Wednesday, March 28
Sugar may help reduce toxicity of chromium in industrial waste Sugar shows promise in lab studies as a environmentally-friendly, economical alternative for reducing the toxicity of chromium waste products from the plating, mining and leather industries, according to a joint study by researchers at Xavier University in Louisiana and the Universidad Autonma del Estado de Mxico. Chromium is normally converted to a less toxic form by treating industrial wastewater with large amounts of acid, which can foul lakes and rivers. In the current study, Xaviers Bryan Bilyeu and his associates showed that they could achieve a similar reduction in toxicity, up to 94 percent, by using natural sugars like fructose and sucrose. (ENVR 100, Wednesday, March 28, 9:35 a.m., McCormick Place South, Room S100 B/C, Level 1)
Ozone oxidation effective in removing contaminants, reducing estrogen alterations A study by researchers at the Southern Nevada Water Authority shows that ozone and ozone AOP (advanced oxidation process) are highly effective in the oxidation and removal of many organic contaminants in water and for reducing estrogenicity. Some contaminants, however, were not destroyed, including TCEP (a flame-retardant), meprobamate (an anti-anxiety pharmaceutical), musk ketone (a synthetic fragrance) and iopromide (an x-ray contrast media), according to Shane Snyder, a researcher with the Water Authority. (SUST 097, Wednesday, March 28, 2:50 p.m., McCormick Place South, Room S106A, Level 1)
Thursday, March 29
Beauty berry tames the beast: Folk remedy shows promise against mosquitoes
Chemicals extracted from the leaves of the American beautyberry, once used as a Southern folk-remedy to keep insects from biting, show promise in lab studies as natural mosquito repellants that may be as effective as DEET, one of the most wid
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25-Mar-2007