NAI's Latest Discovery Video Features Explosive Neutralizer

TAMPA, Fla., April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Academy of Inventors (NAI), which supports and recognizes academic innovation, has released its third chapter of the From Campus to Commerce video-short series.

Created in collaboration with the University of Georgia (UGA), an NAI Member Institution, the video features inventor Valentine Nzengung and his discovery of a chemical agent that neutralizes explosive materials without causing harm to the environment called MuniRem.

Nzengung who is a scientist and professor at UGA shares, "My focus was on developing innovative solutions that benefit human health and the environment. MuniRem has allowed me to apply my passion for geochemistry to a real-world problem by mitigating sites contaminated with dangerous explosives in an environmentally friendly way."

"That's really the key to this invention," says Paul R. Sanberg, NAI President. "There are other neutralizing products on the market, but MuniRem is unique because it is non-toxic to soil or groundwater. It's an intelligent solution for a very real global problem."

According to Nzengung, lingering explosive materials pose a serious threat to the public because they can remain live for a very long time. He gives the example of a recent project where a Confederate Army boat that sunk and remained underwater for over 150 years was found containing 185 intact artillery rounds. "Imagine, after 150 years under water, they were still active," Nzengung says.

His determination and research have paid off. MuniRem can now neutralize almost any explosive material, chemical warfare agent and homemade explosive. Nzengung's company, MuniRem Environmental, now has a portfolio of green remediation technologies for metals, explosives, radiation, petroleum and perchlorate.

Because of these innovative discoveries, his company was named a Trendsetter and Planet Protector last year by "Georgia Trend" magazine. Nzengung was elected Fellow of NAI in 2019 and named UGA Entrepreneur of the Year for 2016.

To date, NAI's From Campus to Commerce video series has featured Supercritical Water Oxidation at Duke University, Beyond Meat at University of Missouri and MuniRem at UGA. The Academy has many more chapters in the works as it continues in its mission to highlight early-stage innovation and discoveries at academic institutions.

About the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI works collaboratively with the USPTO and publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation. www.academyofinventors.org.

Media Contact: Jody Santoro
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SOURCE National Academy of Inventors

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