Alternatives to Open Burning/Open Detonation of Energetic Materials
Abstract
U.S. Army Ammunition Plants (AAPs) and load, assemble, and pack (LAP) facilities generate diverse pyrotechnic, explosive, and propellant (PEP) production wastes as part of munitions production activities. These energetic material (EM) wastes and EM contaminated wastes (EMCW) continue to be destroyed by open burning and open detonation (OB/OD), the most common ("first generation") method of EM disposal. Incineration is a currently used, feasible "second generation" treatment option, but has enjoyed poor regulator and public acceptance. Concerns for potential human health risk created by OB/OD at Army installations as well as environmental impacts on the air, soil, and water are forcing the Army to identify and develop alternatives to OB/OD treatment. This document summarizes research initiatives by the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (CERL) into several "third generation" pretreatment and treatment technologies for EM and EMCW, including: cryogenic cutting, supercritical CO2 extraction and hydrothermal oxidation, hydromilling, wet air oxidation, hydrothermal oxidation, biodegradation, and electrochemical treatment. Results are also given from a waste generation survey of nine Army Materiel Command (AMC) facilities, and of a study that characterizes the emissions from burning propellants under experimental conditions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA353209
Entities
People
- Bernard A. Donahue
- James Strata
- Neal R. Adrian
- Robert A. Weber
- Roger Schneider
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory