A new testing technique developed using synchrotron light could significantly improve how we monitor the effectiveness of remediation practices for removing selenium contamination from mining activities.
Heather Shrimpton (a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences) and colleagues found that selenium isotopes (which are the same element as selenium but have different atomic masses) can be used to determine what’s removing this contaminant from water. Changes in the isotopes signal whether selenium is being removed and whether the removal is permanent. Shirmpton's study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
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