Drying the effluent from the trinitrotoluene (TNT) purification process, known as red water, is described that uses spray drying in an efficient, improved, and safe manner. The characteristics of the obtained powder, the use thereof, and a packaged product containing said powder are further described. The proposed technique provides the use of lower temperatures at liquid incineration (<300° C. compared to 1000° C.), and also the fact that the main target material is not broken down, thereby not generating toxic fumes, and enabling the dry powder to be used for other applications.

An installation for destroying waste includes at least traces of energetic materials, comprising: an enclosure delimited by lateral walls, the enclosure being filled with a liquid medium up to a first level; a chamber comprising: an inlet intended to supply the chamber with waste to be destroyed by combustion in the chamber; an outlet; a discharge line extending between a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the outlet of the chamber, the second end being situated in the liquid medium, the discharge line rising, between its first end and its second end, to a second level which is higher than the first level, the discharge line being configured to discharge, at the second end, gases and volatile solid residues which are produced in the chamber during combustion.

The present disclosure describes a unique, two-part, water-soluble polymer matrix material and a method of application that immobilizes a wide variety of loose powder or crystalline hazardous materials and renders them “safe” or at least “safer” for handling and transport. The polymer matrix material is a two-part polymer material comprising a liquid cross-linking polymer and a cross-linking agent, initiator, or biocide contained in a solution. The cross-linking agent functions to cross-link the polymer and cause it to harden in place.

A method of deactivating an explosive composition being used in a blasting operation, which method comprises exposing the explosive composition to a micro-organism that is indigenous to the environment in which the explosive composition is being used and that is capable of producing an enzyme that degrades the explosive composition, wherein the explosive composition has associated with it a chemical inducing agent that promotes production of the enzyme by the micro-organism.

Disclosed are stable zero-valent metal and oxidized black carbon admixtures and their use, to catalyze rapid reductive degradation reactions in aqueous solutions. The compositions and remediation methods are used in the non-explosive neutralization and decomposition of ammonium nitrate.

The present disclosure describes a unique plasticized pyrotechnic material which can be easily portioned and formed or molded into a desired shape and which burns at a high temperature (>2000° C.) but does not detonate. The plasticized pyrotechnic material may preferably include a combination of about 70-99% by weight of a pyrotechnic composition and about 1-30% by weight of a plasticizer composition comprising various low to mid molecular weight polyisobutylenes. The pyrotechnic material comprises inorganic oxidizers (e.g. metal oxides, oxohalide salts, nitrates, nitrites, chlorates/perchlorates) and metal or metal oxides powders mixed intimately. The plasticizer may include a small amount of a fluoropolymer, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and may also include up to 1-2% by weight of a processed oil, such as a mineral oil or motor oil. Some embodiments may also include a biocide precursor molecule.

A system and method for neutralizing chemical or biological agents present within a cavity of a piece of ordnance includes structures configured and operating for engaging the piece of ordnance between two retaining and drilling devices; boring two holes through sidewalls of the piece of ordnance to access the cavity; supply an emulsion through the one of holes to the cavity, and extract the emulsion through the second of the holes from the cavity; circulate the emulsion into a reservoir for mixing, wherein the emulsion contains chemicals to neutralize the chemical or biological agents; and continue circulating the emulsion until the chemical or biological agents have been neutralized.

Methods for disposing of munition components may include separating propellants from heavy metal penetrators and disposing of those separated components into different types of geological formations. The initially solid form propellants may be converted into a stable liquified propellant form, by a particular disclosed process, that may be injected within salt water (injection) disposal wells, where distal portions of such salt water disposal wells may be located in a geological formation of substantially at least one salt. The separated heavy metal penetrators (with or without their associated projectile jackets) may be disposed of within human-made caverns, where such human-made caverns may be located within a deep geological formation that is often 2,000 feet or more below the Earth's surface. The heavy metal penetrators may include uranium (depleted uranium). Portions of a given munition, to be disposed of, may be radioactive.

A method for destroying pyrotechnic materials including providing an apparatus having an inlet and an outlet and configured to mechanically destroy pyrotechnic materials and discharge pyrotechnic debris through the outlet, feeding water and pyrotechnic materials to the inlet of the apparatus so that the apparatus mechanically destroys the pyrotechnic materials and discharges pyrotechnic debris and water through the outlet, introducing the discharged pyrotechnic debris and water to a reservoir of water so that water-soluble components of the pyrotechnic debris dissolve into the water of the reservoir, light-density water-insoluble components float to the top of the reservoir and high-density water-insoluble components settle at bottom of the reservoir, and filtering the reservoir of water to separate water from the water-insoluble components.

Methods for disposing of munition components may include separating propellants from heavy metal penetrators and disposing of those separated components into different types of geological formations. The initially solid form propellants may be converted into a stable liquified propellant form, by a particular disclosed process, that may be injected within salt water (injection) disposal wells, where distal portions of such salt water disposal wells may be located in a geological formation of substantially at least one salt. The separated heavy metal penetrators (with or without their associated projectile jackets) may be disposed of within human-made caverns, where such human-made caverns may be located within a deep geological formation that is often 2,000 feet or more below the Earth's surface. The heavy metal penetrators may include uranium (depleted uranium). Portions of a given munition, to be disposed of, may be radioactive.