Abstract
An anaerobic bioremediation process for the degradation of nitroaromatic compounds in soil was demonstrated. Thisex situ process was demonstrated full-scale at a 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT)-contaminated site near Weldon Spring, MO. A bioreactor was loaded with approx 23 m3 of TNT-contaminated soil in the form of a 50∶50 soil: water slurry. This slurry was augmented with a starchy carbon source (1–2% w/v) and buffered with phosphate to near-neutral pH. Indigenous soil bacteria utilized the oxygen, making the slurry anaerobic within 1–2 d. Anaerobes then degraded the TNT (3000 mg/kg) in approx 11 wk. A relatively long treatment time for the bioremediation of the TNT-contaminated soil was necessary, possibly because of the cool ambient temperatures, high clay content of the soil, high level of contamination, and high level of recalcitrance of TNT in soils.
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Funk, S.B., Crawford, D.L., Crawford, R.L. et al. Full-scale anaerobic bioremediation of trinitrotoluene (TNT) contaminated soil. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 51, 625–633 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02933464
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02933464