Abstract | Live-fire military training scatters energetic compounds onto range soils. Once deposited on soil the explosives and propellants ingredients can dissolve in water (precipitation, delete), experience complex interactions with soil constituents, and migrate through subsurface soil leading to ground water contamination. While in contact with soil these chemicals are also subject to several abiotic (hydrolysis, photolysis, and reaction with metals) and biotic (biotransformation) reactions both in the solid and in the aqueous state In this review we will summarize the current state of knowledge on how energetic residues are deposited on range soils, what the residues look like and how quickly they dissolve in water. We will also describe the key physiochemical properties (Sw, pH, kow, Kd) of high explosives and propellants and discuss how these parameters influence their geo-biochemical interactions with soil and their chemical and microbial transformation routes in the environment. Knowing the reaction routes, especially the initial steps involved in the decomposition of these chemicals, will help us understand their fate, their ecological impact, and how to enhance in situ remediation. This review also identifies knowledge gaps and highlights future research needs |
---|