
- Funding Agency
- Geological Survey Ireland
- Date From
- 10/12/2021
- Date To
- 10/12/2022
Recognition
Representations
Assessor for funding bodies: Member of the Evaluation Panel of the Committee "Functioning of fluid and solid Earth" of the French National Research Agency (ANR, l'Agence Nationale de la Recherche).
Assessor for funding bodies: Scientific evaluator of the HORIZON 2020 - FET-OPEN Challenging Current Thinking Research and Innovation Actions (RIA); FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020: FET-Open Challenging Current Thinking
Assessor for funding bodies. Proposal evaluator for the Chilean National Science and Technology Commission.
UK and Ireland Mineralogical Society representative at TCD.
Assessor for funding bodies. Proposal evaluator for the Ser Cymru II COFUND program - Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Assessor for funding bodies. Proposal evaluator for the Australian synchrotron.
Graphical Advisor of the EAG international peer-reviewed journal 'Geochemical Perspectives' (www.geochemicalperspectives.org)
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal 'Minerals' (MDPI journals)
Member of the Editorial Board of the journal 'Crystals' (MDPI journals)
Reviewer for periodical publications (on average a minimum of 15 papers/year) American Mineralogist (MSA), Applied Geochemistry (Elsevier), Applied Surface Science (Elsevier), Biogeosciences (EGU), CrystEngComm (RSC), Chemical Communications (RSC), Chemistry of Materials (ACS), Environmental Science & Technology (ACS), Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (Elsevier), Geology (GSA), Journal of Crystal Growth (Elsevier), Journal of Hazardous Materials (Elsevier), Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure (Elsevier), Materials Research Bulletin (Elsevier), Minerals (MDPI), Mineralogical Magazine (GeoScienceWorld), Nanotoxicology (Informa Healthcare), Nanoscale (RSC).
Assessor for funding bodies. Proposal evaluator for the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Awards and Honours
Distinguished Lecturer 2021 - European Association of Geochemistry
Distinguished Service Award (European Association of Geochemistry)
Extraordinary Doctoral Award - Honorific mention, given to a PhD thesis of a graduate student I supervised (University of Oviedo)
Extraordinary Award of M.Sc. - Honorific Mention. University of Oviedo (Spain)
Inspiring Educator Award
Special Commendation as runner-up for the Award for Excellence in Supervision of Research Students
Memberships
European Association of Geochemistry. Honorary Member.
American Chemical Society