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ORNL-led team identifies process that can break down toxic methylmercury

Posted at 1:34 pm July 3, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments. Microscopy images by Jeremy Semrau, University of Michigan. (Screenshot from a video by ORNL)

A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments. Microscopy images by Jeremy Semrau, University of Michigan. (Screenshot from a video by ORNL)

 

Note: This story was originally published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory on May 31.

A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk assessments.

Methylmercury is a neurotoxin that forms in nature when mercury interacts with certain microbes living in soil and waterways. It accumulates at varying levels in all fish—particularly large predatory fish such as tuna and swordfish—and, when consumed in large quantities, can potentially cause neurological damage and developmental disorders, especially in children.

A previous ORNL-led study, published in Science in 2013, unlocked the genetic code that led scientists to accurately identify microbes responsible for methylmercury production in the environment. Following this finding, the ORNL team has now discovered which bacteria perform the reverse process, called demethylation. Details are published in Science Advances.

“Much attention has focused on mercury methylation or how methylmercury forms, but few studies to date have examined microbial demethylation, or the breakdown of methylmercury at environmentally relevant conditions,” said Baohua Gu, co-author and a team lead in ORNL’s Mercury Science Focus Area. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alan DiSpirito, Baohua Gu, demethylation, DOE, Iowa State University, Jeremy Semrau, Linduo Zhao, mercury, Mercury Science Focus Area, methantrophs, Methlyosinus trichosporium OB3b, methylmercury, Methylmercury uptake and degradation by methanotrophs, Methylococcus capsulatus Bath, microbial process, Muhammad Farhan Ul Haque, neurotoxin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Office of Science, ORNL, Science Advances, toxic methylmercury, U.S. Department of Energy, University of Michigan, Wenyu Gu, Xia Lu

DOE investing $19 million in building efficiency, with four of 18 awards to ORNL

Posted at 7:51 pm July 19, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Ernest Moniz

Ernest Moniz

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Friday that it is investing $19 million to improve the efficiency of the nation’s homes, offices, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and stores. The projects will develop advanced building technologies that will help American consumers and businesses save money on their utility bills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs, a press release said.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory received four of the 18 awards.

Buildings are the largest energy consumer in the nation—accounting for more than 40 percent of the nation’s total energy demand and greenhouse emissions, and resulting in an annual energy bill totaling $430 billion, the press release said. On average, nearly a third of this energy is wasted. It’s estimated that if the U.S. reduced energy use in buildings by 20 percent, the nation could save nearly $80 billion annually on energy bills.

The 18 innovative projects announced Friday will develop sensors and energy modeling tools to make buildings smarter, reduce refrigerant leaks and improve the efficiency of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems, and produce a low-impact, gas-powered heat pump that can operate efficiently in colder climates. The projects will also support renewable energy market penetration through energy storage, pinpoint air leaks and reduce energy losses through the building envelope, and cut electricity use by transmitting sunlight to building interiors, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: air-conditioning, building efficiency, building technologies, Carnegie Mellon University, Clemson University, Columbia University, EERE, energy bills, Energy Department, energy use, Ernest Moniz, Glint Photonics, heating, HVAC, Ingersoll Rand, Iowa State University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, LBNL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Optimized Thermal Systems, ORNL, PARC, refrigeration, sensors and controls, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, University of California–Berkeley, University of Miami, ventilation

Top neutron scientists named to positions at ORNL

Posted at 8:04 pm August 26, 2013
By Oak Ridge National Laboratory Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Neutron Sciences Directorate, or NScD, home organization for the Spallation Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope Reactor, has filled two high-level administrative positions with leaders in the neutron scattering field.

Rob McQueeney, recently with Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory, has been named NScD’s deputy associate laboratory director. Alan Tennant, currently with the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin in Germany, has been named chief scientist for the NScD. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Science, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Alan Tennant, Ames Laboratory, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, HFIR, High Flux Isotope Reactor, Iowa State University, Kelly Beierschmitt, Los Alamos National Laboratory, neutron scattering, Neutron Sciences, Neutron Sciences Directorate, NScD, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Rob McQueeney, SNS, Spallation Neutron Source, U.S. Department of Energy

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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