E. Coli Can Be Used To Clean Up Nuclear Waste

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E. Coli Can Be Used To Clean Up Nuclear Waste

Posted by kdawson on Monday September 21, 2009 @09:05PM from the make-yourself-useful dept.

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.

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Just cuddling by Goffee71 · 2009-09-21 21:08 · Score: 4, Funny

Surely the e-coli just wants to cuddle up to something warm, nothing unusual in that

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If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
I for one... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-21 21:14 · Score: 3, Funny

I for one welcome our new radioactive, disease spreading overlords!
Radioactive e-coli? by Thanshin · 2009-09-21 21:22 · Score: 4, Funny

Someone's bound to get bitten, and then what?
Will e-coliman protect us from the villains?
1. Re:Radioactive e-coli? by MadKeithV · 2009-09-21 23:56 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I prefer bacteriophageman.
  He's got that dark, brooding, lone wolf hero thing going.
2. Re:Radioactive e-coli? by Jesus_666 · 2009-09-22 05:11 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I, myself, am partial to the name "Diarrheaper".
  
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  USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
Ingenious by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-21 21:23 · Score: 5, Funny

So a combined chemical and biological threat can defeat a nuclear one, after all!
1. Re:Ingenious by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-21 22:00 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  Truly the modern age has arrived when rock, paper, scissors is replaced by chemical, biological and nuclear...
2. Re:Ingenious by selven · 2009-09-21 22:36 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  If you ever find yourself in a chemical, biological nuclear zone with a guy shooting you in the head every five seconds or so, take out your laptop and read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_immortality
3. Re:Ingenious by kalirion · 2009-09-22 02:09 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Dude, how many universes must you post that in? Give it a rest already!
Bad timing by celibate+for+life · 2009-09-21 21:26 · Score: 4, Funny

Had they discovered that a couple of years ago they could have used all that e-coli infested frozen spinach that went to waste!
1. Re:Bad timing by master5o1 · 2009-09-21 21:44 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Children are not bacteria. They may seem like it some times, but they're not.
  
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  signature is pants
Hah! then... by garompeta · 2009-09-21 21:33 · Score: 4, Funny

Does it mean that McDonalds is a safe place to hide in a nuclear war?
1. Re:Hah! then... by Centurix · 2009-09-21 21:44 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I'd say the nuclear waste has a shorter half life than a McDonalds burger. The waste is probably easier to digest for the poor thing. Think of the E.Coli!
  
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  Task Mangler
2. Re:Hah! then... by Thanshin · 2009-09-21 21:58 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  When hunger comes, you'll eat anything.
  I mean, sooner or later you'll have no more corpses, and then, you'll have to choose between McDonalds and Spam.
  The radiation inmunity just tips the balance to the clown pit.
Oh, Well... by blcamp · 2009-09-21 21:33 · Score: 2, Funny

Shit happens.

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The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
Critical mess by Anonymous Coward · 2009-09-21 21:58 · Score: 3, Funny

One day we will find out that e-coli prefers uranium-235, not long after it happens to make a nice deposit of this benign material.
nucular. by thhamm · 2009-09-21 22:22 · Score: 3, Funny

i'm sorry, but it's pronounced 'nucular'.
Finally a use for all the defunct petting zoos! by Tony+Hoyle · 2009-09-21 23:15 · Score: 2, Funny

Just build petting zoos on top of nuclear waste dumps. Problem solved!
Naturally by bytesex · 2009-09-21 23:41 · Score: 4, Funny

Uranium is the element named after Uranus, right ? No wonder it attracts E.Coli.

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Religion is what happens when nature strikes and groupthink goes wrong.
Obligatory Futurama reference by Snarky+McButtface · 2009-09-22 02:38 · Score: 2, Funny

How will this affect my nuclear piles?