William Mitch

Employing a fundamental understanding of organic chemical reaction pathways, his research explores links between public health, engineering and sustainability.

Topics of interest include: Public Health and Emerging Carcinogens, Global Warming and Oceanography, Sustainability and Persistent Organic Pollutants, and Engineering for Sustainable Wastewater Recycling.

 

• NSF CAREER Award  (2007)
• Advisor for recipient of the ACS Environmental Chemistry Graduate Student Award   (2007)
• Invited speaker for the first Disinfection Byproducts Gordon Conference, Mt. Holyoke College.  (2006)
• Certificate of Merit for co-authorship of the paper "Nitrile and nitroalkane formation from chlorination of amines." at the 230th ACS National Meeting.  (2005)
• Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for teaching and research excellence by a junior faculty member at Yale University.  (2005)
• Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and Parsons Engineering.   (2004)

 REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

• Kemper, J.M.; Westerhoff, P.; Dotson, A.; Mitch, W.A. Nitrosamine, dimethylnitramine, and chloropicrin formation during strong-base anion-exchange treatment. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2009, 43 (2), 466-472.
• Mitch, W.A.; Schreiber, I.M. Degradation of tertiary alkylamines during chlorination/chloramination: implications for formation of aldehydes, nitriles, halonitroalkanes, and nitrosamines. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2008, 42 (13), 4811-4817.
• Kemper, J.M.; Ammar, E.; Mitch, W.A. Abiotic degradation of RDX in the presence of hydrogen sulfide and black carbon. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2008, 42 (6), 2118-2123.
• Walse, S.S.; Mitch, W.A. Nitrosamine carcinogens also swim in pools. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2008, 42 (4 ), 1032 – 1037.
• Schreiber, I.M.; Mitch, W.A. Enhanced nitrogenous disinfection byproduct formation near the breakpoint: implications for nitrification control. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2007, 41 (20), 7039-7046.
• Joo, S.-H.; Mitch, W.A. Nitrile, aldehyde and halonitroalkane formation during chlorination/chloramination of primary amines. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2007, 41 (4), 1288-1296.
• Schreiber, I.M.; Mitch, W.A. Nitrosamine formation pathway revisited: the importance of dichloramine and dissolved oxygen. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2006, 40 (19), 6007-6014.
• Schreiber, I.M.; Mitch, W.A. Occurrence and fate of nitrosamines and nitrosamine precursors in wastewater-impacted surface waters using boron as a conservative tracer. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2006, 40 (10): 3203-3210.
• Mitch, W.A.; Oelker, G.L.; Hawley, E.L.; Deeb, R.A.; Sedlak, D.L. Minimization of NDMA formation during chlorine disinfection of municipal wastewater by application of pre-formed chloramines. Environ. Eng. Sci., 2005, 22 (6): 882-890.
• Schreiber, I.M.; Mitch, W.A. Influence of the order of reagent addition on NDMA formation during chloramination. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2005, 39 (10): 3811-3818.
• Sedlak, D. L.; Deeb, R.; Hawley, E.; Mitch, W.; Durbin, T.; Mowbray, S.; Carr, S. Sources and fate of nitrosodimethylamine and its precursors in municipal wastewater treatment plants. Wat. Environ. Res., 2005, 77 (1): 32-39.
• Mitch, W. A.; Sedlak, D. L. Characterization and fate of N-nitrosodimethylamine precursors in municipal wastewater treatment plants, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2004, 38 (5): 1445-1454.
• Mitch, W. A.; Gerecke, A.; Sedlak, D. L. A N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursor analysis for chlorination of water and wastewater. Wat. Res. 2003, 37 (15): 3733-3741.
• Mitch, W. A.; Sharp, J. O.; Trussell, R. R.; Valentine, R. L.; Alvarez-Cohen, L.; Sedlak, D. L. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) as a drinking water contaminant: a review. Environ. Eng. Sci. 2003, 20 (5): 389-404.
• Mitch, W. A.; Sedlak, D. L. Formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from dimethylamine during chlorination. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 588-595.
• Mitch, W. A.; Sedlak, D. L. Factors controlling nitrosamine formation during wastewater chlorination. Water Sci Technol.: Water Supply 2002, 2(3), 191-198.