Environmental Quality Standards Research on Wastewaters of Army Ammunition Plants.

摘要

Studies on the characterization of wastewaters from Army manufacture of trinitrotoluene (TNT), glyceryl trinitrate (trinitroglycerine, TNG) and nitrocellulose (NC) are described. The studies were undertaken to provide information to be used in design of toxicological experiments for the purpose of assigning water quality guidelines. The complexity of the chemical characterization became evident by the fact that in TNT wastewaters alone (toward which most of the effort was directed), more than 40 organic compounds were detected by GLC and TLC in addition to inorganic materials and organic aggregates not resolved by TLC. Extraction methods were developed for separation of the organic materials contained in NG wastewaters. Results of GC and TLC showed a complex mixture of mononitrate, dinitrate and trinitrate esters of glycerol and a number of unidentified compounds, two containing the carbonyl function. Products were a function of time from sampling, of pH, and of amount of exposure to light. Lyophilization of samples containing high concentrations of salts appears to be feasible without risk of explosion. Polarized light and electron microscopy of nitrocellulose wastewaters, showed fibers from a few to several hundred nm in length and of a varying degree of nitration, together with fine particulate material, brown amorphous slime, and a crystalline precipitate. Suspended particles could be coagulated by either dialysis or addition of ionic solutes. Further characterization of nitrocellulose wastes were deemphasized after preliminary toxicological results indicated low toxicity.