RDX degradation by chemical oxidation using calcium peroxide in bench scale sludge systems.

The ability of calcium peroxide (CaO) to degrade hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) in contaminated soil slurries using CaO-based modified Fenton oxidation was investigated. Results showed that increasing the CaO dose increased degradation rates of RDX and pH. RDX concentrations decreased to below detection after 18 h with 2 M and 2.

Sr-90 soil to plant transfer factor reduction using calcium and polymer soil amendments.

Introducing calcium into soils can inhibit Sr-90 uptake by plants. To test the efficacy of calcium amendments on the inhibition of Sr-90 uptake by edible plants, a number of different calcium applications, including calcium nitrate, calcium thiosulfate and a mixture of both liquid solutions, were used in this study. Pea plants (Pisum sativum 'Sabre') grown in Sr-90 contaminated soil from seeds to maturity were watered with these calcium solutions.

Assessing effects of legacy nuclear waste on plants: Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) gametophyte viability at the Chalk River site.

We evaluated the effects of chronic exposure to environmental radiological contamination on the reproductive fitness of sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) by quantifying viability in haploid gametophytes of spores collected from ferns from background and contaminated areas of the Chalk River site. Dose rates measured in situ at field sites ranged from 60 to 849 μGy h, with effects possible at the more contaminated sites (greater than 400 μGy h). Fern spores were also irradiated from 1 to 1000 Gy to develop dose-response curves.

A Conceptual Model of Fate and Transport Processes for RDX Deposited to Surface Soils of North American Active Demolition Sites.

The use of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) as an energetic material (EM) in ammunition constituents such as detonators, primers, mines, and rocket boosters and in plastic explosives has led to an international warning on possible soil, surface water, and groundwater contamination on military training sites. In Canada, the demolition sites of range training areas are known to be the second most contaminated sites by EM residues in terms of their concentrations in soil after anti-tank ranges. This research proposes a conceptual model of the presence of RDX at the field scale at demolition sites according to previous soil and water characterization studies.

Effect of energetic materials wettability on their outdoor effective elution rate.

Energetic materials (EM) contained in military ammunitions have been found in the surface soil and water of training areas and may potentially represent a threat to human health and the environment. EM wettability is an essential physical parameter to characterize because it controls EM dissolution rate. This paper was conducted to determine the wettability of conventional and new EM formulations used in military ammunition.