Team:Bilkent UNAM Turkey/Project Description

Health concern and pollution created by TNT

TNT or 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene was produced in 1863 by Wilbrand, and since then used as the primary explosive power provider by military forces in the world. Military areas are the most frequent source of TNT contamination in the world.
TNT can penetrate through the skin and poses a health risk to human. The adverse effects of TNT were indicated for humans such as irritation of the skin, aplastic anemia, anemia, abnormal liver functions, spleen enlargement, cardiac failures, cataract or spermatozoa malformancy. TNT is reported to have high levels of carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. The dust of TNT causes severe respiratory disturbances and relapsing illnesses.
On the other hand, there is a high risk of contamination of food and water resources by TNT leakage from the contaminated areas. After hurtful usage of lands for military purposes, significant amounts of TNT or its derivatives accumulates on the lands. TNT and RDX has high tendency to travel into the water and its removal in natural ways lasts decades. TNT or TNT derivative RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitriamine) contaminated waters looks like pink colored which gives its name to this phenomenon as “pink water” or “red water”. It is very hard to clean them and cost very much.
Thus, removal of TNT by means of biological ways would be a great task to do

Our Motivation and Aim

Our motivation was to find biological ways to remove pollutants otherwise tightly bound to the soil and water. One of the best known pollutant of soil and water is TNT and cause great burden to the environment and human health. As of this year, there is not a comprehensive, economical and effective method to remove this pollutant from the water and soil.

Microalgae Phytoremediation

Experimental Design

this is an example page, an instant, simply a template........
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