Biodegradation of IMX-101 explosive formulation constituents: 2,4-Dinitroanisole (DNAN), 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), and nitroguanidine

Defense agencies are increasingly using insensitive munitions (IM) in place of explosives such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. In this study simultaneous aerobic degradation of the IMX-101 formulation constituents 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), and nitroguanidine (NQ) was observed and degradation products were examined. Degradation products over four days of incubation included: nitrourea, 1,2-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazol-3-one, and 2,4-dinitrophenol. The enrichment culture maximum specific growth rate of 0.12 h−1 and half saturation constant of 288 mg L−1 during degradation of IMX-101 as a sole nitrogen source suggest that enrichment culture growth kinetics may closely relate to those of other explosive and nitroaromatic compounds.