E. Coli Can Be Used To Clean Up Nuclear Waste

jerryjamesstone writes "Researchers have found that E. coli can be used to recover uranium from tainted waters and can even be used to clean up nuclear waste. Using the bacteria along with inositol phosphate, the bacteria breaks down the phosphate — also called phytic acid — to free the phosphate molecules. The phosphate then binds to the uranium forming a uranium-phosphate precipitate on the cells of the bacteria. Those cells can then be harvested to recover the uranium." What has made this 14-year-old process economically feasible is the use of inositol phosphate, which is a cheap waste material from the production feedstock from plant material.

Re:depressing...

[mayko]

It is a solution for a pop culture non-problem. What I mean by that is... All of the people who are irrationally scared of the word "nuclear" have the same fearful position on nuclear power.

"What do we do with the waste? Not in my back yard!!!"

"The run off from uranium mining can rape the local flora. Not in my back yard!!!"

It isn't about solving some huge looming problem. It is about pacification of people's irrational fears so we can actually build nuclear power plants and stop spewing mercury and radioactive ash into the air. Shit, we could even use the plants to split water for hydrogen fuel... then again "hydrogen" is scary too.

If this "solution" can be used to convince people we have all of our all of our bases covered, then it is a very good thing.