The article will discuss the biodegradability of cyanide and will also curate a relationship between cyanide and nature. Also, the products made from cyanide and their eco-impact will also be shed light upon including the following.
- Is cyanide toxic to nature?
- What kind of waste is cyanide waste?
- How to dispose of it?
- Is cyanide used sustainably?
- Can you compost products made from cyanide?
- Is cyanide organic or inorganic?
Is cyanide biodegradable?
Yes, cyanide is biodegradable because it is present in nature in organic form and therefore, the microbes can break it down into simpler materials by their degradative processes.
The major sources of cyanide include some foods and certain plants such as almonds, lima beans, and bamboo shoots. You may have heard of making cyanide from apple seeds.
The inner structure of cyanide equals carbon and nitrogen atoms that are bonded by a triple bond.
It is a known fact that both carbon and nitrogen constitute life and therefore, can be given the status of being organic.
Based on this, it can be developed that cyanide is organic because it is made of organic elements that make up life.
Hence, it is good news as not only it indicates the possibility that cyanide is biodegradable under natural conditions.
Is cyanide toxic to nature?
Well, the answer actually varies, Cyanide may be poisonous too if it is used for reasons or purposes that can harm the environment. For example, one source of cyanide is the vehicles’ exhaust. The other is plastics. Also, if there are cyanide spills, it is highly toxic and fatal to animal life, aquatic life, and plants life as well.
It has been established and known that cyanide is one of the most potent poisons in the world. However, the question that shall be targeted in this section is whether cyanide is poisonous to the environment too.
However, if cyanide is used in green products and used sustainably (as in spills et cetera are avoided), then it will not be considered hazardous or poisonous to nature.
Therefore, it all depends on subjective use and conscious consumer proclivities. These are the factors that can make cyanide hazardous for nature as well. By default, cyanide is not hazardous because it exists in nature.
However, the inapt and reckless use of cyanide chemicals can result in massive losses. Water bodies can get contaminated, the fish loss can occur, and the toxic effects curated by cyanide can reciprocate to many levels of food chains.
What kind of waste is cyanide waste?
It has been established in the previous section that cyanide waste can cause havoc and therefore, it is essential that proper care and deliberation are given to the cyanide waste.
Therefore, cyanide waste is considered hazardous waste because this waste, if dealt with in an improper manner can cause serious issues such as water pollution, aquatic deaths and even negative implications on humans.
Therefore, at both personal and professional levels, cyanide waste must be treated as hazardous waste and must only be given to hazardous waste collection programs or centres. Otherwise, treatment centres can also be given priority depending on the subjective situation.
What is the right way to dispose of cyanide waste?
It has been established that cyanide is a type of hazardous waste. Therefore, it is essential that the waste generated from cyanide must not be mixed with regular waste and should only be given to hazardous waste collection centres and programs.
There are red-coloured bins that are specially designated for the cyanide waste that also be considered one option when it comes to the disposal of cyanide waste.
Is cyanide used sustainably? (3 products made from cyanide)
In this section, we will focus on the materials or products that are commonly made from cyanide which include
- Paper
- Textiles
- Plastics
These are the three most common materials or products that are made from cyanide. The nature of these materials will determine if cyanide is used sustainably or not.
This is said because there are two factors that determine the sustainability of any material. One is how it is sourced and from where, while the second is how it is utilised and to what eco-green extent.
When it comes to the case of cyanide, there is a subtlety that welcomes us. If we talk about products such as paper or textiles, then there is a green light because these products are usually biodegradable and eco-friendly.
However, if we talk about products such as plastics, then plastics are synthetic polymers that are non-biodegradable in nature.
Hence, as a final verdict, it can be said that if cyanide is used to make green products such as paper and biodegradable textiles, then the use of cyanide is sustainable and vice versa.
Can you compost products made from cyanide?
Composting is the process by which biodegradable waste or organic waste is converted into natural fertilisers. These natural fertilisers can then be used to gain agricultural benefits and achieve results such as increased yield, better production, and improved water retention profiles.
Composting can only be done when materials are organic in nature. Therefore, the question becomes very logical because it has been established that cyanide is organic.
However, the fact of the matter is that not all cyanide products can be composted because composting is a very peculiar process that can only be initiated after certain specificities are met such as the product needs to be organic in nature and also, the product must not be harmful to the environment.
However, cyanide is also used to make plastics and it is a known fact that plastics can neither degrade by microbes nor can they be composted.
However, certain products such as natural fibres or paper can actually be composted because there is little exploitation of the innate naturality and therefore, such natural and biodegradable material can be added to the compost heap to make compost which can be used and utilised for a multitude of benefits.
Conclusion
It is concluded that cyanide in pure form is sourced from nature, is organic and therefore, is biodegradable. However, certain products made from cyanide such as plastics may not be biodegradable.
The article also discussed the relation of cyanide with nature and whether it is hazardous to nature or not. Further, the composting aspect of products made from cyanide was also deliberated.
References
- Cyanide used in gold mining. Retrieved from: https://earthworks.org/issues/cyanide/
- Mirzadeh, S., Yaghmaei, S., & Ghobadi Nejad, Z. (2014). Biodegradation of cyanide by a new isolated strain under alkaline conditions and optimization by response surface methodology (RSM). Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, 12(1), 1-9.
- Facts about cyanide. Retrieved from: https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/cyanide/basics/facts.asp