Washington, Feb. 12: Dr A. Morrie Craig, a veterinary scientist at Oregon State University, has found that the cud-chewing mammals can efficiently clean up explosives-contaminated soil, of which there are 1.3 million tons throughout the U.S. TNT and other explosives from military munitions training and the remnants of old factories remain in the ground for decades.
This residue rarely poses an immediate health threat, but officials at the Department of Defense fear that it could seep into groundwater or poison plants (which has happened before). Conventional cleanup techniques, such as incinerating the soil, are expensive and time-consuming.
In 2004, Dr Craig discovered that the bacteria in a sheep’s stomach that help digest cellulose can also rapidly convert TNT into a harmless compound. He and other researchers fed the sheep, TNT for three weeks, and found that it broke down so completely that no traces of it remained in the animals’ faeces.
Dr Craig and his colleagues plan to plant grass in TNT contaminated soil to suck up the explosives. While the sheep munch away, the bacteria in their digestive tract take care of the rest.