NEUTRALIZATION AND CHEMICAL DETOXIFICATION OF NITROGEN TETROXIDE SPILLS BY ACTIVE SILICEOUS SORBENTS

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL BE TO SYNTHESIZE REACTIVE POROUS SILICEOUS SORBENTS CAPABLE OF COVERING THE SPILL OF LIQUID NITROGEN TETROXIDE, AND AT THE SAME TIME TO NEUTRALIZE/CHEMICALLY DESTROY IT. THE SORBENTS WILL CARRY ACTIVE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS SUCH AS ALIPHATIC AMINE, AROMATIC AMINE, HYDRAZIDE GROUPS, ETC. THE METHOD WILL BE INNOVATIVE IN THE SENSE THAT THE NEUTRALIZATION REACTION WILL MOST PROBABLY NOT BE VIGOROUS AND HYPERBOLIC, BECAUSE LOADINGS OF ACTIVE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS OR SORBENTS CAN BE EASILY CONTROLLED. SINCE POROUS SORBENTS WILL BE USED, THE LARGE SURFACE AREA WILL HELP IN COVERING THE SPILL AND THE VOLUME OF THE WASTE MATERIAL WILL BE MINIMAL. REACTIVE LIGANDS AND REAGENTS WILL BE BONDED TO SILICEOUS SORBENTS (CLAY, DIATOMACEOUS EARTH, POROUS SILICA, ETC.) BY SILANIZATION, POLYMERIZATION, AND ADSORPTIVE-CROSSLINKING REACTIONS. THE SYNTHESIZED SORBENTS WILL HAVE SUCH FUNCTIONAL GROUPS THAT WILL BE EASILY OXIDIZED AND/OR NITRATED BY N2O4. NEUTRALIZATION REACTIONS WILL PRODUCE NONFUMING SUBSTANCES. EACH SYNTHESIZED SORBENT WILL BE ANALYZED (ELEMENTAL AND FUNCTIONAL) AND TESTED FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE PROPERTIES. LAB-SCALE TESTING THE EFFICACY OF THE SORBENTS WITH N2O4 AND ANALYSIS OF WASTE MATERIAL (BY NAOH TITRATION, ETC.) WILL BE PERFORMED. THE PROPOSED ACTIVE POROUS SILICEOUS SORBENTS WILL NEUTRALIZE/CHEMICALLY DESTROY/SUPPRESS VAPOR EMISSIONS OF NITROGEN TETROXIDE WHICH IS USED AS AN OXIDIZER IN SPACE PROPULSION BY THE AIR FORCE. THE METHOD WILL BE EFFICIENT AND INNOVATIVE BECAUSE THE REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL OF THE WASTED MATERIAL WILL BE EASY. THE ACTIVE SORBENTS ALSO WILL BE USED BY MANUFACTURERS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS OR CHEMICAL PLANTS WHERE ANY TYPE OF NITROUS FUMES ARE GENERATED AS BY-PRODUCTS.