Chemical/Biological Decontamination

The U.S. Air Force Depot receives materials, parts, and components (MPC) for repair or refurbishment from a variety of sources across the globe including forward operating areas and combat zones. Current procedures and protocols call for decontamination of MPC at forward operating locations. However, these decontamination procedures and protocols are generally aimed at complete assemblies – not on individual components. Further, the agents used for decontamination are generally corrosive and toxic with deleterious impact on the actual components. This impact increases the potential for catastrophic failure of critical components during their life-cycle as well as exposing maintenance and repair personnel to hazardous and toxic substances and situations. RTA Systems Inc. proposed use of commercially available TERRACAPTM additives enhanced with surfactants and other materials to provide a specific affinity towards chemical and biological agents. This Phase II SBIR proposal outlines the continued development and testing of the TERRACAP additives in order to produce a prototype system for a cost-effective, multi-purpose depot and base solution for decontamination and destruction of chemical and biological agents and the remediation of hazardous wastes.