Alice Carle, a PhD student at UQAM under the supervision of Professors Maikel Rosabal and Marc Amyot.
Project summary
Her project focuses on the platinum group metals at the heart of the issues of transition, decarbonization and resilience. At a time when our society is trying to reduce its use of fossil fuels, the demand for certain rare metals is exploding. This is the case for platinum and palladium, metals used in exhaust pipes to limit pollution. Quebec has large reserves of these metals and is working to make their use more sustainable. But these metals are not without consequences: they end up in the environment, particularly in rivers, where they can disturb aquatic organisms. At present, there is a lack of data on their toxicity, which makes it impossible to properly assess the risks or to introduce protection standards. The aim of this project is therefore to gain a better understanding of the effects of these metals on the environment. By studying how they interact with living organisms, we can improve pollution monitoring, encourage recycling and better protect our ecosystems.