Waste Disposal/Waste Management System for Low Observable (LO) Composite Materials

Since the feedstocks used to make LO materials are themselves the products of chemical reactions, they're susceptible to decomposition or further chemical reactions, for convesion to either - Recyclable feedstock for LO manufacture or - Beneficial use in other products by destroying their LO characteristic, masking their original composition and eliminating the listed or characteristic constituents that make them susceptible to LDR regulation. ACTON Materials proposes a novel high-temperature gas-solids reactor, the mechanically fluidized vacuum (MFV) system, as an effective means for converting large volumes of LO waste to non-identifiable, non-hazardous, commercial equivalent material or non-restricted disposable waste. The reactor, currently used to formulate RAM filler material, is a general-purpose system for controlling high-temperature reactions used to manufacture advanced materials. It is the first system to independently and simultaneously control all process parameters in gas-solids reaction. The reactor capabilities have been proven across a broad range of manufacturing applications. Phase I investigation will determine its feasibility for waste processing by converting a high-priority waste to a metal carbide or oxide suitable for commercial sale. The reactor operates within the definitions of EPA regulation 40CFR 261.2.e.1.i and ii, and 40CFR261.3.c.3, which remove the reactor feedstock (e.g., LO material) from LDR oversight.