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Rutgers symposium on lunar settlements 3-8 June 2007 Rutgers University

Rutgers symposium on lunar settlements 3-8 June 2007 Rutgers University. A simple differential production method of silicon utilizing organisms for future use in lunar settlements Satadal Das Peerless Hospital & B. K. Roy Research Centre Kolkata, India.

mitchell-jeremiah
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Rutgers symposium on lunar settlements 3-8 June 2007 Rutgers University

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  1. Rutgers symposium on lunar settlements 3-8 June 2007 Rutgers University A simple differential production method of silicon utilizing organisms for futureuse in lunar settlements Satadal Das Peerless Hospital & B. K. Roy Research Centre Kolkata, India

  2. Silicon utilizing organisms are probably the fittest living creatures having a capacity of survival in extraterrestrial situations where they can tolerate more environmental stress and strain than their equals on Earth. One can also classify them according to their silicon utilizing capacity.

  3. 50 45 40 35 30 Earth 25 % Moon 20 15 10 5 0 Oxygen Silicon Aluminium Iron Calcium Magnesium Others Abundance of chemicals on earth and moon

  4. It is well known that organisms with high silicon content can survive in extremes of temperature, pressure and radiation. In fact, Reynolds described temperature tolerance of silicon compounds in living creatures as early as in 1893. Thus organisms with high silicon content can aptly be utilized within artificial environments in extraterrestrial situations. There are distinct Silicon accumulator plants like Cyperaceae, Graminae, Juncaceae and Moquiles spp. Organisms like marine phytoplanktons, marine brown algae, ‘horsetails’, foraminifera and porifera contain enough silicon, in the range of 60,000-4,37,000 mg per kg dry matter, and bacteria contain about 180 mg silicon per Kg dry matter.

  5. There is a long list of silicon utilizing organisms. • PROTOZOA • Chrysomonadida • Silicoflagellida • Heterochlorida • Ebriida • Lobosia • Arcellinida, Arcella, Difflugia • Gromiida

  6. PROTOZOA • Radiolaria • Porulosida • Oculosida • Centrohelida • Desmothoracida

  7. SPONGES (PORIFERA) Hexactinellida Euplectella (Venus’s flower basket) Hyalonema ( Glass rope sponge) Pheronema Demospongia Cliona Poterion Pachychalina Spongilla

  8. ALGAE Division : Chrysophycophyta Class : Chrysophyceae (golden–brown algae) Order : Rhizochrysidales Chrysamoeba Ochromonas Class : Bacillariophyceae (yellow–green algae) Diatoms Class : Xanthophyceae (yellow–green algae) Vaucheria LICHENS –All variety, Crustose, Foliose, Frutiose.

  9. FUNGI • Aspergillus • Penicillium • Alternaria • Cladosporium PLANTS • Dryland grasses such as oats and rye • Wetland Grasses • Bamboo e.g. Bambusa glaucesscens • Chlorophytum comosum (Spider Plant) • Anthurium scherzerianum (Flemingo Lily) • Calathea makoyana (Peacock Plant) • Aechmea fasciata (Silver Vase)

  10. Spathipyllum (Peace Lily) • Nephrolepsis exaltata (Boston Fern) • Asparagus seteceus (Asparagus Fern) • Equisetum arvense (Horsetail) • Bambusa glaucescens (Bamboo) • Agave Americana (Century Plant) • Chamaedorea elegans (Parlor Palm) • Codiaeum variegatium (Croton) • Howea forsteriana (Kentia Palm) • Schefflera actinophylla (Umbrella Tree)

  11. Syngonium podophyllum (Arrowhead Plant) • Hedera helix (Ivy) • Cordyline terminalis (Ti plant) good luck plant • Hedera helix (Tree Ivy, Pia) • Hypoestes phyllostachya (Pink Splash) • Gynura aurantiaca (Purple Passion) • Ficus benjamina (Weeping Fig) • Philodendron scandens (Philodendron) • Acalypha pendula (Red-hot cat’s tail) • Aglaonema commutatum (Chinese Evergreen) • Cyperus alternifolius (Umbrella Sedge) • Peperomia clusifolia (Baby Rubber Plant) • Epipremnum aureum (Pothos) • Dieffenbachia maculata (Dumb Cane) • Dracaena deremensis (Dragon Tree) • Dracaena marginata (Dragon Tree)

  12. Rice Oryza sativa • Sugarcane • Wheat • Citrus • Strawberry • Cucumber • Tomato • Rose • BACTERIA • Almost all gram positive bacteria

  13. There are some similarities between carbon and silicon as they both belong to period IV of the periodic table. Although carbon compounds are abundantly found in living creatures on Earth and they are the basis of evolution of life on earth, there was at least a minor role of silicon compounds in the development of the primitive forms of life when the earth was quite inhospitable for the development of carbon based life. Trevors (1997) Bacterial evolution and silicon. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek, 71(3):271-6.

  14. Silicon utilizing organisms when cultivated on medium prepared with carbon free constituents containing little nitrogen and phosphates they could grow better after repeated subcultures probably with the help of a trace amount of carry-over carbon during inoculation procedures.

  15. When silicon level was studied by electron prove microanalyser after thorough washing steps we find that silicon in cells grown in carbon free silicate medium was 24.9% while when they were on conventional carbon based medium they contain only 0.84% silicon.

  16. In a series of studies by us we find that many gram-positive bacteria and fungi can grow on silicate medium prepared with carbon free chemicals. In almost all cases initial growth was earlier on silicate medium, however, further growth was not good on carbon- free silicate medium. Das et al (1992) Metabolism of silicon as a probable pathogenecity factor for Mycobacterium and Nocardia Sp. Indian J. Medical Research (A) 95,59 – 65. Das S (1995) “ Silicon utilization” – an important pathogenecity marker of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Japanese J. Clinical Pathology, 43 (Supple.), 261. Das et al (2000) Role of silicon in modulating the internal morphology and growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Indian J. Tuberculosis. 47: 2000, 87-91.

  17. Organisms (Gram positive bacteria can grow on carbon-free silicate medium) Average no. of days required for appearance of growth on carbon free silicate medium Average no. of days required for appearance of growth on carbon-based routine medium Mycobacterium marinum 1 1 M.scrofulaceum 3 10 M. flavescens 3 5 M. gordonae 3 3 M. avium 3 10 M. intracellulare 10 10 M. terrae 5 5

  18. M. triviale 5 5 M. xenopi 10 12 M. fortuitum 1 1 M. smegmatis 2 1 M. tuberculosis 3 7 Bacillus subtilis 1 1 B. pumilus 1 1 Lactobacillus casei 1 1 Streptomyces rimosus 5 1 S. venezuale 7 1

  19. Nocardia asteroides 3 2 N. braziliensis 3 1 N. caviae 3 1 Penicillium notatum 1 1 Aspergillus spp. 1 1 Rhizopus spp. 10 1 Trochophyton rubrum 3 1 T. violaceum 3 1 T. tonsurans 3 1 T. mentagrophytes 3 1

  20. Fungi when grown on carbon free medium they produced peculiar morphological patterns which are hitherto unknown to us.

  21. Penicillium spp. Aspergillus spp. Aspergillus spp. Mucor spp. Penicillium spp. Epidermophyton spp. Epidermophyton spp. Trichophyton spp. Streptomyces spp. Streptomyces spp.

  22. Silicon utilizing microorganisms can grow in anaerobic condition. They can tolerate different types of radiations. It was found that although there are some metabolic changes in silicon utilizing microorganisms in radiation, its gives a positive impact on the nutritional quality owing to reduction of C:P ratio.

  23. Commercial gardening experiment in international space stations indicated that seed to seed life cycle is possible in space. Plants may help in bioregenerative life support system to perform chemistry of life support. Plants not only release precious oxygen but they also help in recycle drinking water. Microgravity situation may induce less lignin formation in plants but this will not prevent growth of these organisms

  24. It was also found that when titanium is present the growth of silicon utilizing organisms were more on solid medium while the growth was less in liquid medium. This creates an unique opportunity on lunar surface where both silicon and titanium are present.

  25. Silicon utilizing organisms can thrive in sodium metasilicate (SM) solution as high as up to 4% concentration. To confine common silicon utilizing organisms from the environment for future use in lunar settlements one has to prepare SM solutions of four different concentrations- 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 4%. After preparation of such solutions in plastic containers one has to keep them in a greenhouse for as long as 5 years. Different varieties of organisms will grow in different concentrations- from a light green color growth in 0.5% SM solution, yellow color growth in 1% SM solution, orange color growth in 2% SM solution and a scanty whitish color growth in 4% SM solution.

  26. Besides many unknown microorganisms, algae are present in every solution but are of different kinds. Diatoms of diverse varieties are found in profound numbers in 0.5% and 2% SM solutions; plenty unknown acid-fast bacilli are also found in 1% SM solution

  27. Growth in 0.5% Silicate Solution

  28. Growth in 2% Silicate Solution

  29. Algal Growth in Control and 0.5% Silicate Solution Control 0.5% silicate

  30. Algal Growth in 1.0% and 2.0% Silicate Solutions 2.0% silicate 1.0% silicate

  31. Diatoms in 0.5% and 2.0% Silicate Solutions 0.5% silicate 2.0% silicate

  32. Anaerobic Growth Mainly in 0.5% and 1.0% Silicate Solution Control 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% 4.0%

  33. Unidentified Anaerobic Bacteria in Silicate Solution

  34. Unidentified Acid-fast Bacillary Growth in 1% Silicate Solution

  35. Fungal Growth in Control, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 4.0% Silicate Solutions

  36. Scanty Growth of Unknown Microorganisms in 4% Silicate Solution

  37. 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Control Silicate 0.5% Silicate1.0% Silicate 2.0% Silicate 4.0% pH changes in Silicate solutions after Growth of Silicon-utilising Microorganisms pH

  38. 80 70 60 50 Green algae Brown algae % 40 Blue green algae Red algae 30 Relative diatom masses 20 10 0 Control Silicate 0.5% Silicate 1.0% Silicate 2.0% Silicate 4.0% Phytoplanktons in Different Silicate Solutions

  39. 800 700 600 500 Chloride Sulfate 400 mg/L Nitrate -Nitrogen Iron 300 200 100 0 Control Silicate 0.5% Silicate 1.0% Silicate 2.0% Silicate 4.0% Chemical Changes in Silicate Solutions after Growth of Silicon-utilising Microorganisms

  40. The south pole for our primary lunar settlement

  41. A simple protocol may be followed to use these silicate-utilizing organisms in lunar settlements. After providing minimum essential requirements for life in lunar extraterrestrial situation, these organisms may be utilized. Otherwise the protocol may be followed directly on a lunar crater to allow the organisms to find out a suitable zone for their growth.

  42. Lunar Crater Protocol : Step 1 : Microterraforming on moon In the initial venture antibiosis between various species should be prevented. Thus phytoplankton should be used before zooplanktons. Diatoms of Eu-eurytherm variety of Nitzschia and Chaetoceros group may be selected initially. Then golden algae grown in 2% and then algae grown in 0.5%SM solutions may be scattered to boost up the algal inhabitants.

  43. Other silicon-utilizing algae Silicon-utilizing bacteria Eu-eurytherm silicon-utilizing algae Diatoms

  44. Step 1a : Eu-eurytherm phase 3-12 months • Nitzschia Subcurvata • N. Curta • N. Cylindrus • N. Prolongatoides • N. Pneudonana • Chaetoceros Dichaeta • C. Neglectus

  45. Step 1b : High silicon utilizing algal phase 3-12 months Algae grown in 2.0% silicate Step 1c : Low silicon utilizing algal phase 3-12 months Algae grown in 0.5% silicate Step 1d : Lichens and gram-positive bacterial phase 3-12 months Sub cultivations even blind passage may be done if necessary for 5-10 times during extending steps. This is because active and passive dispersal mechanism will be less on lunar surface

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