Detection of chemical signatures from TNT buried in sand at various ambient conditions:: Phase II

New analytical methods have been developed and existing methods have been improved for the detection of explosives and their degradation products by increasing their sensitivity and selectivity. Some of the analytical methods available for detection of explosives and degradation products are gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. This work presents the design and development of the experiments for the detection of the spectroscopic signature of TNT buried in sand and its degradation products. These experiments are conducted using a series of soil tanks with controlled environmental conditions such as: temperature, soil moisture content, relative humidity and radiation (UV and VIS). Gas chromatography and solid-liquid extraction with acetonitrile were used for the analysis of explosives. Sampling of tanks was performed in three points on the surface. The results show that TNT and 2,4-DNT are the main explosives that reach the surface of tanks. Temperature and water content play a most important role in the degradation and diffusion of TNT. Finally, the tanks were disassembled and sampling in deep with the objective to obtain a concentration profile. The results demonstrated that the highest concentration was located at 5 cm from surface.