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Are the very waste products that threaten our environment its unlikely savior? For decades, the mining industry has left an indelible mark on our planet. Vast swathes of land, once teeming with life, lay barren. Toxic runoff pollutes waterways, endangering ecosystems and communities alike. Tailings dams, looming monoliths of waste, stand as ticking time bombs, their failures causing catastrophic environmental devastation and loss of human life. But in the depths of this industrial detritus, a glimmer of hope emerges. Brucite, a mineral found in ultramafic mine tailings, holds the key to a revolutionary approach in waste management and climate change mitigation. Through a process known as in situ cementation via carbon dioxide mineralization, these tailings transform from environmental hazards into active carbon sinks. These findings were presented in: “Carbonation, Cementation, and Stabilization of Ultramafic Mine Tailings” by Ian M. Power, Carlos Paulo, Hannah Long, Justin A. Lockhart, Amanda R. Stubbs, David French, and Robert Caldwell The study delves into the intricate relationship between organic and inorganic carbon cycling. Waste organics, once discarded thoughtlessly, now serve a vital purpose, generating CO2 concentrations mirroring those of industrial flue gas. At the heart of this transformation lies brucite abundance, the primary influencer of tailings cementation. Using precise instruments, including coulometric systems from UIC Inc for total inorganic carbon analysis, researchers meticulously tracked brucite consumption and the formation of strength-giving carbonate minerals. Water emerges as a crucial player in this process. Higher moisture contents and finer grain sizes facilitate greater brucite carbonation, though the formation of Mg-carbonates presents ongoing challenges. The results are striking. Unconfined compressive strengths achieved would provide adequate stabilization for tailings in most scenarios. But the implications stretch far beyond mere structural integrity. This process offers a dual benefit: reducing greenhouse gas emissions while addressing the persistent issue of mine waste stability. As we grapple with the environmental legacies of our industrial past, this research illuminates an unexpected path forward. In the very byproducts of our extraction-based economy, we may find the building blocks of a more sustainable future. The question remains: can we seize this opportunity to turn our industrial waste into environmental wealth? Would love to hear thoughts from scientists like Ian Power and others about this amazing research!

Can dolphin’s teach us about osteoporosis? In the realm of bone research, the dolphin's ear bone, or bulla, stands out as a peculiar specimen. Unlike the typical bone we might imagine, the bulla is extraordinarily dense and mineral-rich, particularly in adult dolphins. This unique characteristic makes it an ideal subject for studying how bone mineral changes over time, free from the complicating presence of collagen that pervades most other bones. Let’s take a look with this short summary of: “Tracing the pathway of compositional changes in bone mineral with age: Preliminary study of bioapatite aging in hypermineralized dolphin's bulla” By Zhen Li and Jill D. Pasteris Scientists Zhen Li and Jill D. Pasteris set out to investigate these changes in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins of varying ages: newborns less than three months old, juveniles of about two and a half years, and adults around twenty years old. Their toolkit included Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis for detailed, point-by-point examination, as well as carbon analysis instruments from UIC Inc. for broader measurements. What they found was a bone unlike any other. The central areas of adult bullae contained a staggering 96% mineral content, with about 10% of that being carbonate. This is substantially more mineral than found in typical bones, and even more than the edges of the same bulla. As the dolphins aged, their bullae underwent a transformation.? The researchers observed that the bones became more uniform in structure and composition. The porous edges filled in, and organic material decreased. Perhaps most intriguingly, they found that carbonate content increased with age, reaching that 10% level in adults. This increase in carbonate came with an unexpected twist. Typically, in synthetic apatite (the mineral form found in bone), more carbonate means less crystallinity - a measure of structural order. But in the dolphin bullae, crystallinity held steady even as carbonate increased. The researchers propose this might be due to a simultaneous swap of sodium for calcium ions, maintaining the crystal structure. The study revealed that the bulla's transformation wasn't uniform across time. Changes in physical properties didn't always align with chemical shifts, and the most significant alterations occurred later in life, rather than in the transition from newborn to juvenile. While the extreme mineral content of the bulla sets it apart from "normal" bone, the researchers argue it still serves as a valuable model. Its unique properties allowed for detailed analysis impossible in collagen-rich bone, offering insights into how bone mineral might change with age in longer-lived mammals, including humans. As we grapple with bone-degrading conditions like osteoporosis, understanding these mineral changes could prove crucial. To learn more about this research and read the full paper please visit: DOI:?https://lnkd.in/gW7qVx77

Expensive pond scum?

Carbon capture in cement - made from waste?! Greetings from UIC Inc! We are proud to present another summary of a paper that used our instruments to gather some of their important data: Power, I.M., Paulo, C., Long, H., Lockhart, J.A., Stubbs, A.R., French, D. and Caldwell, R. (2021) Carbonation, cementation, and stabilization of ultramafic mine tailings. Environmental Science & Technology, 55:10056–10066 https://lnkd.in/gSAwcBQm In the annals of human industry, few operations have reshaped the earth's surface quite like mining. And among the most consequential side effects are the vast tailings - residual rock and mineral waste. But what if these untapped reserves held the key to repairing mining's environmental impact? Recent research from Power, Paulo, and others has unlocked an ingenious solution. Envision for a moment the rugged, serpentine tailings of ultramafic mineral mines - million-ton piles rich in magnesium and iron silicates. Through an innovative approach pioneered by the researchers, these discarded byproducts can be transformed from inert masses into sturdy, carbon-trapping solids. By carefully reintroducing air and moisture, a remarkable geochemical reaction is catalyzed. The tailings begin absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide through an accelerated form of natural mineral carbonation. Utilizing precise quantification technology from UIC Inc., the team meticulously measured this carbon uptake process. As the CO2 chemically binds with the magnesium-rich tailings, it produces a robust, cement-like matrix capable of safely encapsulating residual heavy metals and hazardous materials. In effect, the hazardous tailings are simultaneously stabilized and turned into a carbon sink. From abandoned diamond mines in Canada to derelict chromite operations in Turkey, Power and his colleagues documented this carbon-capture phenomenon taking place across a range of ultramafic tailings samples. An astounding 20-30% conversion into carbonates was achieved in some cases. What was once an environmental liability has been alchemized into a value-added opportunity to offset greenhouse gas emissions and remediate toxic mine sites through nature's own curative processes. This pioneering approach represents nothing less than a sustainable renaissance for mining's ecological impact and longstanding waste challenges.

Another wonderful paper using our instruments to gather their data!

This team used cutting-edge carbon quantification tech from UIC Inc. to precisely measure how effectively they could make rocks like brucite and serpentinite crumble through endless wet-dry cycles. Their brutal rock weathering methods were all in pursuit of enhanced carbon capture. Our Instruments Read on for a summary of: Impact of wet-dry cycles on enhanced rock weathering of brucite, wollastonite, serpentinite and kimberlite: Implications for carbon verification. Chemical Geology, 637:121674 Stubbs, A.R., Power, I.M., Paulo, C., Wang, B., Zeyen, N., Wilson, S.A., Mervine, E., and Gunning, C. (2023) https://lnkd.in/gdNduU5n Another day, another battle against the gaseous carbon enemy. This time the warriors were scientists Stubbs, Power, and their band of rock-mauling brothers in arms. Their mission: crush and degrade mineral samples to see which ones could best entomb CO2. The combatants lined up their targets. Brucite, wollastonite, serpentinite, kimberlite - those were the rocks to be broken. Common minerals, but each would require different tactics to make them surrender their crystalline integrity. First into the pit was brucite. This fancy stuff usually sips refined quarry waters. But the scientists waterboarded it mercilessly, drenching and drying it out in cycle after cycle of hydro-torture. Brucite had no chance, crumbling into an obedient rubble pile. Wollastonite fared no better against the endless wet-dry onslaught. This grimy calcium silicate may have come from rough terrain, but it too got demolished into crushed shards and particles. Then came the big bruisers - serpentinite and kimberlite. Violent birth-rocks from the molten guts of the earth itself. They took punch after punch of soaking and desiccation but just wouldn't quit. Layer after layer sloughed off in the mineral version of a back-alley beating. Using the latest carbon quantification tech from UIC Inc., the warriors precisely measured each granular remains to assess its CO2 storage potential. Brucite and wollastonite were totally disassembled - ready to entomb greenhouse gases indefinitely. Serpentinite and kimberlite were heavily degraded but bits still remained defiant. In the end, a hierarchy of candidates was clear. Some rocks creased under cyclic water attacks while others absorbed trauma after trauma before succumbing. All that mattered was determining which ones could best contain the suffocating carbon enemy in rubble form.

Greetings from UIC Inc! We are proud to present a wonderful conversation with our friends from the Oceanic Flux Program! Today, we are joined by JC Weber and Rut Pedrosa where we discuss their most recent adventures in Bermuda. The Oceanic Flux Program is one of the longest running ocean monitoring programs and we are happy to be involved. Watch now and see their approach to oceanographic studies!? https://lnkd.in/gxhWqyBH" Rut Pedrosa Pàmies , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution , National Science Foundation (NSF)

Our instruments have been used in important scientific research for over 60 years. We help oceanographers measure Ocean Acidification and other crucial data that our world needs.

UIC Inc. is proud to present another study which used our instruments for gathering data on DIC (inorganic carbon)! Summary of the paper "Effects of the Anticyclonic Eddies on Water Masses, Chemical Parameters and Chlorophyll Distributions in the Oyashio Current Region"?? by MASASHI KUSAKABE, ANDREY ANDREEV. VYACHESLAV LOBANOV, IGOR ZHABIN, YUICHIRO KUMAMOTO, and AKIHIRO MURATA https://lnkd.in/gknTjXci Out in the waters off the coast of Japan, there are forces at work that would seem, at first glance, to defy the natural order. Great whirlpools spin in the ocean currents, massive eddies churning the sea like colossal mixing bowls. To the casual observer, these swirling maelstroms might appear to be agents of chaos, upending the delicate stratification of the deep. But those who endeavor to truly understand the hidden clockwork of the ocean know better. A team of researchers has voyaged into this realm, venturing into the Oyashio Current region to plumb the secrets of these anticyclonic eddies. Armed with an array of sophisticated instruments provided by the team at UIC Inc., they gather samples from various depths, meticulously analyzing the distribution of water properties, DIC (inorganic carbon), nutrients, and life-sustaining chlorophyll. What emerges is a portrait of order from seeming tumult. Far from mindless disturbances, these eddies serve a vital function, acting as vast subterranean mixing vats that redistribute the ocean's constituents. In certain areas, their swirling currents draw nutrient-rich waters up from the depths, delivering a banquet of sustenance to the sun-drenched surface waters and fueling blooms of chlorophyll and marine life. Yet their influence extends far beyond mere nutrients. The eddies shape and mold the very character of the water masses themselves, governing temperature and salinity to create distinct microenvironments that cater to specialized communities of organisms. It is a delicate choreography, a dance of currents and chemistry that has unfolded unseen for eons beneath the waves. To the researchers, each new data point, every meticulously collected sample, unlocks another fragment of understanding about these inscrutable engines of the deep. It is a painstaking process of decoding nature's most cryptic calligraphies, of learning to read the language of the sea itself. For in these swirling eddies, these whirlpools that at first seem to embody the chaos of the ocean, lies an intricate tapestry of order and purpose woven by forces we are only beginning to comprehend. Each new study, each fresh voyage into their realm, brings us one step closer to unraveling the secrets that lie where the sea churns.

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