Microbial Transformation of Nitroaromatics in Surface Soils and Aquifer Materials

Microorganisms indigenous to surface soils and aquifer materials collected at a munitions-contaminated site transformed 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT) to amino-nitro intermediates within 20 to 70 days. Carbon mineralization studies with both unlabeled (TNT, 2,4-DNT, and 2,6-DNT) and radiolabeled (¹⁴C]TNT) substrates indicated that a significant fraction of these source compounds was degraded to CO₂.