Scientists in the US have developed a simple paper-based sensor for detecting bromide ions in water. The device could be used to check if fracking fluids have seeped into water supplies.
Fracking involves forcing large amounts of fracking fluid – a mix of water, sand, biocides and other chemicals – into shale fractures at high pressure to extract shale gas. The resulting wastewater contains high concentrations of toxic chemicals including bromide, chloride and iodide ions and organic pollutants, and some wells can use around 17,000 cubic metres of water. Municipal treatment plants cannot cope with this volume of waste, and toxic halogenated byproducts can be created by the disinfection process.
Zhongde Liu, Tengfei Long, Shuang Wu and Chong Li
Analyst, 2015, 140, 5495-5500
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN00699F
Do you fancy submitting an article to Analyst? Why not submit to us here today or alternatively email us with your suggestions!
