Richland,
WA (6/9/98)- Enzymes found in spinach leaves may offer a cheap and
easy way to neutralize dangerous explosives including TNT.
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory report that nitroreductase
enzymes found in spinach can be utilized to digest and transform explosive
compounds. These nitroreductase enzymes found in spinach are mixed with
a buffer solution and a reductant, such as lactic acid or ethanol. In that
mixture, the reductant reduces the enzymes. Then those reduced enzymes
further reduce, or digest, explosives in the enzyme solution in the water
tank. The enzymes begin their natural process of "eating" the explosives,
which are nitroaromatic compounds. The enzymes continue their natural process
of digesting and recycling themselves like any other catalyst. During this
recycling, the enzymes transform the explosives into another compound,
a byproduct of the process.
This finding reflects a new area of biotechnology research called
the Environmentally Benign Digestion Process (EBDP). This involves the
use of inert natural compounds to reduce dangerous explosives to
low toxicity
byproducts that can be used by industry, or reduced even further into
harmless products such as carbon dioxide and water.
EBDP has been tested in the laboratory and soon will move to field-testing.
With a general trend of demilitarization, the US military is anxious to
find a cost effective and safe method for neutralizing the nearly
500,000 tons of explosives stockpiled around the country.
"The primary risk of storing explosives at any site is explosions because
they create panic, can cause injury and are a trigger to releasing biological
and chemical agents stored nearby. The challenge is to have a process that
is safe, easy to use, environmentally friendly and preferably mobile. EBDP
destroys explosives in a very benign manner," said Dr. Manish M. Shah,
Department of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Enzymes, proteins made of amino acids, are an industry unto themselves,
with a $1.3 billion market that is growing 10 to 15 percent each year.
Enzymes are used by the detergent industry as supercleaners, by the beverage
industry to make glucose and by the textile industry to stonewash denim.
They are also key to most biotechnology processes. Until now, enzymes have
not been used to neutralize dangerous explosives.
"If we can use enzymes to clean clothes or to make corn syrup, there's
no reason why we can't use them for destroying explosives," Shah said.
"It's the best alternative to current technologies. It's almost like a
catalyst process."
The EBDP process is done without open burning, open detonation, fire,
high temperature, high pressure or producing toxic waste byproducts. If
field testing is successful, it could replace current methods of burning
and incinerating explosives that are risky and expensive, says Shah.
The EBDP process would be safer than other alternatives.. It would be
conducted in a tank of water at
atmospheric pressure, therefore reducing risk of explosion or fire.
There would be no alkaline solutions to dispose of because the process
is done at a neutral pH. It may also be possible to convert the byproducts
for commercial use.
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