Nitramine compounds (NAs), such as hexogen (cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, RDX), octogen (cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, HMX), tetryl (2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine, TET) are commonly used as explosives. Their molecular structures are described in Table 1. These nitramine compounds contaminate wastewater from some industrial explosive production lines that make ammunition for military use. TET is mainly employed as a booster charge to propagate detonation in the main charge, while RDX and HMX are used in bombs, torpedoes, and armour-piercing shells. NAs cause harm to human health, animals, and ecosystems. Lewis-Younger et al. (2000) investigated the toxic effect of nitramine explosives on workers in explosives plant; their results showed that TET caused dermatitis in 61 of the employees. At the same time, RDX was identified as the cause of nausea, dizziness, convulsions, vomiting, and headaches. Some by-products of RDX and HMX degradation are carcinogens or mutagens; for example,
Several advanced oxidation processes have been performed for the decomposition of ester nitrates (ENs), such as nitroglycerine (NG) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). The reaction kinetics for removing NG and PETN by some of the advanced oxidation processes (e.g. UV-H2O2, Fenton, UV-Fenton) followed the pseudo-first-order model. The reaction rates in different systems followed the sequence ENs/UV<ENs/H2O2<ENs/UV-H2O2<ENs/Fenton<ENs/UV-Fenton. The effect of various parameters, such as pH, concentration of hydrogen peroxide, and temperature, on the degradation of NG and PETN were studied.
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