CERIO GAINS RESEARCH PROJECT PROGRESS AT ERDC-U

VICKSBURG, MS, UNITED STATES

12.20.2018

Story by Lisa Parker 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District

“I would definitely recommend the ERDC University program to district personnel because of the fantastic opportunity to learn from ERDC experts across multiple scientific disciplines,” said Chemical Engineer Frank Cerio with the Corps’ Wilmington District.
Cerio was describing his involvement in the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s six-month program where Corps division and district selectees partner with ERDC subject matter experts to apply and implement technical solutions relevant to their division or district.
Now in its third year, ERDC-U is sponsored by the ERDC Office of Research and Technology Transfer and Directorate of Human Capital, which fund either labor or travel expenses for the program’s duration.
Chosen as one of ten participants for the FY18 program, Cerio worked with his mentor, Dr. Victor Medina, a research engineer at ERDC’s Environmental Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss., one of seven ERDC laboratories in the Corps of Engineers.
Cerio’s ERDC-U goals were to research and develop new remediation technologies and apply them at the project level.
Working closely with Medina, Cerio’s water treatment research included antimicrobial studies using graphene oxide-polymer membranes and research on the removal of perfluorinated compounds using technologies associated with the Decontamination Effluent Treatment System.
This included adsorptive removal studies with different materials and membrane treatment. To conduct the studies, Cerio created a novel analytical method for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) compound detection using a colorimetric approach coupled with spectrometry. PFOS is included in the chemical category of poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS contamination is a widespread problem affecting military installations and facilities throughout the U.S. and the world.
For the last two years, Cerio has been working for the Wilmington District in the areas of environmental remediation and resiliency actions related to hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste for civil and military projects.
However, his prior twelve years’ experience in the private and public sectors, dealing with waste management of non-hazardous, hazardous and biomedical contaminants, makes Cerio a valuable asset to the USACE mission.
During his tenure in the private sector, Cerio learned about ERDC’s reputation in quality environmental research.
“When I saw the ERDC-U announcement, I wanted the incredible opportunity to work with the best and brightest minds in the scientific community,” Cerio said.
With master’s degrees in chemical engineering and environmental engineering, Cerio acquired the needed technical tools for abiotic/biotic remediation, water treatment, chemical use, and decomposition pathways, along with efficacy testing of remediation methods and environmental restoration and resiliency.
The Environmental Laboratory has broad experience in treating water associated with military activities, including military industrial wastewater, contaminated groundwater, and treatment of water and wastewater associated with deployed operations, disaster response and decontamination.
Developing cost-effective treatments for water affected by these contaminants would offer tremendous solutions for the Army and Department of Defense.
Cerio’s efforts in his time at ERDC-U resulted in development of a field sampling method using UV-VIS instrumentation that significantly reduces the time to determine approximate contamination levels, and reduces costs in comparison to more expensive laboratory methods.
At the end of the ERDC-U program, Cerio realized the “importance of networking with ERDC and South Atlantic Division personnel.” He also understands the benefits of shared expertise and knowledge ERDC has to offer regarding numerous district projects.

For more information on
ERDC-U, contact [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 12.20.2018
• Date Posted: 12.20.2018 16:01
• Story ID: 304659
• Location: VICKSBURG, MS, US