Abstract
Three methods,i.e. bioremediation by application of bacteria-laden agar, physical absorption of DNT by agar, or illumination by UV light were evaluated for the removal of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) from building-grade concrete. DNT biodegradation byPseudomonas putida TOD was turned “on” and “off” by using toluene as a co-substrate thus allowing for rate-limiting step assessment. Bioremediation efficiency can be >95–97 % in 5–7 d if the process occurs at optimum growth temperature with the biological processes appearing to be rate-limiting. Sterile agar can remove up to 80 % of DNT from concrete thus allowing DNT desorption and biodegradation to be conducted separately. Photoremediation results in 50 % DNT removal in 9–12 d with no further removal, most likely due to mass transfer limitations.
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Abbreviations
- DNT:
-
2,4-dinitrotoluene
- TNT:
-
trinitrotoluene
- MB:
-
mass balance
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This work was funded by theUS Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory via cooperative agreement no. 04-JV-1111 1120-070 and by theCzech Science Foundation (Joint Projet 104 04 0686).
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Phutane, S.R., Renner, J.N., Nelson, S.L. et al. Removal of 2,4-dinitrotoluene from concrete using bioremediation, agar extraction, and photocatalysis. Folia Microbiol 52, 253–260 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931307
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931307