Researchers in South America have studied the viability of using earthworms to process hazardous material containing high concentrations of heavy metal for the bioremediation of old industrial sites, landfill and other potentially hazardous areas. Worms are probably the gardener's best friend and they have been encouraged to process garden waste and soil for generations. The common earthworm could also become a useful tool in the processing and safe management of hazardous solid and liquid wastes with high metal content, according to chemist Lué Merú Marcó Parra of the Universidad Centro Occidental Lisandro Alvarado in Cabudare, Venezuela, and colleagues there and in Argentina. The team has carried out two studies on the use of worms in treating waste. The team first used compost produced by worms, vermicompost, as a successful adsorbent substrate for remediation of wastewater contaminated with the metals nickel, chromium, vanadium and lead. The second used earthworms directly for remediation of arsenic and mercury present in landfill soils and demonstrated an efficiency of 42% to 72% in approximately two weeks for arsenic removal and 7.5% to 30.2% for mercury removal in the same time period. Earthworms could offer an inexpensive and effective bioremediation alternative to complex and costly industrial cleanup methods
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101206101241.htm
I think this is a really great idea. One question that I thought of while reading this was, what effect does this metal have on worms when they digest it? Like, does it mess up their genes or harm them? I like how scientists are finding natural ways to get rid of problems we've created like the worms rating heavy metals. I wonder if there is something out there that could help with radioactive materials from coal sludge or power plants or something.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that exact same question but the article didn't say so I don't know, sorry. I also like that scientist are making an effort to fix mistakes and all but I even more think they should just find alternative solutions so no mistakes are made in the first place.
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