Comparative treatability studies of three biological treatmetn technologies for explosives-contaminated soil

摘要

The Former Nebraska Ordnance Plant (NOP) was used during World War II and the Korean Conflict to manufacture bombs. Explosives, including trinitrotoluene (TNT), cyclo-1,3,5-trimethylene-2,4,6-trinitramine (RDX), and cyclo-1,3,5,7-tetramethylene-2,4,6,8-tetranitramine (HMX) were manufactured off site, then shipped to NOP for assembly into bombs. During assembly, wash water and other wastes were deposited on the ground adjacent to each bomb "load line". TNT, RDX, HMX, and other explosives were detected in the soil at concentrations reaching the thousands of milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) level. Three biological treatment technologies (composting, white rot fungal treatment, and anaerobic bioslurry treatment) were evaluated in bench scale treatability studies as possible technologies for remediating this site.