Thomas Borch
Environmental Water and Soil Chemistry
Professor
C017 Plant Sciences
970-491-6235 office
970-491-2718 lab
Research Interests:
- Sustainable Agricultural Water
- Water Reuse in Agriculture
- Impact of Irrigation Water Quality on Soil and Plant Health
- Treatment and Reuse of Produced Water for Crop Irrigation
- Chemical and Toxicological Characterization of Agricultural and Industrial Water
- Alternative Water Sources for Agriculture
Our research is focused on topics such as water treatment and reuse for agricultural irrigation, forest fire impacts on surface water quality, permafrost thawing effects on carbon and nutrient cycling, and determination of molecular mechanisms controlling the fate and transport of contaminants (e.g., PFAS, frac chemicals, antibiotics). We use a multitude of analytical chemistry methods such chromatographic (e.g. GC, LC), spectroscopic (e.g. FTIR), and microscopic (e.g. SEM, TEM) methods, including state-of-the-art techniques such as synchrotron-based methods and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS).
Courses I Teach:
- CHEM530A – Environmental Chemical Analysis
- SOCR467 – Soil and Environmental Chemistry
- SOCR478 – Environmental Soil Science (co-taught)
- SOCR567 Environmental Soil Chemistry