Explosives Removal From Munitions
Wastewater
R.K. ANDREN, Research Chemical Engineer
J.M. NYSTRON, Research Chemical Engineer
Engineering Technology Group
Food Sciences Laboratory
U.S. Army Natick Development Center
Natick, Massachusetts 01760
ROGER P. McDONNELL, Technical Representative
BRUCE W. STEVENS, Market Area Manager
Fluid Process Chemicals Department
Rohm and Haas Company
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105
INTRODUCTION
Pilot plant studies conducted at the Iowa Ammunition Depot, Burlington, Iowa, have
demonstrated a safe, practical and economical polymeric adsorption process for removing
trinitrotoluene (TNT) and other hazardous explosive materials, such as DNT and
nitrocresols, from waste streams. The loaded adsorbent can be regenerated with solvent. To
minimize operating costs, the solvent can be easily recovered for reuse, leaving only a
concentrated aqueous sludge of explosive contaminants for ultimate disposal.
As a result of the success of this pilot-scale study, full-scale demonstration installations
of the process are being planned for several ordnance plants in this country. The same
process is equally applicable to industrial waste streams containing aromatic nitrobodies.
BACKGROUND
Generally, pollution in munitions plant wastewater stems from washing and steam
cleaning operations. Wastewater from a typical TNT manufacturing plant may contain
from 40 to 120 ppm of TNT and lesser amounts of 2,4, DNT. Wastewater from load,
assemble and pack (LAP) facilities usually contains higher concentrations of TNT and
other nitrobodies chiefly RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine) and HMX
(cyclotrimethylene tertranitramine), which are constituents of Composition B explosive.
These nitrobodies are toxic, explosive and frequently highly colored.
This pollution problem has been recognized for some time and has been dealt with to
some extent (1, 2). However, today stringent federal and state effluent standards require
more effective control than has been accomplished in the past.
Previous treatment of munitions waste has included neutralization, settling and
dilution. Neutralization and exposure to sunlight in open settling basins causes effluents to
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