Cherie L. Geiger
Materials development, Environmental Chemistry

Associate Chair, Associate Professor of Chemistry Ph.D., University of South Florida Phone: 407-823-2135 E-mail: cgeiger@mail.ucf.edu View Full Curriculum Vita (2003-2005), President, Florida Academy of Sciences (FAS) (1998-2000; 2002-2003) Section Chair, Environmental and Chemical Sciences Section, FAS (2001-2004) Councilor, Orlando Section, ACS

April, 2004: Drs. Geiger and Clausen have been awarded grants totaling $70,000.

Research
Cherie L. Geiger's research focuses on materials development for environmental and defense department applications. Currently, she is involved with several research projects. First, she is working with the synthesis and characterization of new nanometer size catalyst systems that are capable of being used with current green chemistry industrial chemical processes. She is also interested in the development of catalytic, active emulsion systems that are capable of removing and destroying PCBs from painted surfaces, soils, and sediments, as well as catalytic active emulsion systems for removing heavy metal ions from soils and sediments in fresh water and marine environments. Finally, she is working on the synthesis and characterization of new, high-efficient and environment-friendly materials for use as screening aerosols in the infrared and millimeter wavelength regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Most notably, Geiger held develop a process for using hydrogen peroxide to reduce volatile organic compound emissions from incinerators, a process for using ultrasound to regenerate the activity of permeable reactive barriers, and a catalytic reactive emulsion system that is capable of extraction and degradation of PCBs from painted surfaces. She was also involved with the development of a catalytic reactive emulsion systems that are capable of in situ dehalogenation of chlorinated hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated soils and sediments.

	Groundwater Environmental research pertaining to air, water, and soil pollution, remediation, and characterization. Pesticide breakdown and interactive products and the effects of population growth on previously undisturbed environments.
	Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) Removal From 1920-1970, PCBs were used to manufacture numerous items. In the 1970's, PCBs were linked to environmental and medical problems and were discontinued. Today's challenge is to safely remove them from the environment.

Selected Publications

1. Quinn, J.W., Ruiz, N.E., Reinhart, D.R., Geiger, C.L., Clausen, C.A., Enhancement of Zero-Valent Metal Treatment of Contaminated Groundwater by the Use of Ultrasound, US Patent No. 6,013,232. (2001)

2. Geiger, C. L., N. Ruiz, C. A. Clausen, D. R. Reinhart, and J. Quinn. "Ultrasound Pretreatment of Iron Metal: Kinetic Studies and Surface Effects." Water Research, Journal of the International Association on Water Quality. 36(5): 1342-1350,2002

3. M. T. Gallardo-Williams, C. L. Geiger, J. A. Pidala, and D. F. Martin. "Essential Fatty Acids and Phenolic Acids from Extracts and Leachates of Southern Cattail (Typha domingensis P.)." Phytochemistry, Vol 59/3 pp.305-308, 2002.

4. Liu, Y. H., C. L. Geiger, A. A. Randall. "The Role of PHA Form in Determining the Response of Enhanced biological Phosphorus Removal Biomass to Volatile Fatty Acid." Water Environment Research, April 2002.

5. Geiger, C. L., C. A. Clausen, D. R. Reinhart, J. Quinn, T. Krug, and D. Major. "Nanoscale and Microscale Iron Emulsions for Treating DNAPL." in: Innovative Strategies for the Remediation of Chlorinated Solvents and DNAPL in the Subsurface. ACS Books, Washington D.C., 2003.

6. Reinhart, D., C. Clausen, G. Geiger, J. Quinn, K. Brooks. Zero-Valent Metal Emulsion for Reductive Dehalogenation of DNAPLS. U.S. Patent No.6, 664, 298 B1 (2003)

7. Cherie L. Geiger, Christina C. Coon, Christian A. Clausen, Kathleen Brooks, and Christian Huntley, Jacqueline Quinn,Suzanne O'Hara, Thomas Krug and David Major. "Optimization Of Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron Particles For Reduction Of DNAPL" Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds 2004, Battelle Press, 2004.

8. Kristen Milum, Cherie L. Geiger, Christian A. Clausen, Jacqueline Quinn. "In Situ Heavy Metal Contaminant Removal Using Emulsified Iron," Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds 2004, Battelle Press, 2004.

9. Jacqueline Quinn, Suzanne O'Hara, Tom Krug, Cherie Geiger, Chris Clausen. "Evaluating The Distribution Of Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron For Four Different Injection Techniques," Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds 2004, Battelle Press, 2004.

10. Quinn, J., S. O'Hara, C. A. Clausen, T. Krug, S. Yoon, T. Holdsworth, C. L. Geiger. "Field Demonstration of DNAPL Dehalogenation Using Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron." Environmental Science & Technology; 39(5); 1309-1318, 2005.

Graduate Students
Students working in my laboratory have the opportunity to conduct research on projects from concept through industrial demonstration. This begins with an idea for a new or improved chemical process or useful material, plan and conduct the necessary experiments to synthesize and characterize the new materials, gather data from the processes and interact with other disciplines (including geologists, hydrologists, and engineers) in the process of technology transfer. After conducting laboratory experiment on the new material systems, field demonstration experiments are then conducted. These projects most often lead to the student presenting presentations at national and international meetings, co-author on several publications and co-inventor on a patent.