Emissions related to munitions firing: A case study of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and energetic residue from detonable munitions

Overall, the detonation of munitions represents an environmentally clean reaction. Six kilotons of energetic materials were expended in this case study during training in 1996. These included nitrocellulose (55 percent), trinitrotoluene (TNT) (30 percent), nitroglycerine (5 percent), nitroguanidine (4 percent), dinitrotoluene (DNT) (3 percent), and Royal Dutch Explosive (RDX) (3 percent). Based on previously reported test data (BangBox), energetic detonation emissions of environmental concern were calculated to be less than 1 percent. This residue contains nitrogen oxides (88 percent), a mix of volatile organic compounds (11 percent), and possibly undetonated RDX (<1 percent). Preliminary assessment of emissions produced by munitions in this study indicates that both nitrogen oxide (NOX) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions are low relative to other NOX and VOC producing activities including emissions from biogenic (natural) sources. Though the amount of undetonated RDX is low, further work is needed to validate this number and determine whether this source represents any significant health or environmental impact.