Associate Professor Alan Langdon
Physical Chemistry
Qualifications: MSc Victoria (1965), PhD Victoria (1968), FNZIC. Applied Science, Technology Management
Contact Details
| Name | Extn. | Username | Room | Department | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Langdon, AProf Alan | 4102 | agl | C.3.01 | Chemistry |
You can contact staff by:
- Calling +64 7 838 4466 then enter the extension
- Extensions starting with 4 or 5 can also be direct dialed:
- For extensions starting with 4: dial +64 7 838 extension
- For extensions starting with 5: dial +64 7 858 extension
- Emailing username@waikato.ac.nz
- Using the campus map to locate their room
Research Interests
Physical, Technological and Environmental Chemistry
Application of physical chemical principles to real-life problems can lead to projects of academic interest and technological importance. Often surface effects are involved. In recent years there has been much interest in environmental chemistry particularly that associated with industrial processing.
The advent of benchtop ms detectors for capillary gc has revolutionised the study of low levels of xenotropic organic compounds in the environment. One of the major processing industries in the Waikato is the pulp and paper industry. Thus a lot of work has been done on the analysis, degradation and environmental fate of organic compounds in wood processing effluent and wood treatment chemicals.
Interactions at surfaces are often quite different from those of bulk phases. The catalytic activity of surface systems is one example of this. Zeolite molecular sieves are a very important class of industrial catalysts. The pores and cavities of zeolites contain sites that can be made catalytically active. It is also possible to encapsulate a variety of catalytically active species, eg transition metals, into the zeolite structure to produce multifunctional catalysts. Similarly, doped activated carbons and metal oxide supported metal dispersions have important sorptive and catalytic properties. Reactions within the constrained geometries of porous crystalline and amorphous solids can lead to novel reaction pathways and products.
Since the passing of the Resource Management Act there has been increased interest in environmental chemistry, particularly the environmental chemistry of compounds associated with industrial processing. The advent of benchtop ms detectors for capillary gc has revolutionised the study of low levels of organic compounds in the environment. One of the Waikato’s major processing industries is the pulp and paper industry. The Chemistry Department has played a leading role in the identification, analysis and determination of the environmental fate of the organic compounds in wood processing effluents. There is a continuing need for better technologies for water and wastewater treatment. New filtration technologies based upon a novel titanomagnetite ceramic are being developed and have enjoyed considerable commercial success. Waste minimisation is another strategy for reducing environmental impact of processing industries.
The development of the co-operative education B.Sc.(Tech) and M.Sc.(Tech) degrees has facilitated the establishment of collaborate masters and doctoral research projects with local industries. Many of these are being funded by the Technology New Zealand through Technology in Industry Fellowship scheme (TIF). For example a current project is concerned with the application of electrofilocculation, electroflotation and electrostenlisation of bore water, municipal effluent and landfill leachate.
Students Supervised
MSc:
- Ronnie Kurian - Removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from natural water using electrocoagulation
- Adelle Nancekivell
PhD:
- Shane Carter - Anaerob Digestion Studies of Water weed biomass
- Hilary Manikkathiagaraja - The development of electrochemical techniques to address water quality issues associated with organic and inorganic contaminants in natural and industrial water
- Sheng Xu - Preparation of Mesoporous solids containing encapsulated metal species of technological interest
Teaching Commitments
Expertise
Physical, colloid and surface chemistry; filtration technology; environmental science and technology.
Recent Publications
- Deng, L., Geng, M., Zhu, D., Zhou, W., Langdon, A., Wu, H., Yu, Y., Zhu, Z., Wang, Y. (2011) Effect of chemical and biological degumming on the adsorption of heavy metal by cellulose xanthogenates prepared from Eichhornia crassipes
Refereed Journal Articles - Bioresource Technology - Verbeek, C., Hicks, T., Langdon, A. (2011) Degradation as a result of UV radiation of bloodmeal-based thermoplastics
Refereed Journal Articles - Polymer Degradation and Stability - Verbeek, C., Hicks, T., Langdon, A. (2011) Biodegradation of bloodmeal-based thermoplastics in green-waste composting
Refereed Journal Articles - Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Verbeek, C., Hicks, T., Langdon, A. (2011) Odorous compounds in bioplastics derived from bloodmeal
Refereed Journal Articles - Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
