Environmental security

New Way To Treat Groundwater Contaminated By Nuclear Waste

Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new way of treating water contaminated by nuclear waste.

These strides could be useful not only in the cleanup of former nuclear sites, but also in the treatment of mine water, since it can be contaminated by uranium, a consequence of gold mining, according to The Times of South Africa.

The researchers “discovered a new efficient way of using calcium phosphate to react with and immobilise uranium. In their experiments, researchers first determined the exact level of calcium in the contaminated water. They then added the phosphate, which formed calcium phosphate, chemically binding and neutralising the uranium,” the report said.