A study recently released in the journal ACS Nano reveals the development of seawater-powered micro-rockets that have the ability to neutralize chemical and biological warfare agents such as anthrax and sarin.

Researchers of the study, led by Joseph Wang of the University of California, San Diego, say that the highly effective micromotors are driven through water propulsion to swim naturally in water without the need for external fuel. These micromotors have the ability to travel in contaminated samples to decompose them before ultimately self-degrading.

The propulsion allows titanium dioxide – known for its ability to break down pollutants – to react and break down chemical and biological agents, producing no toxic waste material and not needing chemicals, which have toxic byproducts.

“It needs no external stimuli, just expose it to seawater, it then generates a bubble and moves around,” said Wang, according to BBC News. “In the past, people needed external fuel but here we use seawater as the fuel.”

According to the statement, the micro-rockets can degrade biological weapons and nerve agents such as sarin, which is commonly used as weapons in the Middle East. “Our rockets can protect against these, faster, cheaper and using less reagents,” said Wang.

BBC also reports that the research team’s future plans involve scaling up the project to give the micromotors the ability to clear larger areas of contaminants. They are currently working on a similar motor that can aid in the treatment of disease by targeting cancer cells, releasing drugs inside the body.

According to the study abstract, the micromotor strategy “holds a considerable promise for diverse ‘green’ defense and environmental applications.”