Projects per year
Personal profile
Interests
Current Research Interests and Selected Projects
Contaminant fate, transport and behaviour issues associated with contaminanted groundwater, and sorption and precipitation of contamiants in soils/sediments and other geological materials, particularly in weathered environments:
- - A series of studies on the fate and transport of uranium, mercury and other contaminants at the Field Research Center and other areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA http://www.esd.ornl.gov/orifrc/. Funded by a contract with the US Dept. of Energy and a William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) user facility grant at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory http://www.emsl.pnl.gov/.
- - Study of the distribution of heavy metals and associated contaminants on and around a former silver mine site in Galway, Ireland.
- - Arsenic in groundwater and traditionally cooked rice in Cambodia.
Ecological Engineering and Water Resources Management:
- - Removal of phosphorus and natural hormones in a constructed wetland used to treat dairy waste water. Collaboration with Biological Sciences (QUB) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Northern Ireland (DARDNI) http://www.dardni.gov.uk/.
- - Monitoring sediment changes upstream and downstream of the Altnahinch Dam in the River Bush in Northern Ireland in conjuction. Collaboration with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
- - Mangrove reestablishment to protect coastal areas susceptible to sea-level Rise (Mangrove density impacts on sediment accretion, nutrients and biogeochemistry in Puttalam Lagoon, Sri Lanka). Collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University, US Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center, Univ. Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.
- - Linking watershed terrain and hydrology to soil chemical properties, microbial communities and impacts on soil organic C in a humid mid-latitude forested watershed. Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Performance of Landfill Caps and Liners:
- - Impact of climate and settling on long-term performance of capping material for nuclear waste disposal and management of contaminated land sites. Funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in collaboration with Nexia Solutions. NDA http://www.nda.gov.uk/
Soil and Groundwater Remediation:
- - The 10 year performance evaluation of the Monkstown, Northern Ireland zero-valent iron PRB. Collaboration with Golder Associates, Flemish Institute for technological research (VITO), and the Environment Agency http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
- - Uranium sequestration in a previously bioreduced subsurface in response to invasion of nitrate containing groundwater at DOE Oak Ridge IFRC site. Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Stanford University, Hong Kong University and Peking University.
Other
Professional Societies
- Sigma Xi International Honor Society of Research Scientists and Engineers
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society
- Geochemical Society
Particulars
Adminstrative Duties
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Research Statement
Dr. Debra Phillips is a Lecturer in Environmental Engineering (July, 2008) in the Environmental Engineering Research Centre where she held the previous post of Environment Agency Lecturer from 2005-2008. Before joining Queen's University of Belfast in March 2005, she worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA) on studies dealing with the technology and long-term performance of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) and the fate and transport of contaminants (mainly uranium) in saprolite and fractured bedrock. From her background in Soil Science (Pedology), she has brought a wide range of field experience and analytical skills to Environmental Engineering that have made valuable contributions to understanding the processes that affect the longevity of reactive media in PRBs and fate and transport of contaminants in soils and weathered geological materials. As a Soil Scientist she has worked at the university level and with the United State Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) mapping soils as a field Soil Scientist. Her research is interdisciplinary and ranges from national to international level in both Environmental Engineering and Soil Science. |
Teaching
- CIV4040/7040 Land, Water and Air Quality
- CIV7079 Advances in Enviornmental Engineering
- CIV4039/7059 Assessment of Environmental Impacts
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Projects
- 1 Active
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R1916CIV: Thin Sectioning Equipment for Multi-Disciplinary Research in Engineering and the Geosciences <PLANN/GEOGR>
Phillips, D., Basheer, M., McKinley, J. & Smith, B.
01/08/2007 → …
Project: Research
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Uranium sequestration in sediment at an iron-rich contaminated site at Oak Ridge, Tennessee via bioreduction followed by reoxidation
Li, P-S., Wu, W-M., Phillips, D., Watson, D., Kelly, S., Mehlhorn, T., Earles, J., Tao, H-C., Zhang, T. & Criddle, C., 02 Jul 2019, In: Journal of Environmental Sciences. 85, p. 156-167 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)96 Downloads (Pure) -
Arsenic and Fluoride Removal from Contaminated Drinking Water with Haix-Fe-Zr and Haix-Zr Resin Beads
Phillips, D. H., Sen Gupta, B., Mukhopadhyay, S. & Sen Gupta, A. K., 01 Jun 2018, In: Journal of Environmental Management. 215, p. 132-142Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Citations (Scopus)248 Downloads (Pure) -
Bacterial Community Shift and Coexisting/Coexcluding Patterns Revealed by Network Analysis in A Bioreduced Uranium Contaminated Site after Reoxidation
Li, B., Wu, W-M., Watson, D. B., Cardenas, E., Chao, Y., Phillips, D., Mehlhorn, T., Lowe, K., Kelly, S. D., Li, P., Tao, H., Tiedje, J. M., Criddle, C. S. & Zhang, T., 16 Feb 2018, (Early online date) In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 84, 9, e02885-17.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile26 Citations (Scopus)261 Downloads (Pure) -
Ubiquity of consumption and microbe-dependent biodegradation of petroleum-based plastic by yellow mealworms (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tenebrio molitor)
Wu, W-M., Yang, S-S., Brandon, A., Yang, Y., Ning, D., Gao, S-H., Fan, H-Q., Li, Y-R., Fan, R., Wang, Z-Y., Cai, S-Y., Peng, B-Y., Su, Y. N., Wu, Q-Q., Ding, L-Y., Zhang, L-J., Cai, W-W., Phillips, D., Gao, J., Xing, D-F., & 10 others , 15 Jan 2018, (Accepted).Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster › peer-review
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Ubiquity of polystyrene digestion and biodegradation within yellow mealworms, larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
Shan, M. H., Yang, S., Wu, W-M., Fan, H-Q., Brandon, A. M., Receveur, J., Li, Y., Fan, R., Wang, Z-Y., Gao, S-H., McClellan, R., Daliang, N., Phillips, D., Wang, H., Peng, B-Y., Li, P., Cai, S-Y., Ding, L-Y., Cai, W-W., Yang, J., & 12 others , 01 Dec 2018, In: Chemosphere. p. 262-272Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile55 Citations (Scopus)1378 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Best Paper in Geotechnical Special Publication 204
Phillips, Debra (Recipient), 03 Jul 2010
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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International Rotary Foundation Scholarship/Graduate Scholarship
Phillips, Debra (Recipient), Oct 1988
Prize: Other distinction
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Supervised MSc Environmental Engineering student who one the 2010 CIWEM NI Young Members Papers Competition
O'Neill, Antonia (Recipient), 2010
Prize: Other distinction
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Supervisor for a PhD student who won the Sir Thomas Dixon Scholarship
O'Neill, Antonia (Recipient), 2011
Prize: Other distinction
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Supervisor for MSc Env Eng student who won the 2014 CIWEM NI Young Members Papers Competition
O'Donoghue, Nigel (Recipient), 2014
Prize: Other distinction
Activities
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Sustainability (Journal)
Debra Phillips (Editorial board member)
29 Nov 2019 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial activity
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Remediation of Contaminated Soil in Copper Mining Areas Using Plant-Based Surfactants
Debra Phillips (Examiner)
Jul 2019Activity: Examination types › PhD external examination
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Geoderma (Journal)
Debra Phillips (Peer reviewer)
24 Mar 2019Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication peer-review
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Environmental Geochemistry and Health (Journal)
Debra Phillips (Peer reviewer)
01 Aug 2018Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication peer-review
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Environmental Earth Sciences (Journal)
Debra Phillips (Peer reviewer)
01 Aug 2018Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Publication peer-review
Press/Media
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Learning about Engineering Disasters while Enhancing Communication Skills
01/06/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Other
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Europe’s Oldest Zero-valent Iron Permeable Reactive Barrier Passes 10-year Test [CL:AIRE]
Debra Phillips, Keith Dickson, Jason Ahad, Brad Newton, Trevor Elliot & Bob Kalin
18/06/2010
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Permeable reactive barrier passes 10-year test [The Ends Report]
Debra Phillips, Keith Dickson, Jason Ahad, Brad Newton, Trevor Elliot & Bob Kalin
16/06/2010
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Permeable reactive barrier passes 10-year test
16/06/2010
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Impact
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Reducing transport of radionuclides into the environment
Debra Phillips (Participant)
Impact: Environmental Impact, Health Impact
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Treatment Systems for Safer Drinking Water
Debra Phillips (Participant)
Impact: Health Impact, Environmental Impact, Quality of Life Impact, Economic Impact