Will Meredith

Contact

• workRoom B03 L3
  University Park
  Nottingham
  NG7 2RD
  UK
• work0115 951 4198
• william.meredith@nottingham.ac.uk

Research Summary

My current focus is the development of new applications for hypy, specifically for the quantification and characterisation of black carbon in soils, and the clean-up of charcoal samples prior to… read more

Recent Publications

• MEREDITH, W., ASCOUGH, P.L., BIRD, M.I., LARGE, D.L., SNAPE, C.E., SONG, J., SUN, Y. and TILSTON, E.L., 2013. Direct evidence from hydropyrolysis for the retention of long alkyl moieties in black carbon fractions isolated by acidified dichromate oxidation Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. (In Press.)
• UGUNA, C.N., AZRI, M.H., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W. and CARR, A.D., 2013. A hydrous pyrolysis study to ascertain how gas yields and the extent of maturation for a partially matured source rock and bitumen in isolation compared to their whole source rock Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. (In Press.)
• UGUNA, C.N., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W., CARR, A.D., SCOTCHMAN, I.C. and DAVIS, R.C., 2012. Retardation of hydrocarbon generation and maturation by water pressure in geological basins: An experimental investigation. In: PETERS, K.E., CURRY, D.J. and KACEWICZ, M., eds., Basin Modeling: New Horizons in Research and Applications: AAPG Hedberg Series 4. AAPG. 19-37
• MEREDITH, W., ASCOUGH, P.L., BIRD, M.I., LARGE, D.L., SNAPE, C.E., SUN, Y. and TILSTON, E.L., 2012. Assessment of hydropyrolysis as a method for the quantification of black carbon via the testing of standard reference materials Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 97, 131-147

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Current Research

My current focus is the development of new applications for hypy, specifically for the quantification and characterisation of black carbon in soils, and the clean-up of charcoal samples prior to radiocarbon dating. A second application is the use of hypy and as a means to defunctionalise urinary steroids to allow for isotopic determination by GC-C-IRMS as a potential way of identifying steroid abuse in athletics.

I am also involved in a long running industrial collaboration (funded by StatoilHydro and Woodside Energy) on understanding the role of water pressure in potentially retarding hydrocarbon generation and cracking in high pressure geological basins.

• Establishing hydropyrolysis as an effective technique for the determination and isolation of pyrogenic carbon in samples from the natural environment. A NERC funded project developing hydropyrolysis for the characterisation black carbon.

• Hydropyrolysis for the deconjugation isotope ratio measurements. In collaboration with Imperial College and funded by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) this project aims to develop hydropyrolysis as a new technique for the detecting drug abuse in athletics.

• Modelling hydrocarbon generation and maturation in high pressure deep water basins. An industry funded investigative programme to assess the influence of high-pressure water on maturation, hydrocarbon generation and oil cracking.

Past Research

Since coming to Nottingham in 2001 I have worked with Prof. Colin Snape in the development of hydropyrolysis (hypy). The technique has now been successful commercialised with an exclusive license granted to Strata Technologies Ltd for the manufacture of hypy units, with 8 sales made to institutions in the UK, US, Germany, China and Australia. The successful commercialisation of the hypy technique was highlighted as an example of knowledge transfer in the 2007 NERC annual report, and was a winner in the Business Support to Universities category of the Engineer Technology & Innovation Awards 2008.

From its origins as a means for the characterisation of macromolecules found in crude oils and source rocks we have sort to apply hypy (pyrolysis assisted by high hydrogen pressure) to numerous new fields leading to its successful use in studies as diverse as the characterisation of meteorites (Sephton et al 2005, Planetary and Space Science 53, 1280-1286), investigating the nature and origin of deposits in fuel injection equipment (Barker et al 2009, SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants) and to the identification of the earliest recorded evidence of animal life on earth (Love et al 2009, Nature 457, 718-722).

• MEREDITH, W., ASCOUGH, P.L., BIRD, M.I., LARGE, D.L., SNAPE, C.E., SONG, J., SUN, Y. and TILSTON, E.L., 2013. Direct evidence from hydropyrolysis for the retention of long alkyl moieties in black carbon fractions isolated by acidified dichromate oxidation Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. (In Press.)
• UGUNA, C.N., AZRI, M.H., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W. and CARR, A.D., 2013. A hydrous pyrolysis study to ascertain how gas yields and the extent of maturation for a partially matured source rock and bitumen in isolation compared to their whole source rock Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. (In Press.)
• UGUNA, C.N., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W., CARR, A.D., SCOTCHMAN, I.C. and DAVIS, R.C., 2012. Retardation of hydrocarbon generation and maturation by water pressure in geological basins: An experimental investigation. In: PETERS, K.E., CURRY, D.J. and KACEWICZ, M., eds., Basin Modeling: New Horizons in Research and Applications: AAPG Hedberg Series 4. AAPG. 19-37
• MEREDITH, W., ASCOUGH, P.L., BIRD, M.I., LARGE, D.L., SNAPE, C.E., SUN, Y. and TILSTON, E.L., 2012. Assessment of hydropyrolysis as a method for the quantification of black carbon via the testing of standard reference materials Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 97, 131-147
• UGUNA, C.N., CARR, A.D., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W. and CASTRO DIAZ, M., 2012. A laboratory pyrolysis study to investigate the effect of water pressure on hydrocarbon generation and maturation of coals in geological basins Organic Geochemistry. 52, 103-113
• ATKINSON, B.S., MEREDITH, W., SNAPE, C., STEVEN, M., HOCH, A.R., LEVER, D. and SHAW, G., 2012. Migration and fate of ¹⁴CH₄ in subsoil: tracer experiments to inform model development Mineralogical Magazine. 76(8), 3345-3354
• BARKER, J., RICHARDS, P., SNAPE, C.E. and MEREDITH, W., 2011. Diesel injector deposits – an issue that has evolved with engine technology SAE Technical Paper 2011-01-1923.
• MEREDITH, W, GOMES, R.L, SNAPE, C.E, COOPER, M and SEPHTON, M.A., 2010. Hydropyrolysis over a platinum oxide catalyst as a preparation technique for the compound-specific carbon isotope ratio measurement of C27 steroids. Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry. 24, 501-505
• BARKER, J., RICHARDS, P., SNAPE, C. and MEREDITH, W., 2010. A novel technique for investigating the nature and origins of deposits formed in high pressure fuel injection equipment SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants. 2(2), 38-44
• BERWICK, B, GREENWOOD, P. MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C.E and TALBOT, H., 2010. Comparison of MSSV pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis to facilitate the thermal release of bound hydrocarbon biomarkers from extant and sedimentary organic matter. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 87, 108-116
• ASCOUGH, P.L., BIRD, M.I., MEREDITH, W., WOOD, R.E., SNAPE, C.E., BROCK, F., HIGHAM, T.F.G., LARGE, D. and APPERLEY, D., 2010. Hydropyrolysis: Implications for radiocarbon pre-treatment and characterization of Black Carbon. Radiocarbon. 52, 1336-1350
• GOMES, R.L, MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C.E and SEPHTON, M.A., 2009. Conjugated steroids: analytical approaches and applications Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 393, 453-458
• SONIBARE, O.O, SNAPE, C.E, MEREDITH, W, UGUNA, C and LOVE, G.D., 2009. Geochemical characterisation of heavily biodegraded oil sand bitumens by catalytic hydropyrolysis. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis. 86, 135-140
• CARR, A.D, C, SNAPE, C.E, MEREDITH, W, UGUNA, C, SCOTCHMAN, I.C and DAVIS, R.C., 2009. The effect of water pressure on hydrocarbon generation reactions: some inferences from laboratory experiments Petroleum Geoscience. 15, 17-26
• LOVE, G.D., GROSJEAN, E., STALVIES, C., FIKE, D.A., GROTZINGER, J.P., BRADLEY, A.S., KELLY, A.E., BHATIA, M., MEREDITH, W., SNAPE, C.E., BOWRING, S.A., CONDON, D.J. and SUMMONS, R.E., 2009. Fossil steroids record the appearance of Demospongiae during the Cryogenian period Nature. 457, 718-721
• GOMES R.L, MEREDITH W, SNAPE C.E and SEPHTON M.A., 2009. Analysis of conjugated steroid androgens: preparative approaches and associated issues. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 49, 1133-1140
• ASCOUGH, P.L., BIRD, M.I., BROCK, F., HIGHAM, T.F.G., MEREDITH, W., SNAPE, C.E. and VANE, C.H., 2009. Hydropyrolysis as a new tool for radiocarbon pre-treatment and the quantification of black carbon Quaternary Geochronology. 4(2), 140-147
• MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C.E, CARR, A.D, NYTOFT, H.P and LOVE, G.D., 2008. The occurrence of unusual hopenes in hydropyrolysates generated from severely biodegraded oil seep asphaltenes Organic Geochemistry. 39, 1243-1248
• LOCKHART, R, MEREDITH, W and SNAPE, C.E., 2008. Kerogen-bound biomarker parameters at elevated maturities Organic Geochemistry. 39, 1119-1124
• MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C.E, UGUNA, C and LOVE, G.D., 2008. Maximising the yield of bound aliphatic biomarkers via a convenient two-stage hydropyrolysis procedure. In: LIANG, D, WANG, D and LI, Z, eds., Petroleum Geochemistry and Exploration in the Afro-Asian Region Taylor and Francis. 145-152
• LOVE, G.D, STALVIES, C, GROSJEAN, E, MEREDITH, W, SNAPE, C.E and SUMMONS, R.E., 2008. Analysis of molecular biomarkers covalently bound within Neoproterozoic sedimentary kerogen. In: KELLEY, P.H and BAMBACH, R.K., eds., From Evolution to Geobiology: Research Questions Driving Paleontology at the Start of a New Century 14. The Paleontology Society. 67-83
• SEPHTON, M.A, . MEREDITH, W., , SUN, C-G and SNAPE, C.E., 2007. Combined catalytic hydrogenation-stable isotope ratio analysis techniques for biomedical and forensic applications Analytical Chemistry Insights. 2, 37-42
• MEREDITH, W., SUN, C-G., SNAPE, C.E., SEPHTON, M.A. and LOVE, G.D., 2006. The use of model compounds to investigate the release of covalently bound biomarkers via hydropyrolysis Organic Geochemistry. 37(12), 1705-1714
• SEPHTON, M.A., MEREDITH, W., SUN, C-G. and SNAPE, C.E., 2005. Hydropyrolysis of steroids: a preparative step for compound-specific carbon isotope ratio analysis Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 19(22), 3339-3342
• SEPHTON, M. A., LOVE, G. D., MEREDITH, W., SNAPE, C. E., SUN, C. G. and WATSON, J. S., 2005. Hydropyrolysis: A new technique for the analysis of macromolecular material in meteorites Planetary and Space Science. VOL 53(NUMBER 12), 1280-1286
• SEPHTON, M. A., MEREDITH, W., SUN, C.-G. and SNAPE, C. E., 2005. Hydropyrolysis as a preparative method for the compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of fatty acids Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. VOL 19(NUMB 3), 323-325
• MEREDITH, W., RUSSELL, C. A., COOPER, M., E. SNAPE, C., LOVE, G. D., FABBRI, D. and VANE, C. H., 2004. Trapping hydropyrolysates on silica and their subsequent thermal desorption to facilitate rapid fingerprinting by GC-MS Organic Geochemistry. VOL 35(NO 1), 73-89
• RUSSELL, C.A., SNAPE, C.E., MEREDITH, W., LOVE, G.D., CLARKE, E. and MOFFATT, B., 2004. The potential of bound biomarker profiles released via catalytic hydropyrolysis to reconstruct basin charging history for oils Organic Geochemistry. 35(11-12), 1441-1459
• MEREDITH, W., RUSSELL, C.A., SNAPE, C.E., LOVE, G.D. and FABBRI, D., 2002. Recent experimental improvements in analytical hydropyrolysis In: Advances and Applications in Analytical Pyrolysis/Thermochemolysis.
• JONES, D.M, WATSON, J.S, MEREDITH, W, CHEN, M and BENNETT, B., 2001. Determination of naphthenic acids in crude oils using nonaqueous ion exchange solid-phase extraction. Analytical Chemistry. 73, 703-707
• MEREDITH, W, KELLAND, S-J and JONES, D.M., 2000. Influence of biodegradation on crude oil acidity and carboxylic acid composition Organic Geochemistry. 31(11), 1059-1073