Synchrotron Recognized as a Powerful Tool to Track Environmental Arsenic
Posted April 02, 2004
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2004-04-02-OTHER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 2, 1:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. MST)
Synchrotron Recognized as a Powerful Tool to Track Environmental Arsenic
The Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan has been awarded
a federal Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) certificate which
recognizes the first-in-Canada synchrotron's value in testing arsenic
quickly and with unprecedented accuracy, an advance that will help protect
the environment.
Federal Environment Minister David Anderson made the announcement at the
Globe 2004 Environmental Conference in Vancouver today.
"The Government of Canada is proud to recognize Canadian Light Source as a
recipient of the ETV Awards," Anderson said. "The technology developed by
Canadian Light Source demonstrates how the innovation of industry can make a
difference to protect the environment and improve the health and quality of
life for all Canadians."
The certificate recognizes synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy
(XAS) as a valid method for determining the various oxidation states of
arsenic within a sample. Some arsenic states are stable, while others are
more toxic and can move through groundwater supplies.
"Saskatchewan is proud to be recognized as an innovator using synchrotron
science to benefit the environment," said Industry and Resources Minister
Eric Cline. "As it prepares to come on stream, more and more researchers are
discovering applications for the Canadian Light Source. It is an incredibly
versatile tool that will have a profound effect on environmental research
and Canadian global competitiveness."
"We are delighted to receive recognition of this superior method of
tracking the bioavailability of arsenic," said Bill Thomlinson, executive
director of Canadian Light Source Inc. (CLSI). "This is a powerful tool to
help industry and regulators preserve our environment."
Arsenic is often found together with valuable minerals like gold, cobalt,
nickel and uranium. This creates a challenge for mining companies, who must
ensure arsenic exposed by their operations is managed in a way that will
ensure protection of the environment.
For example, COGEMA Resources Inc. is using synchrotron analytical
techniques to prove arsenic in their tailings treatment facility in northern
Saskatchewan is properly bound in mineral form. John Rowson, director of
McClean Regulatory Affairs for the uranium mining company, says the
synchrotron provided the data they needed to demonstrate that the company's
process was working as planned.
"The requirements of our tailings preparation process are driven by
satisfactory long-term performance," he says. "I'm talking about thousands
of years in the future. There was really no other technique available in the
world that would determine the structure of the arsenic precipitates."
Jeff Cutler, CLSI senior industry liaison scientist and acting co-director
of research, explains that traditional testing techniques demand sample
preparation which can alter the chemistry of the sample. Synchrotron
analysis extracts data with little preparation or change to the sample.
"You can literally take a scoopful of muck out of your back yard or a mine
site, pick the twigs and leaves out of it, run the sample and get the
arsenic speciation states," Cutler says. "You can look at it unaltered, then
send it away for more testing. You don't have to destroy the sample every
time you test it."
The technique is also much faster than traditional wet-lab methods, yielding
results in minutes rather than hours. This means hundreds of samples can be
run in a day.
The certificates are issued through the federal government's ETV program
(www.etvcanada.ca). Established by Environment Canada and Industry Canada in
1997, the ETV program supports innovative technologies by assuring users
that the product or service will perform as promised.
Globe 2004 (www.globe2004.com) is the eighth in a series of biennial
conferences on business and the environment. The event brings together
corporate and government leaders, as well as environmental technology
innovators from around the world to discuss trends, challenges and solutions
to the world's environmental problems.
The CLS is one of the country's largest science projects of the last 30
years. Due to open for business this fall, the U of S-owned national
research facility will be used by researchers in industry, government and
academia.
Synchrotron light - millions of times brighter than sunlight - is used to
view chemical reactions and the molecular structure of materials, paving the
way for new drugs, more powerful computer chips, better engine lubricants,
more effective medical imaging, environmental monitoring and a host of other
applications for science and industry. More information on the Canadian
Light Source is available at www.lightsource.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Bill Thomlinson
Executive Director
Canadian Light Source Inc.
(306) 657-3600
william.thomlinson@lightsource.ca
Jeff Cutler
Acting Co-Director of Research
Canadian Light Source Inc.
(306) 657-3530
jeffrey.cutler@lightsource.ca
John Rowson
Director of McClean Regulatory Affairs
COGEMA Resources Inc.
(306) 343-4576
john.rowson@cogema.ca
www.cogema.ca
Michael Robin, Communications Officer
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research
Backgrounder
Environmental Technology Verification Certificate for Canadian Light Source
Inc.
April 2, 2004
Synchrotron Analysis of Arsenic in the Environment
What claim is being made to support the ETV certificate?
The specific wording of the performance claim is:
"A synchrotron produces light millions of times brighter than sunlight and
supports high spatial resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) for the
speciation of chemical elements in environmental samples.
Output from data analysis performed by Canadian Light Source Inc. is used to
determine the reactivity, toxicity or bioavailability of heavy metals, for
applications in modeling assessments, remediation compliance, or quality
assurance. The ease of sample preparation enables synchrotron-based X-ray
spectroscopy to achieve accurate and complete arsenic (As) oxidation state
and speciation analyses.
This technique has been optimized to determine the presence of individual
oxidation states of As, for in-situ soils and mine tailings, including
valences As-III, As-I, As0, AsIII, AsV, down to 2 ppm, and for As
concentrations of >200 ppm, the composition for each oxidation state to
within 5 per cent."
Who issues Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Certificates?
Certificates are issued by ETV Canada Inc., a private sector company
licensed by Environment Canada to deliver the ETV program. Recipients are
allowed to use the recognition and logo in their national and international
marketing and communications.
The program, established in 1997 by Environment Canada and Industry Canada,
fosters the country's environmental technology industry by providing
independent verification of performance claims.
More information is available at the ETV Inc. website:
http://www.etvcanada.com.
