Transformation Kinetics of Trinitrotoluene Conversion in Aquatic Plants
M. E. Jacobson, S. Y. Chiang, L. Gueriguian, L. R. Westholm, John A. Pierson, Guangxuan Zhu, F. Michael Saunders · 2003
Engineered aquatic plant consortia are considered good candidates for treating groundwater contamination and waste streams. Laboratory and outdoor test were used in developing bench and field-scale pilot-testing protocols for the design of aquatic plant lagoons to treat water contaminated with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). Pilot testing evaluated different species of plants as well as different timescales of exposure. The common aquatic plants that were tested, removed TNT from contaminated water rapidly but with the accumulation of aminodinitrotoluene (ADNT). The accumulation is consistent with other observations and is probably the result of reactor volumes, flow rates, as well as the initial influent concentrations (10 milligrams of TNT per liter) used in these tests. The results from pilot scale testing indicated that created treatment wetlands are ready to treat groundwater with monitoring of by-products and optimization of some design parameters. Designs should involve optimization of plant density, residence time, and flow rate and require at least 2 years for by-product monitoring.