Biological treatment of TNT-contaminated soil. Part 2. Biologically induced immobilization of the contaminants and full-scale application

Anaerobic treatment of originally contaminated soil from a former ammunition plant was carried out in a laboratory slurry reactor. While fermenting glucose to ethanol, acetate, and propionate, the anaerobic bacteria completely reduced the nitro groups of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and aminodinitrotoluenes, which led to a complete and irreversible binding of the reduced products to the soil. 2,4-Dinitrotoluene and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine were also reduced in the soil slurry and were no longer detectable after the anaerobic treatment. To mineralize the fermentation products, a subsequent aerobic treatment was necessary to complete the bioremediation process. This bioremediation process was tested in a technical scale at Hessisch Lichtenau-Hirschhagen, Germany. A sludge reactor (Terranox system) was filled with 18 m3 of contaminated soil (main contaminants were TNT, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) and 10 m3 of water. The anaerobic stage was ca rried out by periodical feeding of sucrose. The sludge was subsequently dewatered and treated aerobically. Chemical analysis revealed an overall reduction of more than 99 per cent of the contaminants. Ecotoxicological tests performed with various aquatic systems (luminescent bacteria, daphnids, algae) and terrestrial systems (respiring bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, cress plants, earth worms) showed that residual toxicity could not be detected after the anaerobic/aerobic treatment.