Sediment mediated reduction and sorption of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and resulting reaction products
- Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA (United States)
The reductive transformation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) to aromatic amines and the consequent fate of these products in sediment-water systems were studied. Pathway elucidation and mass balance analyses of the reduction of TNT in oxic and anoxic sediment-water systems indicated that the fate of TNT was highly dependent on the redox status of the system. Reduction of TNT to aminodinitrotoluene and subsequently to diaminonitrotoluene products appeared to have both biotic and abiotic components. Reduction was rapid under anoxic, methanogenic conditions, but was significantly slower under oxic conditions. Subsequent sorption of the diaminonitrotoluene products was rapid under oxic conditions and resulted in nearly complete, irreversible retention by the sediment phase. In contrast, under anoxic conditions, the rapidly formed diaminonitrotoluene compounds displayed little affinity for the sediment phase. Instead, the diaminonitrotoluenes were further transformed to products that also showed little capacity for sorption.
- OSTI ID:
- 126314
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950402--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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