GeologyRocks

Gus, could explain why kids don't like sprouts !
Do they absorb copper salts as this could explain why some people have green teeth e.g. Barbara Cartland :mrgreen: , Queen Mother :ill:

Keef

I must say, that is supremely awesome. Genetic engineering will probably improve this potential within the next few years as well.

Perhaps it has to do with the capacity of plants to remove unwanted metal salts from their own systems and bind them up in their leaves- such as the new salt-tolerant tomatoes do.

Do you have any good links to resources on this?

-Blake

Sprouts?

Anyway, here are a few links:
www.min-eng.com/biotechnology/1.html
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/aml/tech/news/phytomin.htm
www.ecoisp.com/goodnews10.asp

And of course phytomining is one of the few areas where mining and conservation can get along together. Why not extract metals from contaminated land and make a bit of dosh as well? There might even be government grants. The possibilities are enormous.

Gus

Sprouts are brassicas !

Keef

Thanks for that Keef :? However, just to keep this on a scientific level (and avoid getting thrown out of the forum), not all members of the brassica genus are good at extracting metals from soils. Only alyssum, apparently. having said that a few years ago Cornwall County Council were distributing leaflets advising people not to eat vegetables grown in the Gunnislake area due to high levels of arsenic. So maybe sprouts do something other than produce chronic flatulence. Oh no, we're onto that subject again.

Gus

Gus, our photosynthesizing friends are underrated. I used to keep koi & always built in a vegetable filter (ex filtration engineer me before I escaped from Tony Blair's utopian society). Turns out vegetable filters are the in-thing for pools now, as believe it or not, chemicals & chlorine aren't too healthy.

Keef

Are they not? Next you're going to tell me fluoride is bad for me too. Incidentally, I used to live in Wales and played chess in the same team as a guy who was a technician with Welsh Water. We had one of those periodic scares where lead got into the supply from old mine workings which had flooded. The water authority went straight into action and sent leaflets round to every house - in Welsh - telling everyone it was ok to drink if the water was boiled. I pointed out to him on the way to a match that surely when you boil water it's more likely to dissolve the toxins and therefore make them more absorbent in your guts. We had a raging argument and lost the match (well, he blamed me for it). Was I correct?
Or did we lose the match in vain?

Gus

I wouldn't have thought boiling would have any effect on lead in the water. Filtering should be more likely to remove any particles.

Gus, you were spot on as as far as (over use of as ?) I'm concerned boiling it will concentrate any dissolved salts.

Keef

Thanks for that. It confirms what I thought. Doesn't exactly give you confidence in what so-called "experts" say though, does it? Still, on a positive note, I won my game but he lost his. Caused a mega-sulk in the car on the way back, a good hour's journey. It was all my fault he lost. Shame.

Gus

No, you don't want to over use As Keef, just a pinch on boiled potatoes.

Gus, shouldn't heed the words of experts unless they can prove their credentials. I believe it was J. Horner who determined that T.Rex is a scavenger off the back (back of neck actually) one Triceratops specimen with big teeth marks on it's neck which would only be accessible if dead. A tad presumptious as far as a pleb like me is concerned as I'm sure it would indeed have been dead after being dispatched duh !

Experts schmeckspurts !

Keef

The company which discovered the Coed y Brenin copper/gold deposit in North Wales considered phytomining as a possible way to extract the metals. Values average about 0.3% copper in the peat bogs of the area and small pieces of native copper turn up from time to time. The estimated reserves are 200 million tons of ore. Big problem, it's in the Snowdonia National Park and Coed y Brenin Forest, which would create a slump in the tourist trade I think. They're still sitting on the project in the hope they get permission.

Gus

Hmm...

Interesting point - especially about Wheal Jane. Mining companies have been using vegetation as exploration indicators since early exploration and discovery of the extent of the Zambian copperbelt by european companies using vegetation indicators.

One interesting point about the Wheal Jane incident is that the only major problem was the colour of the water. Comparison of the orange coloured plume with muds in the Fal estuary corresponding to dates post the Wheal Jane incident, and much later after the installation of the water treatment plant (in 2002) appeared to show that the muds had no difference in chemistry (amount of heavy metals etc). Obviously the low pH of the water in the plume may have been different to normal, however, the amount of heavy metals carried did not appear to differ from the norm - even after the water treatment plant was installed. All that has happened (probably for touristic reasons) is that the orange coloured water was removed! I have the numbers somewhere if anyone is interested... The pH of the mine and heavy metal laden waters draining the Carnon Valley area is compensated by the marine influence in the estuary.

The other thing is that the reed beds used at Wheal Jane were only ever a trial run - the passive water treatment site attempted by the NRA at Bissoe is now abandoned as to effectively mitigate the water situation the plant would have had to span the entire valley - taking up a vast area.

The other point nobody realises about the Wheal Jane incident is that the source of the overflow - the Nangiles adit - has not been cleaned up at all - instead the water treatment plant is sited at Wheal Jane itself. The Nangiles adit - not a great source of water in the area but seemingly a distinct contributor to pollutants - only has a water monitoring station, and the untreated County adit, which drains the entire United Downs, St. Day and Carharrack area, has water emerging at around pH 2-3 and with large amounts of heavy metals

Interesting...

Simon

Point taken about the visual impact of the release as opposed to the concentrations of metals. However, it's clear they're not taking any chances, since the total cost of treating the mine effluent since 1991 has been £20 million. I'm assuming that the release of metals from the County Adit is more problematic because there is no regulated flow. I've seen it range from a mere trickle to a raging torrent, depending on the weather.

Gus