MONTANA GLUTEN FREE PROCESSORS, LLC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 23. Non-Technical Summary Phenolic and aromatic pollutants are commonly released into soil

Description

23. Non-Technical Summary Phenolic and aromatic pollutants are commonly released into soils, water and the atmosphere from industrial, agricultural and human processes. Such pollutants include chlorophenols, creosote, and endocrine & #8208;disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as estrogen and bisphenol A. Phenols and aromatics are absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. They can cross the human placenta and have been found in breast milk. Many of these pollutants are toxic and carcinogenic. Current methods (microbial degradation, adsorption to activated carbon, chemical oxidation, incineration, extraction, UV exposure) to remove phenolic and aromatic contaminants are expensive, time & #8208;consuming and only moderately effective. A number of recent studies have clearly demonstrated that plant peroxidases can be used to remove/deactivate phenolic and aromatic compounds in polluted soils and water. The bulk of this research was done using crude or purified horseradish peroxidase. Although effective, the cost and availability of horseradish has precluded wide & #8208;scale implementation of the technology. Camelina sativa, a European oilseed that is now being produced across the arid High Prairies of the West, is an economic and abundant source of peroxidases. Camelina oil can be used for production of quality biodiesel. To date, wide & #8208;scale production of camelina for biofuel has been limited by the marginal profitability of the crop to the farmer. However, camelina oil only accounts for 30% of the crop yield whereas camelina meal, the subject of this proposal, accounts for the other 70% and is generally considered a byproduct. The meal does has value as a feed ingredient. We propose that the meal has even more value as a source of the peroxidase enzyme and can be used for rapid and cost & #8208;effective remediation of hazardous phenolic and aromatic pollutants in both soil and water