Work

Electrochemical demilitarization of solid composition B (HMX/RDX/TNT) and nitrocellulose

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Stockpiles of aging, off-spec, or other military munitions containing energetic formulations pose a health and safety risk to humans and the environment. This research is the first report demonstrating electrochemical demilitarization of solid Composition B (CompB; HMX/RDX/TNT) and nitrocellulose (NC) fines. The process combined alkaline hydrolysis with cathode surface reactions in a divided electrochemical cell configuration. The constituents of CompB were degraded (>95 %) to simple end products consisting primarily of NO 2 − , formaldehyde, and residual color. The latter two compounds were shown to be readily amenable to an UV/H 2 O 2 treatment as a potential polishing step. NC fines were hydrolyzed to NO 2 − , NO 3 − , NH 4 + and unspecified total organic carbon (TOC) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), with minimal accumulation of free cyanide. For both energetics, the degradation kinetics were improved by heating the system to 50 °C. The estimated cost of treatment at the elevated temperature, including chemicals and energy, was <$0.05 per g for CompB and between $0.18 and $0.29 per g for NC, depending on the size cutoff for residuals (>5 and >1.5 µm, respectively). These results provide proof-of-concept that electrochemical processes for treating solid energetic materials may be an effective approach for safe and efficient demilitarization treatment trains for military munitions.

Source: Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances

DOI: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2025.100967

Authors: Mark E. Fuller, Paul C. Hedman, Nikita Thakur, Danielle N. Tran, Charles E. Schaefer

Institution: CDM Smith (United States)

Language: English

Topic: Energetic Materials and Combustion

Subfield: Mechanics of Materials

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,400