U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program--Proceedings
of the Technical Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 20-24, 1993,
Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4015
  
Microbial Degradation of Nitrotoluenes in Surface Soils and
Aquifer Sediments, Weldon Spring, Missouri
by
Francis H. Chapelle (U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, South
Carolina) and Paul M. Bradley (U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, South Carolina)
Abstract
Surface soils and underlying aquifer material from a nitrotoluene-contaminated
site at Weldon Spring, Missouri, were evaluated for the potential of indigenous
microorganisms to transform 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (2,4,6-TNT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene
(2,4-DNT) and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT). The results indicate that the
microbial communities are capable of rapidly metabolizing 2,4-DNT, 2,6-DNT
and 2,4,6-TNT. In most cases, complete dissappearance of the source compound
was achieved within 20 to 70 days. These results indicate that in-situ bioremediation
may be a viable alternative for treating contaminated soils and ground water.
Furthermore, the results suggest that the presently observed nitroaromatics
contamination of ground water is unlikely to be a relic of past (50 years
before present) waste-disposal practices, but rather reflects continual
leaching of nitroaromatics from contaminated soils.
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