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Transformation and fate of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in anaerobic bioslurry reactors under various aeration schemes: implications for the decontamination of soils

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Abstract

Energetic compounds have been used in a variety of industrial and military applications worldwide leading to widespread environmental contamination. Many of these compounds are toxic and resist degradation by oxidative enzymes resulting in a need for alternative remediation methods. It has been shown that trinitrotoluene (TNT)-contaminated soil subjected to treatment in strictly anaerobic bioreactors results in tight binding of TNT transformation products to soil organic matter. The research presented here examined the fate of TNT and its metabolites in bioreactors under three different aeration regimes. In all treatment regimes, the typical metabolites of aminodinitrotoluenes and diaminonitrotoluenes were observed prior to irreversible binding into the soil fraction of the slurry. Significant transformation of TNT into organic acids or simple diols, as others report in prior work, was not observed in any of the treatments and is an unlikely fate of TNT in anaerobic soil slurries. These results indicate that aeration does not dramatically affect transformation or fate of TNT in reactor systems that receive a rich carbon source but does affect the rate at which metabolites become tightly bound to the soil. The most rapid transformations and lowest redox potentials were observed in reactors in which an aerobic headspace was maintained suggesting that aerobes play a role in establishing conditions that are most conducive to TNT reduction.

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Abbreviations

ADNT:

aminodinitrotoluene

BHI:

brain-heart infusion

DANT:

diaminonitrotoluene

dpm:

disintegrations per minute

DSMZ:

Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen

ESI-MS-MS:

electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

FAST:

facultative anaerobic soil treatment

HPLC:

high-performance liquid chromatography

LC:

liquid chromatography

MS:

mass spectrometry

TAT:

triaminotoluene

TIC:

total ion chromatogram

TNT:

trinitrotoluene

TSA:

tryptic soy agar

UL:

uniformly labeled

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to members of the University of Idaho Environmental Biotechnology Institute for technical assistance, support, and advice. The authors would like to specifically thank T. Lewis and A. Paszczynski for assistance with the experimental design and analysis; T. Kinard, J. Coleman, and L. Allenbach for their help in sampling and maintenance of the treatment reactors; and Cornelia Sawatzky for editorial assistance. This research was funded by the Department of Defense Air Force Office of Scientific Research through F49620-93-1-1064 awarded to R. Crawford.

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  1. David A. Newcombe

    Present address: Environmental Science Program, University of Idaho, 721 Lochsa Street, Ste. 3, Post Falls, ID, 83854, USA

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  1. Environmental Biotechnology Institute, University of Idaho, Food Research Center 202, P.O. Box 441052, Moscow, ID, 83844-1052, USA

    David A. Newcombe & Ronald L. Crawford

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  1. David A. Newcombe
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  2. Ronald L. Crawford
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Correspondence to Ronald L. Crawford.

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Newcombe, D.A., Crawford, R.L. Transformation and fate of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in anaerobic bioslurry reactors under various aeration schemes: implications for the decontamination of soils. Biodegradation 18, 741–754 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-007-9103-0

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