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|  File Name      : HORSERAD.ASC     |  Online Date     :  10/06/94          |
|  Contributed by : Jerry Decker     |  Dir Category    :  ECOLOGY           |
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The following offers a unique way to coagulate toxic waste from wastewater.
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From Science Digest - December 1982

In Brief

A derivative of the plant whose root provides cocktail sauce with its pungent
taste can be used to remove toxic pollutants from wastewater.

Horseradish peroxidase PRECIPITATES aromatic amines, phenols and other
organic compounds from water.  It changes these pollutants from a water-
soluble state to an insoluble or solid, form that's easily filtered out by
technicians.

"I'm convinced that the horseradish derivative will replace microbial
treatment in many places," says Alexander Klibanov, a professor of applied
biochemistry at MIT.

Wastewater now is often treated in large ponds, to which micro-organisms that
feed on organic compounds are added.  Charcoal is then used to remove organic
compounds that the microbes pass up.  But the micro-organisms are sensitive to
temperature, which makes them uncooperative during the winter.
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