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Title: Treatment of HMX and RDX contamination

Abstract

HMX and RDX are often found in the soil, groundwater, and surface waters at facilities where they are manufactured as the result of negligent disposal methods. The toxicity of these compounds and their degradation products has led to concern about their fate in the environment and the potential for human exposure. HMX and RDX are recalcitrant in the environment with low rates of biodegradation and photolysis. Several methods of treating contaminated soils and waters have been developed and studied. Many of these technologies (i.e., carbon adsorption, oxidation, and chemical treatment) have been developed to treat munition plant wastewaters that are contaminated with explosives. These methods need to be adapted to remediate contaminated water. Other technologies such as bioremediation and composting are being developed as methods of remediating HMX and RDX contamination in a solid matrix. This report describes and evaluates each of these technologies. This report also describes the processes which affect HMX and RDX in the environment. The major transformation processes of RDX and HMX in the environment are biodegradation and photolysis. A major factor affecting the transport and treatment of RDX and HMX in soil-water environments is their sorption and desorption to soil particles. Finally, this report drawsmore » conclusions as to which treatment methods are currently most suitable for the remediation of contaminated soils and waters.« less

Authors:
;  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Texas A&M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); USDOE Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
587711
Report Number(s):
ANRCP-1998-2
ON: DE98004574; TRN: 98:009455
DOE Contract Number:
FC04-95AL85832
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Mar 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVES; SOILS; GROUND WATER; REMEDIAL ACTION; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS

Citation Formats

Card, R.E. Jr., and Autenrieth, R.. Treatment of HMX and RDX contamination. United States: N. p., 1998. Web. doi:10.2172/587711.
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Card, R.E. Jr., & Autenrieth, R.. Treatment of HMX and RDX contamination. United States. doi:10.2172/587711.
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Card, R.E. Jr., and Autenrieth, R.. Sun . "Treatment of HMX and RDX contamination". United States. doi:10.2172/587711. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/587711.
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@article{osti_587711,
title = {Treatment of HMX and RDX contamination},
author = {Card, R.E. Jr. and Autenrieth, R.},
abstractNote = {HMX and RDX are often found in the soil, groundwater, and surface waters at facilities where they are manufactured as the result of negligent disposal methods. The toxicity of these compounds and their degradation products has led to concern about their fate in the environment and the potential for human exposure. HMX and RDX are recalcitrant in the environment with low rates of biodegradation and photolysis. Several methods of treating contaminated soils and waters have been developed and studied. Many of these technologies (i.e., carbon adsorption, oxidation, and chemical treatment) have been developed to treat munition plant wastewaters that are contaminated with explosives. These methods need to be adapted to remediate contaminated water. Other technologies such as bioremediation and composting are being developed as methods of remediating HMX and RDX contamination in a solid matrix. This report describes and evaluates each of these technologies. This report also describes the processes which affect HMX and RDX in the environment. The major transformation processes of RDX and HMX in the environment are biodegradation and photolysis. A major factor affecting the transport and treatment of RDX and HMX in soil-water environments is their sorption and desorption to soil particles. Finally, this report draws conclusions as to which treatment methods are currently most suitable for the remediation of contaminated soils and waters.},
doi = {10.2172/587711},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998},
month = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1998}
}
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Technical Report:
View Technical Report (2.68 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/587711
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  • The deuterium isotope effect was used to investigate the rate-limiting process in the combustion of nitramine propellants. Model propellant formulations containing either octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), or their deuteriated analogues were pressed into pellets and burned under nitrogen pressure in a window bomb. The magnitudes of the observed deuterium isotope effects indicate that the HMX and RDX exert significant control over the burning process of the studied propellants. Furthermore, assuming a consistent mechanism between decomposition and combustion, the observed isotope effects suggest that a carbon-hydrogen bond rupture in HMX and RDX is the rate-controlling process in the combustion of themore » model nitramine propellants.« less

  • ;
    The reduction of the ordnance compounds CP, HMX, PETN, and RDX proceeds irreversibly at a mercury electrode in neutral aqueous buffer solutions. CP undergoes electrochemical reduction with the greatest ease, followed closely by PETN, RDX, and HMX. The electrochemical study was complicated by the strong adsorption of HMX upon mercury. The reduction of RDX was found to be most complex, exhibiting some five well-defined cyclic voltammogram peaks. A thorough study of the electrode kinetics of any one of these compounds will necessitate the use of aprotic solvent systems. A detailed kinetic study of PETN in aqueous solutions is precluded bymore » its limited solubility. In general, after the first wave, the reduction processes were found to be pH dependent.« less

  • An analysis for the HMX and RDX contents of PBX 9404 has been developed. Instrumental parmeters, such as column type, solvent, flow rate, and method of detection are discussed. The calibration method is examined, and precision and accuracy investigated. The average percent recovery of HMX is 98.75% with a standard deviation of 0.82%; for RDX, the percent recovery is 98.66% with a standard deviation of 0.27%.

  • ;
    It is customary in the US to add isopropyl alcohol to the bulk shipment of water-wet high explosives RDX and HMX. The explosives are packed in cloth bags which are placed in plastic-lined drums. The addition of alcohol presumably prevents mildewing of cloth bags and freezing of the wet explosives in cold weather. In Europe, however, these explosives are shipped in polyethylene-lined fiber drums with not less that 15% water only, even in cold weather, following the United Nations recommendations. Water-wet frozen RDX has not proved to be any more sensitive than its unfrozen counterpart and no mildew problem hasmore » been encountered. It looks promising that the US Department of Transportation regulations can be changed to permit the bulk shipment of these explosives in water only without the addition of isopropyl alcohol. The anticipated benefits are annual peacetime packaging cost saving of $323,900 ($107,400 from alcohol elimination and $216,500 from replacement of cloth bags by polyethylene bags) and elimination of the environmental impact of the release of isopropyl alcohol at the consumer end. (58 refs., 9 figs., 10 tabs.)« less