School of Earth and Environment
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Cindy Lockwood Cindy Lockwood

Postgraduate Student

Telephone number: +44(0) 113 34 33647
Email address: ee09cll@leeds.ac.uk
Room: 8.154

Qualifications

2010 to present: PhD Environmental Geochemistry, The University of Leeds

2009 to 2010: MSc Pass Merit, Environmental Geochemistry, The University of Leeds

2005 to 2009: MChem 1st Class, Chemistry, The University of Huddersfield

Memberships/Fellowships

Royal Society of Chemistry - Associate Member

European Association of Geochemistry - Member

Teaching Interests

Demonstrator: SOEE1131 Chemistry for Earth and Environmental Scientists (Tutorials and Practicals)

Demonstrator: Second year undergraduate residential fieldtrip to Blencathra

Project details

Project title

Biogeochemistry of extreme environments

Supervisors

I. T. Burke; R. J. G. Mortimer and D. I. Stewart (Civil Engineering)

Funding

EPSRC

Start date

1st October 2010

Project outline

The main aim of my research is to understand the role of soil micro-organisms in mediating the geochemistry of soil and groundwater contaminants in the extreme environments found at industrially contaminated sites.

Industrial activity over many decades (and sometimes centuries) has left a legacy of contaminated land due to ineffective disposal of waste. My PhD research is focused on investigations of how biogeochemical processes occurring in hyper-alkaline sediment-water systems affect the mobility of toxic metal/loids such as As, Cr, Mo and V which are found at elevated levels in many of these sites (e.g. chromium ore processing sites and lime burning spoil).  My study sites are a steel slag site in the Hownsgill Valley, Consett, Country Durham and the area affected by the 2010 tailings dam breach at Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt alumina plant in Ajka, Western Hungary where 1 million m3 of caustic red mud waste released into the surrounding area.

My research is multidisciplinary and will use many different techniques including; microcosms which lead to the use analytical techniques such as IC, ICP-MS and spectroscopic techniques, microbial community analysis using PCR based extraction methods. Another very important area of methodology will be in detailing the solid phase and the speciation of trace metals using, XRD, XRF, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and electron microscopy techniques.

Publications

  • Burke IT; Mortimer RJG; Palani S; Whittleston RA; Lockwood CL; Ashley DJ; Stewart DI (2012) Biogeochemical reduction processes in a hyper-alkaline leachate affected soil profile, Geomicrobiology Journal

Conference proceedings

  • Lockwood CL; Mortimer RJG; Stewart DI; Mayes WM; Burke IT. The role of biogeochemistry during the release of oxyanions in soil-water systems affected by bauxite residue (red mud) from the Ajka repository failure, Western Hungary. Geomicrobiology and its significance for biosphere processes, Manchester, UK, 2012 (Oral presentation)