Development of a Low-Temperature Catalytic Oxidation System for Destruction of Chemical Warfare Agents

Abstract

This project is to develop a low-temperature microwave catalytic oxidation system that will effectively decontaminate air containing aerosolized or gaseous chemical agents (CWAs). To protect personnel in shelters catalytic oxidation systems should (1) destroy CWAs in air at low temperatures to avoid NOx formation, (2) remove sulfur dioxide produced from the oxidation of CWAs containing sulfur atoms, (3) operate for an indefinite period of time and (4) destroy biological agents at low temperatures. This system will be used to supply clean breathing air to a bunker or other facility in a war zone that has been contaminated with chemical weapons. This work will be performed in two phases Phase I of the experimental effort is to obtain the data needed to design and fabricate a prototype CWA catalytic oxidation system. During Phase II work the prototype microwave air decontamination system will be constructed and tested both at CHA Corporation and at a selected location to demonstrate the effectiveness of the microwave air decontamination system. Experimental results obtained to date indicate that microwave catalytic oxidation will be capable of destroying more than 99.5% of CWAs in air.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA433050

Entities

People

  • Beau Braunberger
  • Chang Yul Cha
  • Chang-yu Wu
  • Joseph Wander

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Flow
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Biological Factors
  • Catalytic Oxidation
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Chemical Warfare
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Corporations
  • Dielectric Gases
  • Electromagnetic Radiation
  • Gases
  • Low Temperature
  • Microwaves
  • Oxidation
  • Silicon Carbide

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Environmental Engineering.