• Ph.D., Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, 2008
• M.S., Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, 2005
• B.A., Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, 2003

Illinois Experts Profile

• X-ray diffraction analysis of clays, soils, and sediments.
• Investigation of stability of clay minerals under acidic and basic conditions.
• Investigation of the negative layer charge and specific surface area of clay minerals.
• Nitrate removal and reduction by redox active polymer smectite composites.
• Mössbauer spectroscopy investigation of structural aspects related to octahedral and tetrahedral coordination of Fe(III) in smectite structure.
• Recoil-free fraction investigation of Fe(II) in chemically reduced nontronites by Mössbauer spectroscopy.
• Sorption properties of chemically modified smectites, mixed-layer clay minerals I/S, kaolinites, soils, clays, and clay minerals.
• Environmental applications of chemically modified clay minerals.
• Heavy metal adsorption on clays.

Bishop, M.E., Dong, H., Glasser, P., Briggs, B.R., Pentrak, M., Stucki, J.W., Boyanov, M.I., Kemner, K.M., and Kovarik, L., 2019, Reactivity of redox cycled Fe-bearing subsurface sediments towards hexavalent chromium reduction. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 252, p. 88-106.

Liang, X., Li, Y., Wei, G., He, H., Stucki, J.W., Ma, L., Pentrakova, L., Pentrak, M., and Zhu, J., 2019, Heterogeneous reduction of 2‑Chloronitrobenzene by cosubstituted magnetite coupled with aqueous Fe²⁺: Performance, factors, and mechanism. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, v. 3, p. 728-737.

Pentrak, M., Hronský, V., Pálková, H., Uhlik, P., Komadel, P., and Madejová, J., 2018, Alteration of fine fraction of bentonite from Kopernica (Slovakia) under acid treatment: a combined XRD, FTIR, MAS NMR and AES study. Applied Clay Science, v. 163, p. 204–213.

Xia, Y., Ugarte, C.M., Guan, K., Pentrak, M., and Wander, M.M., 2018, Developing Near- and Mid-infrared spectroscopy analysis methods for rapid assessment of soil quality in Illinois. Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 82, p. 1415-1427.

Baron, F., Petit, S., Pentrak, M., Decarreau, A., and Stucki, J.W., 2017, Revisiting the nontronite Mössbauer spectra. American Mineralogist, v. 102, p. 1501-1515.

Kaufhold, S., Stucki, J.W., Finck, N., Steininger, R., Zimina, A., Dohrmann, R., Ufer, K., Pentrak, M., and Pentrakova, L., 2017, Tetrahedral charge and Fe content in dioctahedral smectites. Clay Minerals, v. 52, p. 51-66.

Lefticariu, L., Sutton, S, Bender, K, Lefticariu, M., Pentrak, M., and Stucki, J.W., 2016, Impacts of detrital nano-and micro-scale particles (dNP) on contaminant dynamics in a coal mine AMD treatment system. Science of the Total Environment, v. 575, p. 941-955.

Zhao, L., Dong, H., Kukkadapu, R.K., Zeng, Q., Edelmann, R.E., Pentrak, M., and Agrawal, A. 2015, Biological redox cycling of iron in nontronite and its potential application in nitrate removal. Environmental Science and Technology, v. 49, p. 5493-5501.

Pentrak, M., Pentrakova, L., Radian, A., Mishael, Y.G., and Stucki, J.W., 2014, Nitrate reduction by redox-modified smectites exchanged with chitosan. Clays and Clay Minerals, v. 62, 403-414.

Stucki, J.W., Su, K., Pentrakova, L., and Pentrak, M., 2014, Methods for handling redox-sensitive smectite dispersions. Clay Minerals, v. 49, p. 359-377.

Pentrakova, L., Su, K., Pentrak, M., and Stucki, J.W., 2013, The 10^th George Brown Lecture: A review of microbial redox interactions of structural Fe in clay minerals. Clay Minerals, v. 48, p. 543-560.

Pentrak, M., Pentrakova, L., and Stucki, J.W., 2013, Iron and manganese reduction–oxidation. Chapter 36 In Methods in Biogeochemistry of Wetlands. R.D. DeLaune, K.R. Reddy, C.J. Richardson, and J.P. Megonigal, editors. SSSA Book Series, no. 10, Soil Science Society of America, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711-5801, USA, p. 701-721.

Pentrak, M., Madejová J., Andrejkovičová, S., Uhlík, P., Komadel, P. (2012) Stability of kaolin sand from Vyšný Petrovec deposit (south Slovakia) in acid environment. Geologica Carpathica, v. 63, p. 503-512.

Pentrak, M., Bizovská, V., and Madejová, J., 2012, Near-IR study of water adsorption on acid-treated montmorillonite. Vibrational Spectroscopy, v. 63, p. 360-366.

Pentrak, M., Czímerová, A., Madejová, J., and Komadel, P., 2012, Changes in layer charge of clay minerals upon acid treatment as obtained from their interactions with methylene blue. Applied Clay Science, v. 55, p. 100-107.

Pentrak, M., Madejová, J., and Komadel, P., 2010, Effect of chemical composition and swelling on acid dissolution of 2:1 clay minerals. Philosophical Magazine, v. 90, p. 2387-2397.

Pentrak, M., Madejová, J., and Komadel, P., 2009, Acid and alkali treatments of kaolins. Clay Minerals, v. 44, p. 511-523.

Madejová, J., Pentrak, M., Pálková, H., and Komadel, P., 2009, Near-infrared spectroscopy: A powerful tool in studies of acid treated clay minerals. Vibrational Spectroscopy, v. 49, p. 211-218.