Interested in using these technologies in Utah? Here’s What YOU Can Do!
As Easy As Boiling Water
The Army has known for decades that to neutralize mustard agent, all you had to do was mix it with boiling water. Similarly, nerve agents can be neutralized by mixing them with boiling water and Sodium Hydroxide. In fact, the Army neutralized more nerve and mustard agents from 1972-1976 than they have burned in the last 11 years. Despite this knowledge, the Army elected to build incinerators across the country to destroy the nation’s stockpile of chemical weapons.
Now that the nation’s incineration program is 1,000% over budget and 15 yrs behind schedule, it is time to re-evaluate those decisions. Maryland and Indiana have already decided to use non-incineration technologies, and Kentucky and Colorado are expected to use the advanced alternatives as well. Maryland recently announced that they expect to finish three years ahead of schedule (2003) and $200 million under budget. The Tooele incinerator is not expected to finish before 2008, putting it more than 5 years behind schedule.
How It Works
Mustard agent is mixed with water that is heated to 195¾ Fahrenheit. This first stage neutralization reduces mustard agent to hydrochloric acid and thiodiglycol (a fancy word for the chemical that makes the ink flow out of your ball point pen). With nerve agents, the agent is neutralized by mixing it with hot water and Sodium Hydroxide (commonly found in Drano). This reduces the agent to carbon dioxide, nitrogen, phosphates, sulfates and water.
What Then?
According to the Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty, the remaining by-products after incineration need to be further treated so that they cannot be reconstituted to form chemical warfare agent again. To avoid secondary treatment, the Army decided they would burn everything. However, this creates serious risks to workers and the surrounding communities by releasing harmful toxins into the air, including mercury, lead, dioxin, and nerve agent. These chemicals can cause cancer, suppression of the immune system, damage to the reproductive system, and disruption of the nervous system.
Because many communities were opposed to risks of incineration, Congress mandated the Army to demonstrate alternatives to incineration. In 1996, Congress created the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment Program (ACWA). Through the ACWA program, the Department of Defense, Regulators, and Citizens sat down together to develop criteria for chemical weapons disposal technologies. Through this consensus decision making process, six alternative technologies were tested to treat secondary by-products. Four succeeded.
Examples of Secondary Treatment
Super Critical Water Oxidation
This technology was selected by Indiana to destroy their chemical weapons stockpile of VX. After the nerve agent is neutralized, the remaining solution, called hydrolysate, is treated in the "Super Critical Water Oxidation" (SCWO) reactor with water that is heated to 1,200¾ Fahrenheit under a pressure of 3,500 pounds per square inch. The pressure and heat causes the solution to mix with the oxygen and water. Under these conditions, a chemical reaction occurs and the hydrolysate is converted to naturally occurring gases and salts.
As the reactor contents are cooled, the pressure-reduced gases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen) and liquids (phosphates, sulfates and water) separate. The gases are sent through carbon filters and released. The liquids are evaporated, leaving behind salts for disposal in a permitted landfill. The water is condensed and recovered for discharge to a wastewater treatment plant. This water has a toxicity level similar to distilled water. For every 1,500 pounds of nerve agent destroyed in this manner, 350 gallons of water are used and 2 1/2 -55-gallon drums of salt are produced. This technology has been demonstrated to handle every munition at every stockpile site in the country.
Biodegradation
This is the technology that was selected by Maryland to destroy their stockpile of Mustard Agents. After the mustard agent is neutralized, sodium hydroxide is added, which reacts with the hydrochloric acid to form sodium chloride (table salt) and water. The remaining by-products, called hydrolysate, are a solution of thiodiglycol, table salt, and water. This is tested to ensure that it is agent free.
This hydrolysate solution is then treated in the biodegradation phase. Bacteria is taken from a local sewage treatment plant, and the bacteria feed on the thiodiglycol leaving behind carbon dioxide and solids. The solids, composed of bacteria and common salts, will be disposed of in a permitted landfill. The liquid waste, containing 98% water and 2% salt, will be processed in a wastewater treatment facility.
Silver II
Nerve and Mustard Agents are mixed with nitric acid and silver nitrate. This solution is then fed into an electrochemical cell where the natural Silver + (Ag+) ions are transformed into highly reactive Silver ++ (Ag++) ions. The Ag++ ions attack the nerve and mustard agents, breaking it down into carbon dioxide, inorganic salts, and water. After the reaction, the Ag++ ions change back into Ag+ ions, which are then recycled through the reactor to continuously generate further Ag++ ions. This process is done at 190 degrees Fahrenheit at near atmospheric pressure (14.7 pounds per square inch absolute). This technology was developed by AEA Technology.
