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Microwave-assisted acid treatment for the mineral transformation of chrysotile as an alternative for asbestos waste management.

ABSTRACT: In this work, the effect of microwave-assisted acid treatments on the morphological and crystallochemical characteristics of chrysotile fibers is investigated. A low concentration of nitric acid (0.2 N) is used to remove Mg²⁺-species located in the octahedral sheet of its structure, thereby causing a crystallo-chemical change forming a skeleton of non-crystalline amorphous silica. This skeleton maintains an elongated morphology but characterized by rounded -not sharp-edges and porous surfaces whose physical resistance under stress is reduced when compared with the initial fibers of chrysotile, favoring a lower pathogenicity of the fibers. Thus, microwave-assisted acid treatment rise as a low-cost, fast and effective option in avoiding the dangerousness associated with asbestos waste management.

SUBMITTER: Essih S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11258100 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Microwave-assisted acid treatment for the mineral transformation of chrysotile as an alternative for asbestos waste management.

Essih Salima S Pardo Laura L Cecilia Juan Antonio JA Dos Santos-Gómez Lucía L Colodrero Rosario M P RMP Pozo Manuel M Calero Gustavo G Franco Francisco F

Environmental geochemistry and health 20240718 9

In this work, the effect of microwave-assisted acid treatments on the morphological and crystallochemical characteristics of chrysotile fibers is investigated. A low concentration of nitric acid (0.2 N) is used to remove Mg<sup>2+</sup>-species located in the octahedral sheet of its structure, thereby causing a crystallo-chemical change forming a skeleton of non-crystalline amorphous silica. This skeleton maintains an elongated morphology but characterized by rounded -not sharp-edges and porous ...[more]

PMID: 39023801

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Project description:Asbestos fiber exposure triggers chronic inflammation and cancer. Asbestos fibers can adsorb different types of proteins. The mechanism of this adsorption, not yet completely understood, has been studied in detail mainly with serum albumin and was shown to induce structural changes in the bound protein. The findings of these works regarded mainly the changes of the protein structure, independently of any relation with asbestos-related diseases. For the first time, we have focused our attention to the consequences of the interaction between asbestos fibers and ferritin, a protein involved in iron metabolism, which is strongly modified in asbestos-related diseases. Even if it is known that ferritin can be adsorbed by asbestos fibers, the results of this interaction for the ferritin secondary structure has not previously been studied. One consequence of asbestos-ferritin interaction, is the formation of the so-called ferruginous/asbestos bodies (ABs). In the AB-coating material, the secondary structure of ferritin is modified, and at present, it is unclear whether or not this modification is a direct consequence of the asbestos interaction. In the present study, chrysotile asbestos, more than other asbestos fiber types tested, was found to rapidly bind holo-ferritin, and the presence of iron seemed to play a key role in this process, since iron-free apo-ferritin was adsorbed at a lower level, and iron-saturated chrysotile lost its ferritin-adsorbing capacity. To directly study the details of ferritin adsorption on asbestos fibers, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) was employed together with FTIR microspectroscopy and Infrared nanoscopy, which to the best of our knowledge, have not previously been used for this purpose. Chrysotile-bound apo-ferritin underwent a significant change in secondary structure, showing a shift from a prevalent α-helix to a β-sheet conformation. Conversely, the adsorbed holo-ferritin structure appeared to be only weakly modified. These findings add a new potential mechanism to the toxic activities of asbestos: the fibers can modify the structure, and very likely, the function of adsorbed proteins. This, in relation to ferritin, could be a key mechanism in cell iron homeostasis alteration, typically reported in asbestos-related diseases.

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Microwave-assisted acid treatment for the mineral transformation of chrysotile as an alternative for asbestos waste management.

Publications

Microwave-assisted acid treatment for the mineral transformation of chrysotile as an alternative for asbestos waste management.

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