Detecting caesium with naked eyes

Radioactive caesium 137 has a half-life of 30.17 years, and its accumulation in organisms in exposed regions, such as around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, amplifies the hazard it poses. A new material reported by researchers ...

Nanofibers clean sulfur from fuel

(Phys.org)—Sulfur compounds in petroleum fuels have met their nano-structured match. University of Illinois researchers developed mats of metal oxide nanofibers that scrub sulfur from petroleum-based fuels much more effectively ...

How bacteria can survive in acidic, metal rich environments

Acid-loving bacteria thrive in sour, acidic places and can help to dissolve metal. Therefore they are often used for industrial metal extraction. In her doctoral thesis "Growth and Survival of Acidithiobacilli in Acidic, ...

The detoxifying effect of microbes

Heavy metals and other toxins frequently contaminate food and water. The culprits read like a litany of bad actors—lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chromium—but their numbers run into the thousands. Microbes have long ...

A greener way to fertilize nursery crops

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist has found a "green" alternative to a type of fertilizer additive that is believed to contribute to the accumulation of heavy metals in waterways.

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