MuniRem® Accelerated Remediation


Rapid Chemical Degradation of Munitions Constituents
PLANTECO has developed and patented MuniRem®, a rapid in-situ chemical treatment process for munitions constituents in soils and groundwater.  MuniRem® consists of selected bulk reductants that generate free radicals that react rapidly to completely degrade oxidized organics to innocuous end products along with precipitating/immobilizing metals. 

The very short cleanup time and closeout associated with this technology eliminates the O&M costs (30 – 50% savings) associated with other remediation technologies.

Potential Applications

MuniRem® can be applied to a number of applications including:
  • Concurrent in-situ degradation of munitions constituents in soil and groundwater.
  • Range sustainment and management - grenade and gun ranges.
  • Decontamination of munitions casings prior to recycling
  • Treatment of decaying ordnance (including damaged and/or underwater)


Proven Capabilities and Field Success

PLANTECO and third parties have completed feasibility tests using munitions contaminated soils from multiple field sites across various geological settings. The results of our treatability tests confirm that DNTs, ADNTs, TNT, RDX, HMX, and picric acid and other nitroaromatics, either individually or in mixtures, can be rapidly degraded to regulatory levels or non-detectable levels using MuniRem®.

MuniRem® has been demonstrated and validated at US Department of Defense installations to:
  • Neutralize recovered bomb contents and decontaminate bomb casings;
  • Rapidly treat high concentrations of TNT, RDX and HMX in soils;
  • Degrade explosives in water including pink water to non-detect concentrations;
  • Degrade explosives in spent activated carbon (GAC) from pink water treatment;
  • Neutralize highly reactive open burn open detonation (OBOD) ash;
  • Treat bag house waste which passed TCLP test;
  • Destroy high explosives and stabilize metals in demilitarization sludge;
  • Neutralize solid propellants of different particle sizes;
  • Degrade sulfur mustard to ethylene gas (the same gas from degradation of chlorinated solvents by zero valent iron and anaerobic bacteria);
  • Decontaminate walls in explosives handling and processing buildings using a spray of liquid MuniRen reagent;
  • Decontaminate demilitarization/militarization equipment.