Evaluation of Supercritical Fluid Extraction Technology for NBC Decontamination of Small Military Equipment

Military personnel must be equipped with appropriate decontamination (decon) systems in order to operate effectively in battlefields or rear area environments that include nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) contamination. In this project, CF TECHnologies, Inc., (CF TECH) will evaluate the potential for using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) technology for NBC decontamination of small, delicate military equipment. The project will consist of determining the operational use and requirements for a small equipment decon system; a critical evaluation of current SFE technology and its application to decontaminating small, delicate items of military equipment; the identification of problem areas for this application and technical approaches to overcome them; and the potential impact of realistic advances expected in SFE technology in the coming decade which may impact on the utility of this approach.