Neutron Diffraction: Applications in Environmental Issues

Maintaining and remediating the quality of water, air and soil, so that Earth will be able to sustainably support human population growth, is one of the great challenges of our generation. The scarcity of water, both in terms of quantity as well as quality, poses a significant threat to the man's well-being. Environmental technology is set to play a key role in the shaping of current environmental engineering and policy. Our ability to study materials at the nanoscale has stimulated the understanding of environmental systems, as well as the development and use of novel and costeffective technologies for remediation, pollution detection, and catalysis, to name but three. There is now a huge expectation that these applications and products will lead to a cleaner and healthier environment. New developments in neutron sciences to enhance our understanding of environmental relevant concepts such as bioavailability and toxicity of single molecules, heavy metals or nanoparticles, and to develop technological-oriented processes such as transformation and sequestration of these pollutants (Wenk, 2006).