By Tyler Barth
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Those at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center believe that the ongoing cellulose shortage, and with it supply chain issues with nitrocellulose, may be solved with specially engineered bacteria.
Cellulose, at its base form, is a chain of sugar molecules found in the cell wall of plants and is a key component in everything from processed food to clothing. Its primary military use, however, is as nitrocellulose, a key ingredient in gunpowder and select rocket propellants, which requires it be nitrated, purified and cleaned.
The military currently relies on wood and cotton to make nitrocellulose; however, these traditional sources have suffered from unstable supply chains, slow plant growth and variation in quality. To be usable by the military, nitrocellulose must consist of at least 13 percent nitrogen, which can be challenging with wood and cotton. As such, testing has branched out to other sources, with corn husks and bamboo currently under the microscope due to faster growth, easier nitration, and less material waste.
Researchers under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Service Center Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain (T-BRSC) program believe they may have found a potential alternative by growing specific strands of bacteria in a lab. Bacterial cellulose is already used in several industries but remains somewhat unproven and has not been fielded as nitrocellulose.
If bacteria can become a reliable source of high-quality nitrocellulose, it could fulfill large holes in the supply chain and perhaps create a new sub-industry. According to Eugene Rozumov, a research chemist who manages the Armaments Center’s involvement in the project, testing is still in its early stages and, while it’s shown promise, bacteria-derived nitrocellulose remains a potential alternative and is nowhere near becoming a ubiquitous product, let alone a replacement without larger scale investment.
Bacterial cellulose has proven much easier to nitrate and purify than its older counterparts, generates minimal waste, and can be cultivated in a controlled environment. Additionally, its structural properties yield exceptionally strong fibers with high-performance potential.
However, for bacterial cellulose to become a potential alternative to its plant-based counterparts, more experimentation is required, not just to prove its usability as nitrocellulose, but to meet propellant and weaponry demand. Currently, chemists are at pilot-scale production, yielding only a few kilograms of the material – sufficient for lab testing, but magnitudes less than what’s required for global munitions. Bacteria-derived nitrocellulose must still be tested for macro-scale mechanical strength and long-term stability, and its effectiveness has yet to be fully proven through gun-firing.
Should these tests continue and remain satisfactory, bacterial cellulose has the possibility to fulfill an important role in the future of munitions.