Soil Science Principles Applied to Complex Solid Phase Materials.

This talk discusses the solid phase principles represented within soil science discipline. Here, we emphasize the complexity of the solid phase in terms of both surface phenomena and colloidal chemistry within the context of the familiar environmental science area. We discuss the theoretical implications of solid-phase interactions, as well as the new and ongoing technological developments for characterizing solid phase materials. We emphasize the importance of soil science principles as a subset of solid-phase theory and its yet unrealized potential and power to capture the behavior of natural and anthropogenic complex materials. Specific examples will be discussed within the context of new technologies developed by the U.S. Army for the warfighter, emphasizing the use of fundamental solid-phase principles within soil science to reveal the basic chemical structure and functionality of new materials, as well as their potential environmental fate following deployment.