Sorption and degradation of octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine in soil

The sorption/desorption and long-term fate of octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) was examined using sterilized and nonsterilized soils. Two soils were used that differ mainly by the amount of total organic carbon (TOC): an agricultural topsoil (VT, 8.4% TOC) and a sandy soil (SSL, 0.33% TOC). The adsorption isotherms performed at room temperature were well-described by a linear model, which led to sorption distribution coefficients of 2.5 and 0.7 L kg(-1) for VT and SSL soils, respectively. The organic content of soil did not significantly affect HMX sorption. Over a period of 20 weeks, HMX degraded (60% disappearance) in static anaerobic nonsterile VT soil preparations. In separate experiments using UL-14C]-HMX, 19% mineralization (liberated 14CO2) was obtained in 30 weeks. In addition, four nitroso derivatives of HMX were detected. Knowing the sorption/desorption behavior and the long-term fate of HMX in soil will help assess the effectiveness of natural attenuation for HMX removal.