WRRC Analytical Laboratory (Holmes 181; Catherine Rong, krong@hawaii.edu)
Working closely with the Civil and Environmental Engineering department, the 700 sq. ft. laboratory was equipped with a wide variety of instruments for the analysis of environmental pollutants at trace levels of parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb), and parts per trillion (ppt).
The environmental pollutants range from volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds such as petroleum hydrocarbons, industrial solvents, explosives, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) to endocrine disruptors such as organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
The laboratory also has instruments capable of measuring for major ions, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, surface area, particle sizing, zeta potential, and metal analysis.
Laboratory Projects
- Degradation product speciation of sewage sludge with thermal hydrolysis pretreatment
- Effects of extracellular polymeric substances on carbon diversion
- Stability study of nanoparticle colloids
- Hawaii Play Fairway: An updated geolological assessment for the State of Hawaii
- South-Central and Southeast Oahu groundwater flow path investigation: Understanding groundwater source location and flow path to public drinking water wells
- ʻIke Wai (tracking water sources): Understanding source locations and flow paths of groundwater within Pearl Harbor and Hualālai aquifers
- Investigation of the potential of available Hawaiian filter medium such as compost, coconut coir, mulch, and biochar, in removing stormwater pollutants
- Use of fecal indicator bacteria in monitoring microbial risks in tropical urban estuary of Ala Wai Canal
