Phytoremediation of energetic compounds at Eglin Air Force Base

The energetic compounds TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine), and HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine) contaminate military testing ranges worldwide yet are known to be degraded by plants and microbes in the laboratory. However, these contaminants remain persistent in the environment and represent a health threat to both humans and ecosystems. The use of traditional soil remediation technologies, such as landfilling or incineration, require large excavation costs and disrupt the ecology of the site. Phytoremediation, the use of green plants for the in situ treatment of contaminants, may be the most appropriate means of treating energetic residues present at military testing ranges. Eglin Air Force Base (EAFB), located near Niceville, FL, is one of the largest military installations in the world and holds many plant and animal species which are threatened or endangered. The use of explosives during training exercises on firing ranges at EAFB has resulted in contamination of energetics on range soils. In an effort to increase range sustainability with respect to explosives contamination, EAFB has been established as the site where phytoremediation processes will be explored for this research.