Characterization of Cyclic Nitramine Explosives in Wainwright Firing Range Soil during Pilot Scale Treatment with Fe(0) and Phytoremediation

A combination of sample preparation (sieving, solvent addition, lyophization, homogenization,) and analytical methods (HPLC-UV, LC-MS) were used to determine the HMX concentration in 113 soil and 73 plant samples obtained from a greenhouse pilot study examining the potential for phytoremediation and non-valent iron addition as remediative technologies specific to soil from a firing range in Wainwright Alberta All five of the plant species analyzed (Alfalfa Medicago sativa, Bush bean Phaseolus vulgaris, Canola Brassica rapa, Wheat Triticum aestivum, perennial Ryegrass Lolium perenne) were observed to extract HMX in significant quantities from Wainwright soil. No significant supporting evidence from soil samples was obtained for treatments using zero valent iron, although the high degree of in-sample variability for these samples made the assessment of marginal remediation difficult.