Athabasca tailings ponds contain over 1.2 trillion litres of toxic wastewater that grows daily. Conventional drying is slow and inefficient, so this research team developed a solar-heated cotton-layer device that accelerates evaporation by 400%. Their goal is to reclaim the contaminated land by rapidly reducing tailings volume.

This research examines how microbes in drinking water recover after UV disinfection. By adding nutrients to UV-treated samples and identifying microbes through DNA sequencing, the study tracks which organisms survive, regrow, and thrive over time. The goal is to improve treatment systems and ensure safer, more stable drinking water during distribution.

Athabasca tailings wastewater spans over 1.2 trillion litres, growing daily and damaging ecosystems. Current evaporation methods are slow and costly. This research introduces a simple, low-cost device using cotton towels and solar-heated thin-layer evaporation, increasing evaporation by 400%. The approach could help reclaim contaminated land and restore natural habitats.