Degradation of explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by s-triazine degrading bacterium isolated from contaminated soil.

2,4,6-Trinitrotolene (TNT) is a military explosive and a predominant contaminant of soil and ground water at many sites of TNT production and processing in many countries. TNT is recalcitrant and has been shown to be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms in the environment (Won et al. 1976). TNT can be degraded, mineralized, or conjugated into more complex products by a variety of microorganisms (Lewis et al. 1997). The pathway of TNT degradation has been elucidated in several bacteria including Serratia marcescens (Mantpas et al. 1997). The most extensive degradation of TNT was exhibited by white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium (Fernando et al. 1990; Michels and Gottschalk, 1994; Stahl and Aust, 1995). TNT degradation in soils has been performed in most previous studies (Comfort et al. 1995; Knackmuss, 1996; Shelley et al. 1996; Hawari et al. 1997). Although information exits on the biochemistry and genetics of TNT degradation by microorganisms, the utility of this information has not been evaluated for possible treatment processes of industrial waste streams where TNT may represent a serious disposal problem.