Field Screening Method for 2,4-Dinitrotoluene in Soil

Abstract

2,4-Dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) is a major component of several munitions formulations used by the U.S. Army. It is also one of the major impurities in production grade TNT and is often found in contaminated soils at army ammunition plants, depots and explosive ordnance disposal areas. Since 2,4- DNT migrates rapidly through the soil to groundwater and is thought to be toxic in water at quite low concentrations, methods are needed to locate sources of this contaminant in the soil. Laboratory procedures to quantify the concentration of 2,4-DNT in soil samples have been developed but no rapid field method is currently available to screen for this contaminant. Field screening methods have recently been developed for TNT and RDX. The TNT method involves extraction of the soil with acetone and generation of the red-colored Janowsky complex by addition of potassium hydroxide and sodium sulfite.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA245492

Entities

People

  • Marianne E. Walsh
  • Thomas F. Jenkins

Organizations

  • Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ammunition
  • Chemistry
  • Cold Regions
  • Detection
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal
  • Explosives
  • Extraction
  • Hydroxides
  • Laboratory Procedures
  • Materials
  • Moisture
  • Moisture Content
  • Munitions
  • United States
  • Water

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Rocket Propulsion.