Thomas Voice
Professor Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Director, Midwest Hazardous Substance Research Center | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
An expert in environmental contamination, water treatment, and industrial waste.
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Biography
Professor Voice's research involves the mass-transfer of chemical contaminants in systems of environmental interest, with emphasis on interactions between pollutants and soils, sediments, and suspended solids. Current research is focused on the environmental impact and remediation of terrestrial chemical spills. He is involved in research on water and waste treatment systems that utilize activated carbon absorption. Professor Voice maintains a strong secondary interest in the development of new and improved methods for chemical analysis.
Industry Expertise (2)
Writing and Editing
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (3)
Industrial Waste
Water Treatment
Environmental Contamination
Education (3)
University of Michigan: Ph.D., Environmental and Water Resources Engineering 1982
University of Michigan: M.S.E., Environmental and Water Resources Engineering 1979
University of Michigan: B.S.E., Electrical Engineering 1967
Links (3)
Journal Articles (3)
Evaluation of Modeling Approaches for Sorption-Desorption Processes in Flow-Through Soil Columns
Journal of Environmental Engineering2022 The influence of soil organic matter and pore water velocity on the transport of naphthalene in flow-through columns was investigated. Pulse injection experiments were conducted using three different soils (with 0%, 1.9%, and 3.9% organic content by weight) and flow rates (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mL=min) and solvent extractions were performed to measure the nondesorbable naphthalene fraction. To describe interactions between contaminants in the aqueous and solid phases, observed breakthrough data were described using two-site models, four different formulations of a three-site model, and two fully kinetic models. While the two-site models did not adequately describe the breakthrough data for all cases, simulations based on the three-site models matched the observations well with the exception of high organic content soils and high flow rates.
Octanol–Water Partition Coefficients of Aristolochic Acids and Implications to the Etiology of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy
Aquatic Geochemistry2020 The octanol–water partition coefficients (Kow) of the aristolochic acids, AA I and AA II, were determined using the traditional shake-flask method as a function of pH and ionic strength. These compounds have been implicated in the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy, but evidence of a plausible exposure pathway remains elusive, and research is constrained by the absence of critical physical–chemical parameters on these compounds. Apparent Kow values were determined across a range of pH and ionic strength conditions. The results show that the apparent Kow decreased by approximately four orders of magnitude as pH increased from 2 to 9. The pH dependence was well described by a simple model that calculated the apparent Kow based on the ionization fractions and intrinsic Kow values for the neutral and ionized species. Higher ionic strength solutions resulted in higher Kow values at high pH, but had no effect at low pH.
Sorption of Human Adenovirus to Wastewater Solids
Journal of Environmental Engineering2018 This paper explores sorption of human adenovirus 40 (HAdV40) to wastewater solids in primary and secondary sludge samples. To measure kinetics and isotherms of adsorption, serial dilutions of HAdV40 (105-109 GC/mL) are mixed with sludge samples. Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is used for virus quantification. For both types of sludge, HAdV40 adsorption is strong (KP>104 L/kg). There is no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in KP values measured for the primary sludge and the mixed liquor sludge. Sequential desorption experiments with deionized water as the liquid phase show poor reversibility of HAdV40 adsorption. More HAdV40 is desorbed from primary sludge solids than from secondary sludge solids, but the difference is not statistically significant (p>0.05). Future research is needed to evaluate the impact of main wastewater components on virus adsorption and desorption.
