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Article: Molasses recruits bacteria for cleanup. (bacteria that eat molasses breaks down TNT in soil)(Biochemistry)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- November 9, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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From the 1940s to the 1960s, workers at U.S. Army bases that manufactured 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, or TNT, for weapons routinely flushed out the plants to reduce the risk of accidental explosions. Although that practice ensured worker safety, the wastewater left a legacy of TNT-contaminated soil.
To correct this problem, scientists are now using a sweet, gooey incentive to recruit another army-of bacteria. Mixing molasses into vats of soil encourages the bacteria naturally present to multiply. As the microbes munch on the molasses, they simultaneously break down the TNT into harmless molecules.
In a pilot study, researchers at Argonne (Ill.) National Laboratory ...