Biodegradation of the hydrolysis product of Sarin
- Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
Sarin (isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is a highly toxic chemical warfare agent which must be destroyed in an {open_quotes}essentially irreversible manner{close_quotes} as specified by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. The destruction process usually involves two major steps: (1) destruction of the chemical warfare agents; (2) mineralization of the neutralization products to reach a waste stream that is environmentally acceptable. Under extreme pH, Sarin can easily be hydrolyzed to a much less toxic compound, isopropyl methylphosphonic acid (IMPA), leaving the fluoride either as an acid or ion. This study was designed to determine whether the Sarin neutralization product, IMPA, is susceptible to biodegradation. Five bacterial cultures were prepared and acclimated. APG swamp microorganisms and soil extract microorganisms degraded IMPA at the highest rates. Four reactor types were chosen to study the effect of the presence of PO{sub 4}{sup 3}{sup -} on IMPA degradation using the APG swamp microorganisms. Results showed that the PO{sub 4}{sup 3}{sup -} was preferentially used by the bacteria. The formation of phosphate in the reactors due to IMPA degradation was also determined for three concentrations of IMPA. Phosphate did not appear in the reactors until 48 hours. For a 0.36mM concentration, all IMPA was transformed to PO{sub 4}{sup 3}{sup -} after 248 hours. At higher concentrations, extra time was required to convert the IMPA. Further experiments are being conducted to determine kinetic parameters and to compare the performance of the free cells versus the immobilized cells in IMPA degradation.
- OSTI ID:
- 210214
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9509139-; TRN: 95:008324-0054
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 7. ACS special symposium: emerging technologies in hazardous waste management, Atlanta, GA (United States), 17-20 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Emerging technologies in hazardous waste management VII; Tedder, D.W. [ed.]; PB: 1352 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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