Hot off the Press! Trainee Publication in Water Research Journal!

Nov. 4, 2016

Recently graduated UA SRP trainee, Dr. Adriana Ramos-Ruiz, just published a journal article in Water Research entitled: “Continuous reduction of tellurite to recoverable tellurium nanoparticles using an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor”. Ramos-Ruiz works under the direction of UA SRP Investigator, Dr. James Field. 

This paper is the last in a series of 3 articles that shows how the University of Arizona SRP is conducting research on developing simple technologies that remove highly toxic compounds while concomitantly recovering them as priority valuable materials from mining effluents. Leachates from gold and copper mining contain toxic tellurium oxyanions. Using the proposed technology, the tellurium can be recovered and used as a feedstock to make valuable products like solar panels (e.g. CdTe). In so doing, the environmental health consequences are prevented that otherwise would result from untreated leachates.

Dr. Ramos Ruiz continues to work with Dr. Field as a Post-Doc and is seeking an academic appointment or to become a laboratory director. 
Congratulations and well done Dr. Ramos-Ruiz!

The trio of articles include:

Ramos-Ruiz, A., Sesma-Martin, J., Sierra-Alvarez, R. and Field, J.A. (2016a) Continuous reduction of tellurite to recoverable tellurium nanoparticles using an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor. Water Research,  in press. http://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0043135416308338

Ramos-Ruiz, A., Zeng, C., Sierra-Alvarez, R., Teixeira, L.H. and Field, J.A. (2016b) Microbial toxicity of ionic species leached from the II-VI semiconductor materials, cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium selenide (CdSe). Chemosphere 162, 131-138. PMC5003732. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653516309791

Ramos-Ruiz, A., Field, J.A., Wilkening, J.V. and Sierra-Alvarez, R. (2016c) Recovery of Elemental Tellurium Nanoparticles by the Reduction of Tellurium Oxyanions in a Methanogenic Microbial Consortium. Environmental Science &Technology 50(3), 1492-1500. PMC4738100. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/