Beer to Treat AMD?
What’s beer have to do with AMD? Plenty, according to University of Tulsa chemistry professor Tom Harris, who wants to use stale beer to make wetlands more efficient in removing mine pollutants. The heart of the idea is addition of sulfate-reducing bacteria, which act to transform heavy metals to insoluble sulfides. Check out these links to news articles to find out more:
- Intoxicating Toxic Cleanup
- Feeding Old Beer to Hungry Bacteria May Help Clean Up Superfund Site
- Beer Could Help Cleanup
So the next time you see those hard working watershed volunteers with a case of Rolling Rock next to a wetland, you can be sure they’re performing a legitimate scientific inquiry. Here’s to you, Professor Harris.