SPECIFIC PHAGE PARTICLES FOR BIO-SORPTION OF HEAVY METALS IN WASTE WATERS

RESEARCHERS ARE DEVELOPING, BY USING PHAGE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY, BACTERIOPHAGE PARTICLES THAT SPECIFICALLY BIND HEAVY METALS (MERCURY AND CHROMIUM). RANDOM PHAGE LIBRARIES ARE BEING GENERATED BY CLONING DEGENERATE NUCLEOTIDES INTO GENES ENCODING COAT PROTEINS OF THE BACTERIOPHAGE M13. THE RESULTING PHAGE HAS ONE OF AS MANY AS 10(13) RANDOM PEPTIDES EXPOSED ON ITS SURFACE IN UP TO 2700 COPIES. THE RESULTING PHAGE PARTICLES ARE BEING SCREENED TO SELECT THOSE THAT SPECIFICALLY BIND HEAVY METALS. SELECTED PHAGE PARTICLES ARE BEING USED TO REMOVE METALS FROM A VARIETY OF WASTEWATERS INCLUDING THOSE GENERATED BY INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES, NUCLEAR FACILITIES, SOIL WASHING, AND IMPROPER STORAGE OR DISPOSAL OF WASTES. IT IS EXPECTED THAT USING PHAGE BINDING TO PRE-TREAT MIXED ORGANIC (ORGANICS + METALS) WASTES TO REMOVE METALS WILL ALLOW FOR THE SUCCESSFUL BIOTREATMENT OF MANY OF THE NATION'S HERETOFORE UNTREATABLE WASTE SITES. THE SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVIDE A PRECEDENT FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS TO REMEDIATE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT WASTES SUCH AS MIXED LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES (ORGANICS + RADIONUCLIDES). COMPLETION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL ALLOW THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMERCIALLY-VIABLE BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT SYSTEM FOR HAZARDOUS WASTES CONTAINING MIXTURES OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS AND HEAVY METALS.