Evaluating Ozone as a Remedial Treatment for Removing RDX from Unsaturated Soils
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 12
Abstract
Years of wastewater discharge at the Department of Energy’s Pantex Plant have contaminated the vadose zone and underlying perched aquifer with hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). Because the vadose zone is acting as a continual source of groundwater contamination, removing RDX from the unsaturated zone is paramount to prevent further contamination. We determined the efficacy of ozone to degrade and mineralize RDX. Solution experiments showed that ozone ( ; ) was effective in mineralizing 80% of the RDX provided that some Pantex soil was present to buffer the solution pH. Soil columns treated with ozone produced 50% RDX mineralization within 1 day and within 7 day. Experiments designed to evaluate aerobic biodegradation following partial ozonation of a RDX solution showed that ozone-generated RDX products were much more biodegradable than untreated controls in aerobic microcosms (35 versus cumulative mineralization). These results support the use of ozone as a remedial treatment for the contaminated vadose zone at the Pantex facility.
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Acknowledgments
Funding was provided by BWXT Pantex LLC (Amarillo, Tex.). Partial support was also provided by the University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources and the Water Sciences Laboratory. This paper (No. UNSPECIFIED14691) is a contribution of Agricultural Research Division Project No. UNSPECIFIEDNEB-40-002.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 12 • December 2006
Pages: 1580 - 1588
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 24, 2005
Accepted: Mar 20, 2006
Published online: Dec 1, 2006
Published in print: Dec 2006
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