PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR BIOREMEDIATION OF EXPLOSIVES

摘要

Technology for in situ remediation of undetonated explosive device. An explosive apparatus (16) includes an explosive material (30) in close proximity with a quantity of microorganisms capable of metabolizing explosive material (30). Examples of such microorganisms include Pseudomonas spp., Escherichia spp., Morganella spp., Rhodococcus spp., Comamonas spp., and denitrifying microorganisms. The microorganisms, which are either mobile or temporarily deactivated by freeze drying, are disposed proximate to explosive material (30) on carrier strips (68) or are intermixed with explosive material (30) in the form of pellets (33), capsules (40), shards (48), chips (60), or beads (66). If explosive device (16) fails to detonate, explosive material (30) is remediated by the action of the microorganisms. To accelerate remediation, a nutrient for the microorganisms is mixed with explosive material (30), carrier strips (68) and beads (66) are made of a foam material, or cellulose bits (62) are embedded in chips (60). Remediation includes both disabling of explosive material (30) and detoxification of the resulting chemical compositions.