You are here:
PHYTOTREATMENT OF TNT CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER
Citation:
Rivera, R., V F. Medina, S. L. Larson, AND S C. McCutcheon. PHYTOTREATMENT OF TNT CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER. JOURNAL OF SOIL CONTAMINATION 7(4):511-529, (1998).
Description:
Phytoremediation is a viable technique for treating nitroaromatic compounds, particularly munitions. Continuous flow phytoreactor studies were conducted at the following three influent concentrations of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT): 1, 5, and 10 ppm. A control was also prepared with an influent TNT concentration of 5 ppm. Flow rates were systematically reduced to
increase hydraulic retention times (HRT) which ranged from 12 to 76 days. Initially, the control reactor removed TNT as efficiently as the plant reactors. With time, however, the efficiency of the control became less than that of the plant reactors, suggesting that adsorption was initially the mechanism for removal. Up to 100% of the TNT was removed. Aminodinitrotoluene
(ADNT) effluent concentration was higher for higher TNT influent concentrations. Increasing the retention time reduced ADNT concentration in the effluent. Supplementary batch studies confirmed that ADNT and diaminonitrotoluene (DANT) were phytodegraded. Preliminary batch studies were also conducted on the degradation of RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) and HMX (Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazocine). These batch studies indicated that the degradation of RDX was slower than that for TNT. A study with HMX indicated that the removal rates were reasonable, but required a lag phase.