REMOVAL OF CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS FROM WATER BY VAPOR COMPRESSION DISTILLATION

Abstract

A field study of the removal of seven chemical warfare (CW) agents from fresh and saline water by vapor compression distillation was conducted to determine whether a U. S. Army vapor compression distillation unit could produce an acceptable distillate from fresh and saline water contaminated with seven CW agents (incapacitating agent, BZ; nerve gases, GA, GB, and VX; blood gas, AC; and vesicants, HD and HN-3). The Army's vapor compression distillation unit did not produce an acceptable distillate from fresh water contaminated with BZ, VX, AC, GB, or GA, nor an acceptable distillate from saline water contaminated with BZ, VX, or AC. Mixed-bed ion exchange resin, containing a strongly acidic cation resin and a strongly basic anion resin, is effective for posttreatment of distillate containing all the CW agents studied. Granular activated carbon is effective for posttreatment of distillate containing all the CW agents studied, except AC.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 07, 1963
Accession Number
AD0426077

Entities

People

  • Maurice Pressman
  • Robert P. Carnahan
  • Virginia E. Bauer

Organizations

  • United States Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Buffers (Chemistry)
  • Chemical Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Chemistry
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Fresh Water
  • Gases
  • Hydroxides
  • Ion Exchange
  • Ion Exchange Resins
  • Salt Water
  • Sanitary Engineering
  • Warfare
  • Water Purification

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Marine Ecological Systems Migration