Biodegradation and Bioremediation of Explosives

Explosives are highly energetic chemicals that release large amounts of energy and gaseous products upon detonation in a short period of time. The history of explosives dates back to the development of black powder long before the industrial revolution started in Europe (Linder et al. 1980). Some of the most frequently manufactured and used secondary explosives include 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrotoluenes (DNT),1,3,5-trinitrobenzene(TNB),N,2,4,6-tetranitro-N-methylaniline (tetryl), trinitroglycerine (TNG), nitroguanidine (NQ), ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN), nitrocellulose (NC), pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), glycidyl azide polymer (GAP), hexahydro=1,3,5-trinitrio-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) and 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) (Fig. 1).