Ecotoxicological evaluation of wastewater from 2.4.6-TNT production

Abstract

During the manufacture of explosives, large amounts of water are used to remove unwanted by-products generated. This water in turn, ends up in wastewater treatment plants or water bodies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxic potential of effluent generated by 2.4.6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) production, yellow water, red water and mixture of yellow and red water, produced from a plant located in the Paraíba Valley, São Paolo state, Brazil. Daphnia similis, Danio rerio, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida and Pseudokircheneriella subcaptata were used as test organisms. Physicochemical parameters such as color, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) were evaluated. Effluent from 2.4.6-TNT production was extremely toxic to all test organisms. The physicochemical parameters evaluated showed high levels of conductivity (from 41.533 to 42.344 μS /cm) and chemical oxygen demand (COD of 8471 to 27.364 mg/L) for the effluents analyzed.

Keywords:

• Explosives industry
• 2.4.6-TNT
• Danio rerio
• Daphnia similis
• Escherichia coli
• Pseudomonas putida
• Pseudokircheneriella subcaptata
• toxicity

Acknowledgments

The authors thank to CNPq (National Council of Scientific Technologic Developing) and ANA (Brazilian Agency of Water - generated resources by collection for the water use) for financial support, Mrs. Lúcia A. B. A. Castro for technical support.