Electrocatalytic Conversion of Nitrocellulose-Based Munition Propellants

Due to their unstable chemical nature, ordnance propellants have limited shelf life. Disposal of expired propellants has been a highly visible problem recently, as exemplified by the large stockpile (over 16 million pounds) of unstable M6 Propellant discovered in 2012 at Camp Minden near Minden, LA.This stockpile is currently in the final stages of controlled, closed-burn disposal; however, conversion of this large quantity of propellant to salable biofuels and/or bioproducts would have provided much more value to the Army.More broadly, the availability of an established technology for end-of-life conversion of propellants to valuable biofuels/bioproducts would enhance the logistics workflow of the Army, as the material would become a process feedstock rather than a waste stream for disposal. In this SBIR program, Faraday and Ohio University will investigate the feasibility of pulsed FARADAYIC ElectroCatalysis for the conversion of the major components of M6 Propellant to biofuels/bioproducts. In particular, electrochemical depolymerization and denitration of the major nitrocellulose component and denitration of the minor dinitrotoluene component will be examined. Both processes have been studied in industrial and academic contexts, but an economical processing route is not currently available on a relevant scale.