Dr Sarah Pepper

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Technical Specialist in Aqueous Geochemistry

Sarah.Pepper@sheffield.ac.uk

Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Sarah Pepper
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD

Profile: Sarah currently works as the Technical Specialist in Aqueous Geochemistry in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering.

Prior to this, Sarah had worked as a researcher at the Universities of Leeds and Sheffield, the Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Washington State University. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Manchester.

Sarah is the primary operator of the aqueous analysis facilities located within the Immobilisation Science Laboratory, which consists of a single-quad ICP-MS, two ICP-OES machines and anion chromatography. These instruments can measure most elements between lithium and uranium, as well as a wide range of anions, in various aqueous solutions at very low concentrations. In addition, solid materials can be digested, in partnership with the School of Chemistry, for analysis.

Qualifications

PhD Chemistry (University of Manchester)
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA (Jan 2003-Nov 2006)
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Los Alamos National Laboratory – Carlsbad Operations, Carlsbad, NM, USA (Nov 2006 – Jan 2008)
Staff Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA (Jan 2008 – Nov 2011)
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield (Nov 2016 – Nov 2018) & Department of Geography (Nov 2018 – May 2019)
Research Fellow, School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds (Jan 2020 – Oct 2021)

Research interests

Sarah’s research interests lie in understanding the fate and transport of contaminants either in environmental systems or in industrial process, with the ultimate aim of developing new remediation strategies to prevent/mitigate their impact. I am also interested in the development of new analytical methods under non-ideal conditions, for example high saline, strongly complexing or anoxic systems

In addition to this, she has developed analytical methodologies to support the detection of different species under challenging environments, e.g. high brine solutions, very low pH solutions, strongly complexing systems or anoxic/reducing conditions.

Publications

Journal articles

Fisher AJ, Thorpe CL, Haigh LT, Pepper SE & Edge R (2025) In situ dissolution of the international simple glass (ISG-1 & ISG-2) and UK high-level-waste glass in extreme γ-radiation environments. MRS Advances. View this article in WRRO
Pepper SE, Robshaw TJ, Amphlett JTM, Ruder LR, Harwood LM, Lee TS, Whittle KR & Ogden MD (2024) Adsorption of strontium from aqueous solution using ethyl butyl phosphonate (EBP) silica. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 177, 105458-105458.
Amphlett JTM, Pepper SE, Harwood LM, Whittle KR, Lee TS, Moon EM, Joannes-Boyau R, Foster RI & Ogden MD (2024) Uptake and coordination behaviour of uranyl on functionalised silica. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 699, 134639-134639.
Pepper SE, Baker A, Maher CJ, Carrott MJ, Turner J & Hanson BC (2024) Iodine behaviour in spent nuclear fuel dissolution. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 169. View this article in WRRO
Smith H, Cordara T, Gausse C, Pepper SE & Corkhill CL (2023) Oxidative dissolution of Cr-doped UO2 nuclear fuel. npj Materials Degradation, 7. View this article in WRRO
Amphlett JTM, Pepper SE, Riley AL, Harwood LM, Cowell J, Whittle KR, Lee TS & Ogden MD (2020) Impact of copper(II) on activation product removal from reactor decommissioning effluents in South Korea. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 82, 261-268. View this article in WRRO
Barton DNT, Robshaw TJ, Okusanya O, Kim D, Pepper SE, Sharrad CA, Lee TS & Ogden MD (2019) Remediation of radioiodine using polyamine anion exchange resins. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 78, 210-221. View this article in WRRO
Namgung H, Gwon YJ, Kim J, Jang G, Pepper S, Ogden MD, Whittle KR, Harwood LM & Lee TS (2018) Synthesis of Prussian blue-embedded porous polymer for detection and removal of Cs ions. Polymer, 158, 320-326. View this article in WRRO
Riley AL, Pepper SE, Sexton EL & Ogden MD (2018) Metal Removal from Synthetic Mine Tailing Leachates using Fixed-Bed Ion-Exchange Columns. Copper Cobalt Africa, incorporating the 9th Southern African Base Metals Conference. View this article in WRRO
Pepper SE, Whitte KR, Harwood LM, Cowell J, Seung Lee T & Ogden MD (2018) Cobalt and nickel uptake by silica-based extractants. Separation Science and Technology, 53(10), 1552-1562. View this article in WRRO
Canner AJ, Pepper SE, Hayer M & Ogden MD (2018) Removal of radionuclides from a HCl steel decontamination stream using chelating ion exchange resins – initial studies. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 104, 271-279. View this article in WRRO
Riley AL, Pepper SE, Canner AJ, Brown SF & Ogden MD (2018) Metal recovery from jarosite waste - A resin screening study. Separation Science and Technology, 53(1), 22-35. View this article in WRRO
Ogden MD, Moon EM, Wilson A & Pepper SE (2017) Application of chelating weak base resin Dowex M4195 to the recovery of uranium from mixed sulfate/chloride media. Chemical Engineering Journal, 317, 80-89. View this article in WRRO
Ogden MD, Moon EM, Wilson A, Griffith C, Mata J, Soldenhoff K & Pepper SE (2017) Corrigendum to “Application of chelating weak base resin Dowex M4195 to the recovery of uranium from mixed sulfate/chloride media” [Chem. Eng. J., 317 (2017) 80–89]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 324, 414-414.
Pepper SE & Ogden MD (2013) Perrhenate extraction studies by Cyphos 101-IL; screening for implementation in technetium removal. Separation and Purification Technology, 118, 847-852.
Pepper SE, Borkowski M, Richmann MK & Reed DT (2010) Determination of ferrous and ferric iron in aqueous biological solutions. Analytica Chimica Acta, 663(2), 172-177.
Pepper SE, Peterman DR, Tranter TJ & White BM (2009) Detection of radionuclides in aqueous samples using cloud point extraction. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 282(3), 909-912.
Reed DT, Pepper SE, Richmann MK, Smith G, Deo R & Rittmann BE (2007) Subsurface bio-mediated reduction of higher-valent uranium and plutonium. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 444-445, 376-382.
Pepper SE, Hull LC, Bottenus BN & Clark SB (2006) Adsorption of lanthanum to goethite in the presence of gluconate. Radiochimica Acta, 94(4), 229-237.
Shaw S (2005) The kinetics and mechanisms of goethite and hematite crystallization under alkaline conditions, and in the presence of phosphate. American Mineralogist, 90(11-12), 1852-1860.
Pepper SE, Bunker DJ, Bryan ND, Livens FR, Charnock JM, Pattrick RAD & Collison D (2003) Treatment of radioactive wastes: An X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of the reaction of technetium with green rust. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 268(2), 408-412.

Book chapters

Keepax RE, Jones DM, Pepper SE & Bryan ND (2002) Chapter 5 The effects of humic substances on radioactivity in the environment, Radioactivity in the Environment (pp. 143-177). Elsevier

Conference proceedings

Pepper S, Peterman DR & Tranter TJ (2009) Use of cloud point extraction to detect radionuclides in aqueous samples. ACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
Pepper SE, Bottenus BN, Hull LC, Shepler CG & Clark SB (2006) The Influence of Simple Organic Ligands on the Partitioning Mechanism of Trivalent Lanthanum to Goethite (pp 277-291)

Preprints

Manifold G, Hand RJ, Littler C, Haigh LT, Rencz E, Stennett MC, Mir AH, Creasey-Gray S, Nehzati S, Qi J , Pepper S et al (2026) Alteration of simulant UK nuclear waste glass in a low temperature natural environment: the Ballidon glass burial field experiment, Elsevier BV.