Bonnie McDevitt
Bonnie McDevitt is a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center in Reston, VA.
Bonnie is a Mendenhall Fellow working within the Research Opportunity “Reuse and treatment of high salinity waters produced from hydrocarbon wells.” Her current research focuses on radium removal from produced waters utilizing optimized barite seeding and AMD-sourced iron and manganese oxide sorption. Bonnie obtained her B.S. from the University of Delaware in 2012 and her Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2020. She worked for 3 years in the drinking water and domestic wastewater treatment industry prior to starting her Ph.D.
Professional Experience
2016-2020: Graduate teaching and research assistant, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
2015-2016: Apprentice Water/Wastewater Operator & Lab technician, Wrightstown Municipal Utilities Authority, Wrightstown, NJ
2013-2016: Source Water Protection Specialist, New Jersey Water Association, Waretown, NJ
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 2020
B.S. Wildlife Conservation, Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Delaware, 2012
Science and Products
Utica Shale and Point Pleasant Formation Isotopic Compositions
This release contains isotopic composition (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) data of produced water and core samples taken from the Utica Shale and Point Pleasant Formation.
Coal mine drainage effluents and associated solids major, trace, rare earth element and radium concentrations collected from Pennsylvania, USA
Discharges from abandoned coal mines and associated mine wastes represent historic and persistent sources of pollution in the Appalachian Basin, United States. In this study, we conducted the first-ever survey of radium (Ra) in coal mine drainage (CMD) water and solid samples in the United States. Samples were collected from 4 untreated coal mine discharges and 9 treated coal mine discharges (i.e.
Absorbance and Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix Data for Produced Waters from Oil and Gas Producing Basins in the United States
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are normally considered wastes but are also possible resources, especially in water-stressed regions. Produced waters can be chemically complex. High salinity, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and organic substances derived from the producing formation can complicate treatment processes. Rapid screening methods to characterize produced water
Produced water geochemistry from hydraulically stimulated Niobrara Formation petroleum wells: Origin of salinity and temporal perspectives on treatment and reuse
Produced water (i.e., a mixture of returned injection fluids and geologic formation brines) represents the largest volumetric waste stream associated with petroleum production in the United States. As such, produced water has been the focus of intense study with emphasis on understanding the geologic origin of the fluids, environmental impacts of unintended or intentional release, disposal concern
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Jenna L. Shelton, Bonnie McDevitt, Kaela K. Amundson, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Jessica Chenault, Andrew Laurence Masterson, Matthew S. Varonka, Glenn D. Jolly, Christina A. DeVera, Elliott Barnhart, Michael J. Wilkins, Madalyn S. Blondes
Evaluation of the lithium resource in the Smackover Formation brines of southern Arkansas using machine learning
Global demand for lithium, the primary component of lithium-ion batteries, greatly exceeds known supplies, and this imbalance is expected to increase as the world transitions away from fossil fuel energy sources. High concentrations of lithium in brines have been observed in the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas (>400 milligrams per liter). We used published and newly collected brine lithiu
Authors
Katherine J. Knierim, Madalyn S. Blondes, Andrew Laurence Masterson, Philip A. Freeman, Bonnie McDevitt, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Peng Li, Ciara Mills, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Scott Ausbrooks, Jessica Chenault
Utica/Point Pleasant brine isotopic compositions (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) elucidate mechanisms of lithium enrichment in the Appalachian Basin
Global Li production will require a ~500 % increase to meet 2050 projected energy storage demands. One potential source is oil and gas wastewater (i.e., produced water or brine), which naturally has high total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations, that can also be enriched in Li (>100 mg/L). Understanding the sources and mechanisms responsible for high naturally-occurring Li concentrations can ai
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Travis L. Tasker, Rachel Coyte, Madalyn S. Blondes, Brian W. Stewart, Rosemary C Capo, J. Alexandra Hakala, Avner Vengosh, William D Burgos, Nathaniel R. Warner
Evaluation of coal mine drainage and associated precipitates for radium and rare earth element concentrations
Coal mine drainage (CMD) and associated metal-rich precipitates have recently been proposed as unconventional sources of rare earth elements (REEs). However, the potential occurrence of radium (Ra), a known carcinogen, with the REE-bearing phases has not been investigated. We hypothesized that Ra may occur in solids that are precipitated from CMD as a “radiobarite” solid solution ((Ba,Sr,Ra)SO4) a
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Charles A. III Cravotta, Ryan J. McAleer, John C Jackson, Aaron M. Jubb, Glenn D. Jolly, Benjamin C. Hedin, Nathaniel R. Warner
Ion exchange processes for CO2 mineralization using industrial waste streams: Pilot plant demonstration and life cycle assessment
An attractive technique for removing CO2 from the environment is sequestration within stable carbonate solids (e. g., calcite). However, continuous addition of alkalinity is required to achieve favorable conditions for carbonate precipitation (pH>8) from aqueous streams containing dissolved CO2 (pH<4.5) and Ca2+ ions. In this study, a pH-swing process using ion exchange was demonstrated to process
Authors
Steven Bustillos, Mario Christofides, Bonnie McDevitt, Madalyn S. Blondes, Ryan J. McAleer, Aaron M. Jubb, Bu Wang, Gaurav Sant, Dante Simonetti
Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse
Wastewater generated during petroleum extraction (produced water) may contain high concentrations of dissolved organics due to their intimate association with organic-rich source rocks, expelled petroleum, and organic additives to fluids used for hydraulic fracturing of unconventional (e.g., shale) reservoirs. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) within produced water represents a challenge for treatmen
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. Shelton
Science and Products
Utica Shale and Point Pleasant Formation Isotopic Compositions
This release contains isotopic composition (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) data of produced water and core samples taken from the Utica Shale and Point Pleasant Formation.
Coal mine drainage effluents and associated solids major, trace, rare earth element and radium concentrations collected from Pennsylvania, USA
Discharges from abandoned coal mines and associated mine wastes represent historic and persistent sources of pollution in the Appalachian Basin, United States. In this study, we conducted the first-ever survey of radium (Ra) in coal mine drainage (CMD) water and solid samples in the United States. Samples were collected from 4 untreated coal mine discharges and 9 treated coal mine discharges (i.e.
Absorbance and Fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix Data for Produced Waters from Oil and Gas Producing Basins in the United States
Waters co-produced during petroleum extraction are normally considered wastes but are also possible resources, especially in water-stressed regions. Produced waters can be chemically complex. High salinity, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and organic substances derived from the producing formation can complicate treatment processes. Rapid screening methods to characterize produced water
Produced water geochemistry from hydraulically stimulated Niobrara Formation petroleum wells: Origin of salinity and temporal perspectives on treatment and reuse
Produced water (i.e., a mixture of returned injection fluids and geologic formation brines) represents the largest volumetric waste stream associated with petroleum production in the United States. As such, produced water has been the focus of intense study with emphasis on understanding the geologic origin of the fluids, environmental impacts of unintended or intentional release, disposal concern
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Jenna L. Shelton, Bonnie McDevitt, Kaela K. Amundson, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Jessica Chenault, Andrew Laurence Masterson, Matthew S. Varonka, Glenn D. Jolly, Christina A. DeVera, Elliott Barnhart, Michael J. Wilkins, Madalyn S. Blondes
Evaluation of the lithium resource in the Smackover Formation brines of southern Arkansas using machine learning
Global demand for lithium, the primary component of lithium-ion batteries, greatly exceeds known supplies, and this imbalance is expected to increase as the world transitions away from fossil fuel energy sources. High concentrations of lithium in brines have been observed in the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas (>400 milligrams per liter). We used published and newly collected brine lithiu
Authors
Katherine J. Knierim, Madalyn S. Blondes, Andrew Laurence Masterson, Philip A. Freeman, Bonnie McDevitt, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Peng Li, Ciara Mills, Colin A. Doolan, Aaron M. Jubb, Scott Ausbrooks, Jessica Chenault
Utica/Point Pleasant brine isotopic compositions (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) elucidate mechanisms of lithium enrichment in the Appalachian Basin
Global Li production will require a ~500 % increase to meet 2050 projected energy storage demands. One potential source is oil and gas wastewater (i.e., produced water or brine), which naturally has high total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations, that can also be enriched in Li (>100 mg/L). Understanding the sources and mechanisms responsible for high naturally-occurring Li concentrations can ai
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Travis L. Tasker, Rachel Coyte, Madalyn S. Blondes, Brian W. Stewart, Rosemary C Capo, J. Alexandra Hakala, Avner Vengosh, William D Burgos, Nathaniel R. Warner
Evaluation of coal mine drainage and associated precipitates for radium and rare earth element concentrations
Coal mine drainage (CMD) and associated metal-rich precipitates have recently been proposed as unconventional sources of rare earth elements (REEs). However, the potential occurrence of radium (Ra), a known carcinogen, with the REE-bearing phases has not been investigated. We hypothesized that Ra may occur in solids that are precipitated from CMD as a “radiobarite” solid solution ((Ba,Sr,Ra)SO4) a
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Charles A. III Cravotta, Ryan J. McAleer, John C Jackson, Aaron M. Jubb, Glenn D. Jolly, Benjamin C. Hedin, Nathaniel R. Warner
Ion exchange processes for CO2 mineralization using industrial waste streams: Pilot plant demonstration and life cycle assessment
An attractive technique for removing CO2 from the environment is sequestration within stable carbonate solids (e. g., calcite). However, continuous addition of alkalinity is required to achieve favorable conditions for carbonate precipitation (pH>8) from aqueous streams containing dissolved CO2 (pH<4.5) and Ca2+ ions. In this study, a pH-swing process using ion exchange was demonstrated to process
Authors
Steven Bustillos, Mario Christofides, Bonnie McDevitt, Madalyn S. Blondes, Ryan J. McAleer, Aaron M. Jubb, Bu Wang, Gaurav Sant, Dante Simonetti
Dissolved organic matter within oil and gas associated wastewaters from U.S. unconventional petroleum plays: Comparisons and consequences for disposal and reuse
Wastewater generated during petroleum extraction (produced water) may contain high concentrations of dissolved organics due to their intimate association with organic-rich source rocks, expelled petroleum, and organic additives to fluids used for hydraulic fracturing of unconventional (e.g., shale) reservoirs. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) within produced water represents a challenge for treatmen
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Aaron M. Jubb, Matthew S. Varonka, Madalyn S. Blondes, Mark A Engle, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jenna L. Shelton