Disclosed herein are methods for the large-scale production of a highly thermally stable acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Additionally, the expression methods disclosed herein can produce ChE preparations consisting of extract or purified forms that can be produced in high amounts and are highly thermally stable. These ChE products can be used in vitro detection, detoxification and decontamination methods.

Provided are composite materials that include a polymeric material and one or more metal organic frameworks intermixed with the polymeric material. A polymeric material may be a block copolymer that is optionally polymerized prior to combination with the metal organic framework. The composite materials are useful for many applications including as sorbents for removal of a chemical, optionally a toxic chemical, from a surface where the surface is contracted with the composite material which reacts with or adsorbs the chemical and is then removed to remove the chemical from the surface.

A device for destroying a chemical agent is described. The device includes a self-contained, portable pressure vessel which is dimensioned to accommodate an artillery shell, and a heat-generating component within the pressure vessel. The heat-generating component is capable of providing a pyrolytic, exothermic reaction capable of destroying the chemical agent and artillery shell. A process for destroying a chemical agent which includes placing a chemical artillery shell within the pressure vessel, securing the pressure vessel closed, and igniting the heat-generating component inside the pressure vessel to generate a pyrolytic, exothermic reaction capable of destroying the chemical agent and artillery shell is also described.

Provided are processes and compositions for capturing a material of interest such as a biological, chemical, or other toxic agent on or from a surface. A method includes applying a liquid polymeric coating to a surface having a material of interest deposited thereon, encapsulating the material of interest with the composition, curing or otherwise solidifying the composition to form a polymeric coating on the surface, and optionally peeling the coating from the surface. The peeling may remove a portion or all of the material of interest from the surface. Also provided are devices that may be used in the processes provided herein.

This invention pertains to the development of a drone that can pour a variety of chemical agents such as oxidizers, silica gelling agents, enzymes, and neutralizers onto areas contaminated with chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. These decontaminants are known to be effective at destroying both chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction simultaneously. The use of a drone to destroy the chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction is highly beneficial since it allows the exposed toxic areas to be remotely decontaminated without the presence of humans. Some of these methods of decontamination are non-toxic and environmentally friendly so it can also be used to pour or spray these agents on humans that are exposed to chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction to safely destroy these agents. The drone will be designed as a transformable robot which can lift the container containing the decontaminant in the ground mode and fly over to the contaminated site which is either outdoors or indoors using its flight mode. The transformable robot would pour the different decontaminant solutions on the contaminated areas or contaminated humans to simultaneously destroy chemical and biological warfare agents. They can also be used to decontaminate chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction found separately at sites.

A continuous bubbling fluid bed process converts biomass feedstocks into energy/heat, engineered biochar particles (including nanoparticles) and a vapor stream of organic compounds. The products have a multitude of applications determined by the specific conditions at which the process was operated, specifically controlling: temperature, catalysts, residence time, element and compound concentrations, and withdraw of products from various points in the system. The introduction of air, steam, and various gases into the vessel at selected locations and at controlled rates enables the economic, dependable and consistent production of these products.

The present invention is directed towards a composition for decontaminating surfaces contaminated with toxic chemicals/substances, comprising at least one type of metal oxyhydroxide such as zirconium hydroxide, Zr(OH).sub.4, optionally with added water for hydration of the solid, mixed into a carrier liquid used for application to a contaminated surface.

Metal ion-directed carboxylic acid functionalized polyoxometalate hybrid compounds, and their preparation method and applications in catalyzing the degradation of chemical warfare agent simulants. In the synthesis, Na.sub.2MoO.sub.4, p-hydroxybenzonic acid (PHBA), alanine (Ala), KCl, transition metal cations and As.sub.2O.sub.3 as raw materials and water are used as solvent. At room temperature, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) and the prepared polyoxometalate hybrid compounds were mixed together in anhydrous ethanol and stirred, and H.sub.2O.sub.2 was subsequently added into the reaction system. The catalytic reaction for the degradation of CEES was finished within 5 min under stirring. In the catalytic hydrolysis of diethyl cyanophosphonate (DECP), the catalyst, DECP, DMF and H.sub.2O were put together and mixed fully. The prepared polyoxometalate hybrid compounds have the advantages of high conversion, high selectivity and easy recyclability in catalyzing the degradation of two types of chemical warfare agent simulant.

A genetically modified polypeptide is disclosed which comprises an amino acid sequence of phosphotriesterase (PTE) having at least twice the catalytic efficiency for a V-type nerve agent as a polypeptide which consists of the sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, when assayed under identical conditions.

An adsorbent and photocatalytic decontamination gel consisting of a colloidal solution comprising, preferably consisting of: 8% to 30% by weight, preferably 10% to 30% by weight, more preferably 15% to 20% by weight, better still 15% to 20% by weight, the value 15% being excluded, even better still 16% to 20% by weight, for example 20% by weight of TiO.sub.2, optionally doped, relative to the weight of the gel; optionally 0.01% to 10% by weight, preferably 0.1% to 5% by weight, relative to the weight of the gel, of at least one dye and/or of at least one pigment; optionally 0.1% to 2% by weight, relative to the weight of the gel, of at least one surfactant; optionally 0.05% to 5% by weight, preferably 0.05% to 2% by weight, relative to the weight of the gel, of at least one superabsorbent polymer; and the balance of solvent.