Danish researchers develop method for producing in-demand form of arsenic from groundwater treatment waste
Researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland have developed a technique to convert toxic arsenic waste into a critical material for semiconductors and essential green-transition technologies.
“Arsenic has been considered a toxic contaminant for decades. It’s known as the King of Poisons and the Poison of Kings,” says Case van Genuchten, lead author on the recent publication. “It is very commonly found in groundwater and in gold and copper mine sites around the world.”
Groundwater can easily be treated to remove arsenic for drinking, but the leftover arsenic sludge remains toxic, as does the arsenic in mine tailings. Dealing with this waste has been a long-standing environmental and economic challenge, since there is no way to make arsenic non-toxic.
Van Genuchten and post-doc Kaifeng Wang, co-author of the study, saw a potential opportunity for valorizing arsenic waste by transforming it.
Read more on the CLS website
Image: Case van Genuchten and Kaifeng Wang in the lab
Credit: CLS