Alternatives to landfill
We suggest that there is room for improvement in the handling of waste, particularly hazardous asbestos waste. The current method of packaging asbestos waste in plastic, covering it with soil, and sealing it is not a foolproof solution; instead, it leaves behind a massive and toxic legacy for future generations. Existing waste management practices hinder the natural conversion of highly hazardous substances into potentially less harmful forms. Our proposal is based on evidence indicating that a combination of microbial weathering and phytoremediation could offer a partial remedy for asbestos fibers and asbestos-contaminated materials. This research is in its preliminary stages and requires further investigation before it can be tested at pilot scale. The image below is an example of just one possibility for the final design of the pilot scale plant.
Unlike conventional approaches, this innovative method harnesses the power of nature to transform hazardous substances. The perpetual iron sink created by plant growth has the potential to prompt microbes to continuously release chelating molecules. This process could effectively reduce the iron content that renders asbestos fibers carcinogenic. Utilizing bioremediation techniques offers numerous advantages, including low energy consumption, scalability, conservation of ecosystems, and suitability for locations lacking sophisticated waste management facilities. Employing bioremediation for inorganic substances like asbestos represents a novel and promising strategy that could potentially extend to address concerns related to other asbestiform minerals, such as erionite.
From Wallis et al. 2020. Challenging Global Waste Management – Bioremediation to Detoxify Asbestos
To remediate asbestos-containing waste, our plan involves creating a supportive environment for an ecosystem that includes bacteria, fungi, and plants. Our goal is to understand how to establish optimal conditions for this process, allowing it to proceed efficiently over brief yet beneficial timescales. This novel research will be undertaken in collaboration with a wide range of academic institutions, such as University of Torino (Italy), University of Pennsylvania (USA), University of New South Wales (Australia), Southern Cross University (Australia), University of Otago, Auckland University of Technology and Unitec.