Laccases from Pycnoporus Sanguineus as a Potential Catalyst for Inactivation and Degradation of Explosives
Abstract
The extensive use of explosives worldwide leads to different problems of safety management and environmental issues due to their disposal and contaminated soils. Laccase are oxidoreductases enzymes that have proved to be effective under different medium conditions for the degradation of several chemical compounds. This project is focused on the demonstration of the effectiveness and application of the laccase-rich enzymatic extract from the Pycnoporus sanguineus CS43 fungi for the biotransformation of TNT, NG, RDX and HMX, as target explosive compounds. The project evaluates the oxidation, and reduction degradation of these pollutants in batch systems, as well as the application in real cases of study based on a leachate medium, and the sprayed of laccase-rich enzymatic in contaminated soil. The general objective is to evaluate the effectivity of laccases for the degradation of explosives in the liquid phase, both in oxidation and reduction processes. This could make laccases in bioremediation of sites contaminated with explosives and as an alternative for demolition practices. The present proposal will take place through a period of 2 years divided into 4 stages of 6 months each. The stages are described with specific objectives: 1. Production of enzymes and validation of the effectiveness on the degradation of TNT in liquid phase. Use of enzymes for explosive oxidation is limited because of the high costs and low concentrations of enzymatic activity obtained during the process. In this stage, purify and concentrated enzyme will be produced. It is necessary to develop an adequate analytical method that will allow us to quantify the kinetics. The specific objectives: - To produce laccase enzymes in the optimized media and downstream processing of the enzymatic extract. - To develop an analytical method to identify and quantify the chosen explosives. 2. Evaluation of the potential of laccases for the biotransformation of explosives through oxidation processes. Laccases are oxidoreductase enzymes; they can process oxidative or reductive reactions. This group of enzymes are very robust and capable of using various substrates. It is necessary to establish the optimal conditions and to prove the efficacy of the enzymes on the controlled environment of a laboratory, so that the real life evaluations have a comparative basal result. Specific objective: - To determine the optimal conditions for the operation of the laccase such as: pH, temperature, concentration, time of exposition, in order to maximize biotransformation through oxidative reaction of molecules studied in liquid phase. 3. Evaluation of the potential of laccases for the biotransformation of explosives through reductive processes. At this stage, biotransformation processes through reduction reactions will be evaluated. It is necessary to establish the optimal conditions and to prove the efficacy of the enzymes on the controlled environment of a laboratory for future experiments on real cases studies. Specific objectives: - To determine the optimal conditions for the operation of the laccase such as: pH, temperature, concentration, time of exposition, in order to maximize biotransformation through reductive reaction of molecules studied in liquid phase. 4. Evaluation of the explosive biotransformation in real scenarios. The effectiveness of the tested in a controlled laboratory environment is generally very different and insufficient to meet and to predict the behavior in a scenario under real conditions. At this stage, three studies will be tested of real scenarios using the technique of leaching in two different cases and a slurry process. The specific objectives: - To determine the biotransformation of the molecules studied in: o The leached water from a contaminated soil. o Contaminated soil leaching a solution of laccase into the sample. o Contaminated soil previously processed into a Òcontaminated soil slurryÓ
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 24, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1710279
Entities
People
- Roberto Saldivar
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
- United States Army