Goal: The goal of this project is to develop an understanding of the effect of compound structure and environmental conditions on the rates of nitro group removal and deamination of nitrotoluene congeners.
Rationale: The reduction of nitro groups of trinitrotoluene and other nitro-aromatic congeners is a common microbiological process.
Approach: This research will examine the relative rates of reduction as they are dependent on compound structure, EH, and electron donor. The project has two phases. In the first phase, the feedback controlled reactor that was being used to study the effect of the environmental conditions on reductive dechlorination is being modified to study the TNT/nitrate/lactate system. In the second phase the reactor will be used to evaluate biotransformation pathways and kinetics for TNT, its metabolites, and related compounds under varying conditions of EH, nitrate, and electron donor.
Status:
Phase 1 -- Development of a reactor system. An HPLC method has been
developed to measure the concentration of TNT and its metabolites. A serum
bottle study has been performed measuring the relative rate of nitro-group
reduction based on parent compound structure. EH was lowered using titanium
citrate in a serum bottle study to monitor the abiotic transformation of TNT.
This information is now being used to develop the reactor system.