Expertise:
Dr. Pignatello has expertise in physical organic chemistry; chemical kinetics; remediation of soil and water through chemical means; soil chemistry; and transport, sorption, and degradation of organic chemicals in soil and water.

Education:
B.A., Chemistry, University of Minnesota
Ph.D., Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

Station career:
Assistant Scientist II, 1984-1988
Associate Scientist, 1988-1993
Scientist, 1993-2004
Senior Scientist, 2004-

Past research:
Biodegradation of soil fumigants in soil and groundwater. Solvent extraction techniques for determining volatile organic compound and pesticide concentrations in soils. Field and laboratory studies to determine the causes of sequestration of pesticides and other chemicals in soil. Laboratory leaching simulations and rates of sorption and desorption of pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons in soils. Development of a new mechanistic model for sorption of uncharged organic compounds to soil organic matter. Research and development of a hydrogen peroxide based method based on the Fenton reaction for degrading pesticides, chlorinated hydrocarbons, phenols, and other chemicals in soil and water. Determination of reaction pathways involved in Fenton and photo-Fenton degradation reactions in water.

Present research:

In general terms, the group’s research interests include interactions of organic pollutants with natural substances, remediation of contaminated water and soil, and free radical reactions in the environment. Our research covers both fundamental and applied aspects of these areas, and deals with a diversity of compounds within the categories of legacy pollutants, emerging pollutants, and nanomaterials. We use a variety of physical and chemical techniques, such as gas and liquid chromatography, NMR spectroscopy, high resolution gas adsorption, diffuse-reflectance FTIR and UV/visible spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy, thermomechanical and thermogravimetric analyses, atomic force microscopy, radioisotope techniques, and computational molecular models. Many of the projects are collaborative with groups at CAES, Yale or other Universities. I also hold the position of Professor Adjunct of Chemical Engineering (http://www.eng.yale.edu/content/DPChemicalEngineering.asp) and Environmental Engineering (http://www.eng.yale.edu/content/DPEnvironmentalEngineering.asp) at Yale University.

Interactions of Pollutants with Natural Substances. We are interested in sorption of pollutants to natural particles, as well as sorption of natural substances to pollutants (i.e., in the case of nanomaterials), often from the perspective of pollutant bioavailability. Projects ongoing or planned include the following:

• Use of recent technical advances in solid-state NMR spectroscopy to solve long-standing mechanistic problems in sorption to soil organic matter and environmental black carbon (soot and charcoal).
• Dissolved natural organic matter interactions with bare and functionalized C-nanotubes:  characterization by advanced solid-state NMR and influence on cell membrane permeability.
• Solute-structure and sorbent-property relationships in the adsorption of organic compounds to black carbon.
• Role of p-p electron donor-acceptor interactions of aromatic systems in environmental sorption and partitioning phenomena.
• Competitive and synergistic sorption of pollutant mixtures to soil components.
• Underlying causes of sorption hysteresis and strongly-resistant desorption.
• Estimation of bioavailable fraction of toxicants in soil and sediments through tracer-exchange experiments.
• Mechanism(s) of ‘facilitated’ bioavailability, by which microorganisms may have the ability to access pools of chemical in the solid that do not readily desorb.
• Interaction of engineered nanoporous silicas with pulmonary lipids, proteins and enzymes potentially involved in the toxic response of nanosize silica particles.
• Mechanisms of intra-cellular oxygen stress by C nanotubes.
• Adsorptive properties of ‘biochar’ (a byproduct of biofuels synthesis) related to its proposed use as a soil amendment in agriculture: interactions and bioavailability of pesticides, allelochemicals, and contaminants originating from manures and sludges.
• Bioavailability and antimicrobial resistance transmission of vetinary antibiotics sorbed to agricultural soils. (Collaboration with Prof. Peccia in Environmental Engineering, Yale University.)

Remediation.  Our current interests focus on bioremediation, novel adsorbents or adsorbent-catalysts for removal and destruction of contaminants, chemistry of advanced oxidation processes, and novel oxidative and reductive processes.  

• Investigation of reactive halogen species formation during advance oxidation treatment of salty wastewaters and their role in generation of potentially hazardous byproducts of dissolved organic matter and contaminants.  (Collaboration with Prof. Mitch in Environmental Engineering.)
• Development of novel in situ chemical oxidation treatment strategies for soil and sediment based on the Fenton and related reactions.
• New strategies for bioremediation of coal tar components in soil at former manufactured gas plant sites.
• Removal of shallow soil contaminants by retrievable adsorbents and adsorbent-catalysts.
• Oxidative and reductive strategies for treatment of small-scale solvent spills.
• Novel hydrophobic adsorbents for use in urban storm sewer inlet filters to remove dissolved organic contaminants.

Free Radical Chemistry in Natural Waters.  In this project we are studying abiotic oxidation and halogenation of dissolved organic matter in marine waters and aerosols by reactive halogen species, which are formed by reaction of photolytically-produced hydroxyl radicals with halide ions, particularly bromide. (collaboration with Prof. Mitch in Environmental Engineering, Yale University).

Selected publications available from author, Joseph.Pignatello@po.state.ct.us, (see http://www.ISIHighlyCited.com for a full list)

• On the Reversibility of Sorption to Black Carbon:  Distinguishing True Hysteresis from Artificial Hysteresis Caused by Dilution of a Competing Adsorbate, M. Sander and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 41: 843-849 (2007).
  
• Conditioning -Annealing Studies of Natural Organic Matter Solids Linking Irreversible Sorption to Irreversible Structural Expansion, M. Sander1, Y. Lu, and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40: 170-178 (2006). [Correction, 40: 6518 (2006)]
  
• Advanced Oxidation Processes for Organic Compound Destruction Based on Fenton and Related Reactions. Pignatello, J.J.; Oliveros, E.; MacKay, A., Critic. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol., 36: 1-84 (2006). [Errata, 37: 273-275 (2007]
  
• Nonlinear and competitive sorption of apolar compounds in black carbon-free natural organic materials, J.J. Pignatello, Y. Lu, E.J. LeBoeuf, W. Huang, J. Song and B. Xing J. Environ. Qual., 35: 1049-1059 (2006).
  
• Effect of Natural Organic Substances on the Surface and Adsorptive Properties of Environmental Black Carbon (char):  Attenuation of Surface Activity by Humic and Fulvic Acids, J. J. Pignatello, S. Kwon, and Y. Lu, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40: 7757-7763 (2006).
  
• Characterization of Aromatic Compound Sorptive Interactions with Black Carbon (charcoal) Assisted by Graphite as a Model Sorbent,  D. Zhu and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 39: 2033-2041 (2005).
  
• Characterization of Charcoal Sorption Sites for Aromatic Compounds: Insights Drawn from Single-Solute and Bi-Solute Competitive Experiments, M. Sander and J.J. Pignatello Environ. Sci. Technol., 39: 1606-1615 (2005).
  
• Bench-scale Evaluation of In Situ Bioremediation Strategies for Soil at a Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site, J. Li, J.J. Pignatello, B.F. Smets, D. Grasso, and E. Monserrate, Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 24: 741-749 (2005).
  
• Adsorption of Single-Ring Organic Compounds to Wood Charcoals Prepared under Different Thermochemical Conditions, Dongqiang Zhu, Seokjoon Kwon, J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 39: 3990-3998 (2005).
  
• An Isotope Exchange Technique to Assess Mechanisms of Sorption Hysteresis Applied to Naphthalene in Kerogenous Organic Matter, M. Sander and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 39: 7476-7484 (2005).
  
• A Concentration-Dependent Multi-Term Linear Free Energy Relationship for Sorption of Organic Compounds to Soils Based on the Hexadecane Dilute-Solution Reference State, D. Zhu and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 39: 8817-8828 (2005).
  
• Evidence for p-p Electron Donor-Acceptor Interactions between p-Donor Aromatic Compounds and p-Acceptor Sites in Soil Organic Matter, D. Zhu, S. Hyun, J.J. Pignatello, and L.S. Lee, Environ. Sci. Technol., 38: 4361-4368 (2004).
  
• Indices for Bioavailability and Biotransformation Potential of Contaminants in Soils, W.J. Braida, J.C. White, and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Toxicol. & Chem., 23: 1585-1591 (2004).
  
• History-dependent Sorption in Humic Acids and a Lignite in the Context of a Polymer Model for Natural Organic Matter, Y. Lu and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol. 38: 5853-5862 (2004).
  
• Sorption Hysteresis of Benzene in Charcoal Particles, W. Braida, J.J. Pignatello, Y. Lu, P.I. Ravikovitch, A.V. Neimark, and B. Xing; Environ. Sci. Technol., 37: 409-417 (2003).
  
• Evidence for an Additional Oxidant in the Photo-Assisted Fenton Reaction, J.J. Pignatello, D. Liu, and P. Huston, Environ. Sci. Technol., 33, 1832-1839 (1999).
  
• Dual-Mode Sorption of Low-Polarity Compounds in Glassy Poly(vinyl chloride) and Soil Organic Matter, B. Xing and J. J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 31, 792-799 (1997).
  
• Role of Quinone Intermediates as Electron Shuttles in Fenton and Photo-Fenton Degradation of Aromatic Compounds, R. Chen and J. J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 31, 2399-2406 (1997).
  
• Detailed Sorption Isotherms of Polar and Apolar Compounds in a High-Organic Soil, G. Xia and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 35: 84-94 (2001).
  
• Effect of Solute Concentration on Sorption of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil: Uptake Rates, W. Braida, J.C. White, F.J. Ferrandino, and J.J. Pignatello, Environ. Sci. Technol., 35: 2765-2772 (2001).