Co-metabolism is the concurrent degradation of contaminants when microbes utilize other substrates to gain energy.  Co-metabolic biodegradation can be especially valuable in degrading some otherwise recalcitrant contaminants, such as explosive compounds.

In explosives degradation, the two most important factors are redox potential and substrates.  WRI has screened and evaluated dozens of organic waste products for use as cost-effective substrates and developed protocols that facilitate co-metabolism of explosive compounds such as RDX, TNT, and perchlorate. WRI has implemented these processes in the field to achieve highly efficient co-metabolism of explosive compounds in groundwater.