Carbon-Biocatalyst System for Detoxification of Environmental Pollutants

University of Missouri System: University of Missouri-Columbia
posted on 06/17/2011

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Environmental pollution due to extensive use of chemicals in agricultural and industrial development poses a significant health risk to humans, animals and plants. For example, atrazine is the second most used herbicide in the U.S. for agriculture production. It is highly mobile and is slow to break down in soil. Atrazine is often contaminating ground water and drinking water, and it has been linked to sexual abnormalities in several species. Atrazine has been banned in Europe due to environmental and health concerns. Similar to atrazine, there are a number of chemicals in the environment due to human activities that pose a potential health risk. An invention that can remove or detoxify such chemicals would be of great significance and value and have a wide range of applications

The current invention developed by researchers at the University of Missouri is a nanostructured carbon-based biocatalyst for remediation of pesticides such as atrazine and other environmental pollutants. Enzymes capable of detoxifying organic chemicals are tethered to carbon-nanoparticles, which serve as delivery vehicles, stabilizers, and a chemo-attractants. The system is easy to produce and modify and can be tailored to detoxification of a variety of chemicals.

• Soil cleanup and prevent runoff from fields
• Biofilter for stagnant & free flowing water
• Drug delivery systems
• Biodefense applications

• Easy to create and modify
• Increases the stability, life and handling of the enzymes
• Multiple enzymes can be connected to the same particle