Rate My Professor Dan Ferreira

Dr. Dan Ferreira serves as Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Assistant Chair of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, and Director for the Environmental Science Major at Kennesaw State University. He earned a B.S. in Environmental and Resource Sciences from the University of California, Davis in 2001, an M.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Connecticut in 2008, a Ph.D. in Soil Science with a specialization in Soil Chemistry from the University of Connecticut in 2012, and a Graduate Certificate in College Instruction from the University of Connecticut in 2010. Prior to his academic appointment, Ferreira worked professionally as a field geologist, environmental scientist, environmental lab technician, and environmental risk manager, bringing practical industry experience to his teaching and research.

Ferreira's research specializes in soil chemistry, focusing on ion behavior at the mineral/water interface, particularly ion-exchange reactions, nutrient retention, and pollutant fate and transport in soils and groundwater. His techniques include adsorption envelopes, isotherms, calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy, and EPR spectroscopy. A major project develops remediation strategies for radiocesium-contaminated soils from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant incident, involving soil sample collection in Iitate Village, Japan, chemical extractions at Meiji University, and analysis at KSU, in collaboration with colleagues and students. Key publications include: D.R. Ferreira et al., "Chemical Extraction of Non-Exchangeable Cs from Vermiculite Clay and Soil from Fukushima Prefecture Using A Combination of Ion-Exchange and Selective Precipitation" (Clay and Clay Minerals, 2024, submitted); Baruah et al., "Comparing Cs+ binding affinity of Keggin type polyoxometalate and sodium Tetrakis(4-florophenyl)borate..." (Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2022); D.R. Ferreira et al., "A Comparison of the Adsorption of Cesium on Zeolite Minerals Vs. Vermiculite" (Clays and Clay Minerals, 2021); Ferreira et al., "The Impact of pH and Ion Exchange on 133Cs Adsorption on Vermiculite" (Journal of Environmental Quality, 2018); and earlier works on nanopore inner-sphere enhancement theory and Cr(VI) remediation (2010-2013). He teaches Introduction to Environmental Science, Soil & Water Science, and leads the study abroad program Earth Science & Culture of Japan. His work has appeared in Global Atlanta, Soils Matter blog, and other media.