The design of a bioengineered treatment process for the bioremediation of asbestos contaminated wastes

Abstract

Since 1900, approximately 200 million tonnes of asbestos have been produced globally until 2015. Asbestos is often incorporated into building materials to increase their strength, heat/fire resistance and electrical insulation but is rarely used in its natural form (with a few exceptions such as Mr Fluffy insulation, Australia). Assuming asbestos contaminated waste contains 5% asbestos, the total global mass of this hazardous waste is estimated to be around 4 billion tonnes. However, this figure does not include asbestos contaminated soils, which if included, could vastly increase the 4 billion tonnes. Currently there are limited options available for the safe long-term disposal of asbestos contaminated waste. For countries, such as the Pacific Island nations with poor landfill conditions or landfill at or near capacity; the issues are more acute. Evidence has shown that inorganic minerals such as asbestos may be metabolised for energy in a process known as bioweathering. It has also been observed that plants and lichens can develop spontaneously on asbestos rich substrates. In addition, subsequent colonisation by mature plant communities may completely cover asbestos-rich debris which can play an important role in limiting fibre dispersion. These observations and other recent findings have indicated that there may be better options for the long-term disposal of asbestos contaminated waste, including bioremediation. These possibilities can provide low cost, safe, long-term disposal options which may be used in a variety of locations and may also benefit those countries with limited land availability. This thesis focuses on the design and construction of a bioengineered treatment process for the remediation of asbestos contaminated waste. Specifically, the study will aim to replicate the optimum conditions for the active bioremediation of asbestos containing wastes including bioweathering, phytoremediation and degradation by higher organisms within a bioengineered system.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English
Supervisor	Charles Lemckert (Supervisor) & Robyn Hardy (Supervisor)