Superfund Salvage
Christie Leece
Superfund Salvage is a research investigation into the possibilities for remediation and reuse of toxic soils. I am using mushrooms to mine heavy metals from Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal and transforming them into ceramic glazes.
This project is an investigation into the way we deal with urban environmental issues. Many of the current treatment plans for Superfund sites are actually temporary--designed to suspend or cap the toxins in cement for a hundred years or so and then, likely, forgotten. These contaminants are in the ground and water because of industrial practices and infrastructure, and were at one point or another, a valued resource or biproduct of fabrication. In response to the current plan to "fix" the Gowanus sediment with cement, this project proposes that the sediment is actually resource-rich and ripe for mining and reuse. The goal of my thesis is to research and test a different remediation model, where the toxins could be removed from the sediment and be used in a product that references its origins. I chose to focus on mycoremediation as an alternative method for extracting the heavy metals and treating the carcinogens because of the efficacy of the mushrooms over time and the low environmental impact of the treatment. From there I began testing possibilities for reuse of the metals and mushrooms in ceramic glazes.
Background
I began with background research--reading the EPA's Feasibility Study for the remediation of the Gowanus Canal, attending public meetings about the plan, and researching studies of mycoremediation. I also developed relationships with several experts on soil science, chemistry, and mycology. That research informed my experiments and the reuse scenario I settled on--ceramic glazes. I began by testing soil from the canal, and growing mushrooms in several different scenarios. I also processed the sediment from the canal into clay and a form of glaze with the guidance of several ceramicists.
Audience
People who are interested in environmental disasters.
User Scenario
The ideal scenario for this process is as follows: a toxic site is identified, mushrooms are planted on site, mushrooms grow and caps are harvested, mushroom caps (containing metals) are used in a glaze process with ceramics, ceramics are sold, money from sale is reinvested into remediation project.
Implementation
I began with background research--reading the EPA's Feasibility Study for the remediation of the Gowanus Canal, attending public meetings about the plan, and researching studies of mycoremediation. I also developed relationships with several experts on soil science, chemistry, and mycology. That research informed my experiments and the reuse scenario I settled on--ceramic glazes. I began by testing soil from the canal, and growing mushrooms in several different scenarios. I also processed the sediment from the canal into clay and a form of glaze with the guidance of several ceramicists.
I began thinking I would grow these mushrooms in the toxic soil and be able to easily extract the metals from the mushrooms using low molar acids or electrolysis. This turned out to be very laborious and also environmentally taxing, and incineration was the most viable option of reducing the mushroom mass. With that in mind, I shifted my focus to a reuse scenario that could use the mixed metals in concert with the incinerated mushrooms. I wanted to create something that spoke to its origin. I settled on ceramic glazes as the metals could be expressed in whatever mixture they are in to create a kind of toxic signature of the site. I then used these glazes on planters designed specifically to grow mushrooms.
Conclusion
Fourteen weeks is not a long time for a project that relies on growing mushrooms and learning to make ceramics. Both of these processes are labor intensive and require multiple steps. That being said, the feedback from citizens at EPA meetings and in talking with ceramicists has been almost universally positive. People are as concerned as I am about the ramifications of our current practices of remediation, and are open to new approaches. After graduation, I will be beginning a mycoremediation project outside in Brooklyn, and documenting and testing soil to help test the process on a larger scale. I will use the mushrooms grown on site to continue producing glazes.
Background
I began with background research--reading the EPA's Feasibility Study for the remediation of the Gowanus Canal, attending public meetings about the plan, and researching studies of mycoremediation. I also developed relationships with several experts on soil science, chemistry, and mycology. That research informed my experiments and the reuse scenario I settled on--ceramic glazes. I began by testing soil from the canal, and growing mushrooms in several different scenarios. I also processed the sediment from the canal into clay and a form of glaze with the guidance of several ceramicists.
Audience
People who are interested in environmental disasters.
User Scenario
The ideal scenario for this process is as follows: a toxic site is identified, mushrooms are planted on site, mushrooms grow and caps are harvested, mushroom caps (containing metals) are used in a glaze process with ceramics, ceramics are sold, money from sale is reinvested into remediation project.
Implementation
I began with background research--reading the EPA's Feasibility Study for the remediation of the Gowanus Canal, attending public meetings about the plan, and researching studies of mycoremediation. I also developed relationships with several experts on soil science, chemistry, and mycology. That research informed my experiments and the reuse scenario I settled on--ceramic glazes. I began by testing soil from the canal, and growing mushrooms in several different scenarios. I also processed the sediment from the canal into clay and a form of glaze with the guidance of several ceramicists.
I began thinking I would grow these mushrooms in the toxic soil and be able to easily extract the metals from the mushrooms using low molar acids or electrolysis. This turned out to be very laborious and also environmentally taxing, and incineration was the most viable option of reducing the mushroom mass. With that in mind, I shifted my focus to a reuse scenario that could use the mixed metals in concert with the incinerated mushrooms. I wanted to create something that spoke to its origin. I settled on ceramic glazes as the metals could be expressed in whatever mixture they are in to create a kind of toxic signature of the site. I then used these glazes on planters designed specifically to grow mushrooms.
Conclusion
Fourteen weeks is not a long time for a project that relies on growing mushrooms and learning to make ceramics. Both of these processes are labor intensive and require multiple steps. That being said, the feedback from citizens at EPA meetings and in talking with ceramicists has been almost universally positive. People are as concerned as I am about the ramifications of our current practices of remediation, and are open to new approaches. After graduation, I will be beginning a mycoremediation project outside in Brooklyn, and documenting and testing soil to help test the process on a larger scale. I will use the mushrooms grown on site to continue producing glazes.