About Us

As part of the Kansas State University Agronomy Department, the soil and environmental chemistry lab (Hettiarachchi lab) group is currently focusing on many facets of soil-water-plant chemical interactions including: soil and wastewater remediation methods, sustainable development of urban brownfields for agricultural production, the mechanisms behind fertilizer reaction pathways in soils of varying origin, the reuse potential of recovered nutrient products from waste and wastewaters, and the effect of agricultural management practices on soil carbon sequestration, nutrient transport, and sediment quality.

In addition to the research facilities available at K-State, several members utilize synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy and microscopy laboratories around the world such as Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory (Chicago, IL); Advanced Light Source, Lawrence-Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA); National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Upton, NY); and Canadian Light Source (Saskatoon, SK).