PHYTOREMEDIATION OF HEXAHYDRO-1,3,5-TRINITRO-1,3,5-TRIAZINE (RDX) USING CHRYSOPOGON ZIZANIOIDES

Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) is a nitramine compound that has been used heavily by the military as an explosive. Manufacturing, use, and disposal of RDX have led to several contamination sites across the United States. RDX is both persistent in the environment and a threat to human health, making its remediation vital. The use of plants to extract RDX from the soil and metabolize it once in its tissue, is being looked at as a possible solution. In the present study, the tropical grass vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) was grown hydroponically in the presence of 3 concentrations of RDX: 0.25, 1, and 2 ppm. The uptake of RDX was quantified by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of media samples taken daily over a 30-day experimental period. Vetiver was harvested at Day 10, 20 and 30 throughout the experiment and extracted to determine the localization of RDX within the tissue and identify any metabolites. Phytotoxicity of RDX to vetiver was also monitored. This preliminary greenhouse study of RDX uptake by vetiver grass will help indicate the potential ability of vetiver to serve as a plant system in the phytoremediation of RDX.