Miami University

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. (2003) University of Illinois @ Chicago
104 Shideler Hall/542 Mosler (Hamilton)
513-785-3106
krekelmp@muohio.edu

My research interests are in explaining the variation of mineral properties in both natural and synthetic systems. My work is environmental in nature and has primarily focused on phyllosilicates, oxyhydroxides, phosphates and industrial minerals in sedimentary systems and geotechnologies. Specific interests include constructed wetlands in the Yucatan for wastewater treatment, explaining the origin of sedimentary minerals from the Yucatan, mine waste investigations and transmission electron microscopy investigations of several minerals.

Possible thesis/dissertation topics:

• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of defects and valence state variation in goethite and related minerals in natural geologic environments and in mine waste.
• Evaluation of mineralogy and geotechnical parameters in constructed wetlands of the eastern Yucatan.
• Fundamental and applied investigations of smectite, palygorskite-sepiolite and other clay minerals.
• Mine waste recycling of silicate and phosphate-rich mineral waste.
• TEM investigations of complex Mn-oxides.

Current/recent graduate student research:

• Sharmila Pradhan (Ph.D. in progress) Investigations of modulated phyllosilicates for pollutant removal from synthetic wastewaters.
• Cynthia Tselepis (M.S. in progress) Soprtion interactions of aqueous Mn cations with goethite.

Selected Publications:

Krekeler, M.P.S., Argyilan E.P., Lepp, J., and Kearns, L.E. (in press) Investigation of calcareous beach sands in the Akumal and Tulum areas for use in constructed wetlands, Eastern Yucatan Peninsula. Environmental Geology DOI:10.1007/s12665-009-0039-z.

Krekeler, M.P.S. and Kearns, L.E. (in press) A new locality of palygorskite-rich clay from the southwestern Yucatan: a potential material source for environmental applications. Environmental Geology DOI:10.1007/s00254-008-1545.

Adams, J.P., Kirst, R., Kearns L.E., and Krekeler, M.P.S. (in press) Mn-oxides and sequestration of heavy metals in a suburban catchment basin of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Environmental Geology DOI:10.1007/s00254-008-1628.

Krekeler, M.P.S. (2008) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations of Mn-oxide rich cathodic material from spent disposable alkaline batteries. Waste Management, Vol. 28 No. 11 2061-2069.

Krekeler, M.P.S., Morton, J., Lepp, J., Tselepsis, C.M., Samsonov, M., and Kearns, L.E. (2008) Mineralogical and Geochemical investigations of Clay-rich Mine Tailings from a Closed Phosphate Mine, Bartow, Florida, USA. Environmental Geology, Vol. 55, No. 1 123-147.

Krekeler, M.P.S. and Guggenheim, S. (2008) Defects in Microstructure in Palygorskite-Sepiolite Minerals: a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Study. Applied Clay Science, Vol. 39, 98-105

Krekeler, M.P.S. and Allen, C. Scott (2008) Remote Sensing Spectra of Cesium Chloride (CsCI) Provide a Potential Emergency Management Tool for Response to a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) Detonation. Journal of Emergency of Management, Vol. 6, No.2, p. 60-64.

Teaching Interests:

GLG 111 The Dynamic Earth
GLG 121 Environmental Geology
GLG 207 Water and Society

For complete descriptions of courses please click here.