SanjayK.Mohanty,Ph.D.UniversityofPennsylvaniaApril04,2016

BIOREMEDIATIONOFASBESTOS

Asbestos roof

Asbestos

• Naturallyoccurringfibrousminerals

• Industrialuse:heat-andabrasion-resistantmaterials;roof,insulator;winefiltration…

AsbestosPile,Ambler,PA

http://www.boritcag.org/photo/index.html

Asbestos

• Exposuretoasbestoscancauseasbestosis,mesothelioma,andlungcancer.

• IntheUS,30peopledieeachdayduetoasbestos-relateddisease.

Whyisasbestostoxic?

Physicalstructure•  Rigidity•  LongfiberChemicalproperties•  Ironenhancesasbestostoxicity

Histologicalexaminationofhumanlungtissuewithasbestosbodies.(Pascoloetal.2013ScientificReport)

Whyis(free)irontoxic?

Goal

Tolowerasbestosexposurepotentialtocommunitybytreatingtheasbestosfibersunderground.ü  Decreasefiber

toxicityü  Breakdownfiber

BestRemediationPlan:Capping

April2015

VegetativecoverGE-Pittsfield/HousatonicRiverSite

Canweremoveironandbreakdownasbestosundergroundusingplant(nativegrass)?

Mycorrhizal fungi

O

-O

O

O-

O

O-

O

-O

OH

O

O-

O O-

O

-O

N

N

N

HO

HO

OH

O

O

O

HN

NH

H2N

OO

O

-O

O

O-

Exudates

FeCa

Plantsneedfungitogetnutrientslockedinmineralsorrocks.

http://creating-a-new-earth.blogspot.com/2014_12_01_archive.html

“TheWorld'sLargestMiningOperationIsRunbyFungi”

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/the-world-s-largest-mining-operation-is-run-by-fungi/

Wheredowetypicallyusefungi?

Materialsq AsbestosFiber(Chrysotile) q PlantandFungalExudates

Desferrioxamine B (DFO-B) siderophore

N

N

N

HO

HO

OH

O

O

O

HN

NH

H2N

OO

Chrysotileore(Globe,Arizona)

Plantandfungalexudatescanremoveironfromasbestosfibers

N

N

N

HO

HO

OH

O

O

O

HN

NH

H2N

OO

Mohanty et al.(2016 b) In Preparation!

A sustainable remediation design!

Ongoingwork

• Greatstart,butwehavealong-waytogo

• Phytoremediationusingnativegrass

• Possiblefieldexperimentatadifferentsite

Remediationofasbestos-contaminatedsite

Cap

Subsurface leakage

Asbestos fibers

Erosion

ABetterStrategy?

CurrentRemediationPlan

Reduction in toxicity and mobility of asbestos fibers

Plants

Acknowledgements

Prof. Jane Willenbring!Earth and Environmental Science!

U. of Pennsylvania!

Prof. Brenda Casper!Biology Department!U. of Pennsylvania!

Ashkan Salamatipour!(Pre-med Student)!U. of Pennsylvania!

Dr. Cedric Gonneau!Postdoctoral Scholar!U. of Pennsylvania!