A Preliminary Investigation into the Degradation of Asbestos Fibres in Soils, Rocks and Building Materials Associated with Naturally Occurring Biofilms

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aut.relation.issue1
aut.relation.journalMinerals
aut.relation.startpage106
aut.relation.volume14
dc.contributor.authorBerry, TA
dc.contributor.authorWallis, S
dc.contributor.authorDoyle, E
dc.contributor.authorde Lange, P
dc.contributor.authorSteinhorn, G
dc.contributor.authorVigliaturo, R
dc.contributor.authorBelluso, E
dc.contributor.authorBlanchon, D
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-05T22:50:13Z
dc.date.available2024-03-05T22:50:13Z
dc.date.issued2024-01-19
dc.description.abstractBioremediation utilizes living organisms such as plants, microbes and their enzymatic products to reduce toxicity in xenobiotic compounds. Microbial-mediated bioremediation is cost effective and sustainable and in situ application is easily implemented. Either naturally occurring metabolic activity can be utilized during bioremediation for the degradation, transformation or accumulation of substances, or microbial augmentation with non-native species can be exploited. Despite the perceived low potential for the biological degradation of some recalcitrant compounds, successful steps towards bioremediation have been made, including with asbestos minerals, which are prevalent in building stock (created prior to the year 2000) in New Zealand. Evidence of the in situ biodegradation of asbestos fibres was investigated in samples taken from a retired asbestos mine, asbestos-contaminated soils and biofilm or lichen-covered asbestos-containing building materials. Microbial diversity within the biofilms to be associated with the asbestos-containing samples was investigated using internal transcribed spacer and 16S DNA amplicon sequencing, supplemented with isolation and culturing on agar plates. A range of fungal and bacterial species were found, including some known to produce siderophores. Changes to fibre structure and morphology were analysed using Transmission Electron Microscopy and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Chrysotile fibrils from asbestos-containing material (ACMs), asbestos-containing soils, and asbestos incorporated into lichen material showed signs of amorphisation and dissolution across their length, which could be related to biological activity.
dc.identifier.citationMinerals, ISSN: 2075-163X (Print); 2075-163X (Online), MDPI, 14(1), 106-. doi: 10.3390/min14010106
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/min14010106
dc.identifier.issn2075-163X
dc.identifier.issn2075-163X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/17294
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.urihttps://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/14/1/106
dc.rights© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccess
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject37 Earth Sciences
dc.subject40 Engineering
dc.subject3705 Geology
dc.subject4019 Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy
dc.subject0403 Geology
dc.subject0502 Environmental Science and Management
dc.subject0914 Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy
dc.subject3705 Geology
dc.subject4019 Resources engineering and extractive metallurgy
dc.titleA Preliminary Investigation into the Degradation of Asbestos Fibres in Soils, Rocks and Building Materials Associated with Naturally Occurring Biofilms
dc.typeJournal Article
pubs.elements-id538466
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