Munitions constituents enter natural waters from the corrosion of unexploded ordnance casings and from runoff near shooting ranges.  Exposure to sunlight can cause some of these constituents to degrade.  In this study, the photolysis rates of two common propellants, 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 2,6-dinitrotoluene, were measured as a function of dissolved ionic and organic substances.  Samples were exposed to simulated sunlight using a Suntest CPS+� solar simulator under various filters designed to select specific regions of the solar spectrum to examine the wavelength dependence of photolysis.  After irradiation, samples were analyzed via HPLC, and first-order rate constants for the photolysis reaction were determined.  The rates of photolysis increased with increasing concentration of dissolved ionic compounds.  Photolysis rates in the presence of dissolved organic substances were faster than in pure water. This poster will present the rates of degradation of munitions constituents in waters containing various dissolved substances in varying concentrations.

Determination of the impact of dissolved inorganic and organic substances on the photolysis of munitions constituents

245th National Meeting (2013)

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