1. Treatment of trinitrotoluene by crude plant extracts
- Author
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Medina, Victor F., Larson, Steven L., Agwaramgbo, Lovell, Perez, Waleska, and Escalon, Lynn
- Subjects
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PLANT extracts , *TNT (Chemical) , *TOLUENE , *ORGANONITROGEN compounds , *SPINACH , *PARROT'S-feather (Plant) - Abstract
Crude plant extract solutions (spinach and parrotfeather) were prepared and spiked with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) (20 mg l−1). 90-h TNT removal by these solutions was compared to controls. Spinach and parrotfeather extract solutions removed 99% and 50% of the initial TNT, respectively; TNT was not eliminated in the controls or in extract solutions where removal activity was deactivated by boiling. A first-order removal constant of 0.052 h−1 was estimated for spinach extract solutions treating 20 mg l−1 TNT concentrations, which compared favorably to intact plant removal. Concentration variation was described by Michaelis–Menton kinetics. Detectable TNT degradation products represented only a fraction of the total TNT transformed, and the transformation favored the formation of 4-aminodinitrotoluene. The results indicated that crude plant extracts transform TNT, without the presence of the live plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2004
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