DESTRUCTION OF RETIRED CHEMICAL WEAPONS BY SUPERCRITICAL WATER OXIDATION

THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES AN SBIR PROJECT TO EVALUATE A NEW APPROACH TO DEMILITARIZATION OF RETIRED CHEMICAL WEAPONS USING SUPERCRITICAL WATER OXIDATION (SCWO). THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN SHOWN TO EFFECTIVELY DESTROY TOXIC AND HAZARDOUS WASTES. THE OXIDATION IS CONDUCTED IN A CLOSED SYSTEM WHICH VIRTUALLY ELIMINATES POLLUTANT EMISSION TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THE EFFLUENTS OF CHEMICAL AGENT DESTRUCTION ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE NON-HAZARDOUS, AND READILY DISPOSED. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT SCWO CAN PROVIDE DESTRUCTION EFFICIENCIES OF AT LEAST 99.9999% AND POSSIBLY 99.999999% FOR CHEMICALS WITH STRUCTURES SIMILAR TO GB, VX AND HD. ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVES ARE TO DEVELOP A FULL SCALE DESIGN, AND TO PROVIDE PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ESTIMATES.