Alejandro Hernandez is currently an undergraduate student at Florida International University (FIU) pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry. Mr. Hernandez is now in his senior year and has an expected graduation date of December 2016. His areas of interest include chemical engineering, environmental chemistry, and remediation technologies that can be applied to multiple contaminates in the environment. After graduation, he plans to further his education in the field of chemistry by pursuing a master’s degree and a Ph.D.
Mr. Hernandez is currently working under the mentorship of Dr. Yelena Katsenovich and Dr. Vasileios Anagnostopoulos. His current project supports the Savannah River Site by researching alternative approaches for decreasing uranium concentrations and mobility in groundwater. The objectives of the Mr. Hernandez’s project task are to perform experiments to evaluate the potential use of silicates for uranium removal, the longevity of silicates as a remediation technology, and the restoration of the treatment zone pH to sustainable levels. He also aims to explore the impact of the use of sodium silicate as a remediation technology for other contaminants present in the Savannah River Site F/H Area, such as strontium and technetium.