Credit: Filip Budimir et al.
University of Waterloo researchers have discovered a special form of charcoal which is effective at absorbing and transforming chromium into a safer form.
Chromium exists in two forms, chromium(III) which is a necessary micronutrient, and chromium(VI) which is a carcinogen linked to numerous types of cancer and Is typically a result of industrial processes such as stainless steel production or mining.
In their work, published in the journal Chemosphere, University of Waterloo researchers investigated biochar, a form of charcoal which is created by heating agricultural waste in an oxygen free environment, as a potential tool for remediating chromium pollution at industrial sites. Using the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan the researchers probed a mixture of biochar and chromium(VI), ultimately discovering that after sitting for 5 days most of the chromium(VI) became Cr(III).
"We were happy to see that the majority of what we were finding on the biochar grains was chromium-3 and not chromium-6," said Filip Budimir, a Ph.D. candidate in Earth and environmental sciences at the University of Waterloo.
Additionally, Budimir noted that lighter isotopes were removed and converted more readily than heavier isotopes, indicating that the method could also be used as a tool to monitor groundwater remediation.
"Things are happening underground, but we're not sure what," added Budimir. "Testing the isotopes can give us an idea of what is happening and if the process is working."