Congratulations Shauna

Congratulations Shauna, the team at Earth Environmental & Geotechnical are super proud of your work!!

Dr. Shauna McLoughlin, our Principal Geo-Environmental Consultant based at Earth Environmental & Geotechnical’s Head Office in Stockport, has recently published a paper in Soil Systems Journal. Selenium Uptake from Livestock Pasture Extremely Enriched in Selenium, Molybdenum and Uranium: A Field and X-ray Absorption Study.

Selenium uptake and accumulation in plants is important to human and animal health as plants are the main dietary source of this vital micronutrient. Whereas selenium deficiency is a widespread problem, Se toxicity is a localised but serious issue in certain areas of the world.
The research focussed on the agricultural soils of West Limerick, Ireland which contain very localised, extremely high natural Se concentrations that reach levels that are very toxic to grazing livestock. The Carboniferous shales that formed in anoxic deep-water marine environments are the source of the selenium, which, along with the other redox-sensitive elements of molybdenum, uranium, arsenic and vanadium, were mobilised and reprecipitated in post-glacial anoxic marshes. The result has been a history of selenosis and molybdenosis in livestock in this important dairy province.

Shauna’s work, with the research team highlighted that the hyperaccumulating Brassica oleracea species could be used to extract both the Se and Mo to reduce the toxicity of the blighted fields. The paper is a fascinating read and the resultant research could have a significant impact on farming in areas where pasture grasses take up both the Se and Mo in significant amounts, making it bioavailable for livestock at toxic levels.

This research paper highlights how the Brassica species studied can accumulate both selenium and molybdenum in concentrations throughout the plant, demonstrating how effective they could be for the phytoremediation of seleniferous soils.