EM:/ Tons of Dow dioxin soil removed from park

Friends,
Dr. Chaney has indeed a solid reputation for finding solutions using 
biological tools.  As an aside, the email string brings to mind a technique 
that was described to me a number of years ago about dealing with resistant 
organic contaminants - it involved using manure, hydrogen peroxide and table 
sugar.  The contaminated soil was to be re-tested by DNR (back when that was 
all there was).  After the initial finding the owner was advised to visit 
his local pharmacy and grocery store and then mix the contaminated soil with 
manure, sugar peroxide and cover with a tarp.  Approx a week later, DNR 
acused the owner of secretly removing the contamination because there was no 
evidence of it.  The suggestion for treatment came from one of the Mich TSCC 
commissioners.  Dave Dempsey, might you guess who that was? :>)
Regards,
Chuck

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lowell Prag" <lprag at mail.msen.com>
To: <enviro-mich at great-lakes.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: EM:/ Tons of Dow dioxin soil removed from park


On Sat, July 25, 2009 2:04 pm, Larry Nooden wrote:

... see below ...

Greetings,

If you want more insight on bioremediation, there is a wealth of knowledge
available on the US Composting Council open public forum. I would pose the
question of the practicality of Phanerochaete chrysosporium to them.

Especially knowledgeable is Dr. Rufus Chaney, one of the head researchers
at the USDA and a world expert on all things related to composting and
bioremediation.

To post to their forum, you first have to register:

http://mailman.cloudnet.com/mailman/listinfo/compost

Although Phanerochaete chrysosporium is not a mushroom per se, I would
also consult the fungus expert Paul Stamets who recently wrote the
bioremediation book,  "Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The
World", as he is most certainly aware of Phanerochaete chrysosporium.

Here's his book:

http://www.amazon.com/Mycelium-Running-Mushrooms-Help-World/dp/1580085792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248550056&sr=1-1

He also is the owner of Fungi Perfecti which sells everything relating to
mushrooms, including spawn to grow your own shitakes, etc. which I have
been doing for years, not for remediation but to eat, preferably sauteed
in a little olive oil with garlic.

Here's his site with contact info:

http://www.fungi.com

Regards,

Lowell Prag

-----------------

On Sat, July 25, 2009 2:04 pm, Larry Nooden wrote:

These white rot fungi decompose the lignin (brownish) in wood leaving a
white mostly cellulosic residue behind.  Lignin is a polymer of aromatic
rings bearing some resemblance to dioxin and some other (but not all)
pollutants, and the enzymes that degrade lignin can also attack dioxin et
al.   I think the trick is to keep the fungi going in the polluted soil  I
do not know how well that is going.

On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:40:39 -0400, "The Henry's" <gehenry at chartermi.net>
wrote:
> I've heard talks about that in the past, but don't think they have found
> anything yet that works well enough.
>
> Kathy Henry
> www.trwnews.net
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: James Lang
>   To: Kathy & Gary Henry ; enviro-mich at great-lakes.net
>   Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 9:54 AM
>   Subject: RE: EM:/ Tons of Dow dioxin soil removed from park
>
>
>   As long as Dow is allowed to dump dioxin in landfills, why not try
>   bioremediation?
>
>   Removing soil or dredging doesn't make toxins go away.  It simply
removes
>   the contaminants from river bottoms, river banks and flood plains and
>   places them in slurry pits or landfills.
>
>   Consider white rot fungus, P hanerochaete chrysosporium, named for the
>   white seams of pure cellulose the fungus separates in decomposing
> wood.

>   Several years ago, at the Department of Energy's Joint Genome
> Institute
>   in Walnut Creek, California, scientists took a long, hard look at
> white
>   rot fungus.  They found that, of the hundreds of enzymes in the
> fungus,
>   some are able to disassemble toxic chemicals like PCBs, PCP, PAHs and
>   dioxin.
>
>   The operative word here is "disassemble."  Many plants absorb toxins
>   intact.  White rot fungus breaks down harmful compounds into benign
>   derivatives.  This trait has been attributed to some other fungi, as
>   well.
>
>   We should harness this characteristic in a practical application to
>   eliminate dangerous chemicals in landfills, old industrial sites and
>   dredging pits once and for all.
>
>   --  Jim Lang
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   From: gehenry at chartermi.net
>   To: enviro-mich at great-lakes.net
>   Date: Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:08:34 -0400
>   Subject: Re: EM:/ Tons of Dow dioxin soil removed from park
>
>
>   Yes, it's very sad.  EPA is allowing the dioxin to be dumped every
>   where.---
>
>
>   "EPA officials say that picnic tables have been painted, playground
>   equipment has been washed and 17,370 tons of dioxin-contaminated soil
has
>   been removed and dumped at Waste Managementâ?Ts Peopleâ?Ts landfill in
>   Birch Run".
>
>
http://michiganmessenger.com/23618/17370-tons-of-dow-dioxin-contaminated-soil-removed-from-park-hot-spot
>
>   Dumped with regular garbage.  Let's spread the love..
>
>   Kathy Henry
>     ----- Original Message -----
>
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enviro-mich is hosted by the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN):

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All views and opinions presented above are solely those of the author
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the Great Lakes Commission.

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