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Russian Munitions Agency

Chemical Disarmament

CW Destruction Technologies

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Victor Ivanovich Kholstov was appointed as Director General of Russian Munitions Agency
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Chemical Weapons | Facilities of Former CW Production | Facilities of CW Stockpiling and Destruction | CW Destruction Technologies | Safety Problems of CW Stockpiling and Destruction | Chemical Terrorism | Implementation Problems of the CW Convention

CW destruction
Russian technologies for CW destruction

CW Destruction

The Convention on CW prohibition states that all existing CW stockpiles are subject to destruction under strict international control. The destruction begins not later than in 2 years and ends not later than in 10 years after the Convention enters in force. CW facilities production are also subject to destruction. Process of CW destruction contains the number of main stages that may be separated at time and place: warfare chemical agents stockpiling, CW transportation to destruction place, disassembly of munitions (bulk containers) and chemical agents detoxication, transportation and destruction of reactive masses, burial of solid wastes.

A very vital moment in the process of chemical disarmament is the optimal selection of technological processes for destruction of chemical agents.

In USA combustion of chemical agents on specific plant (on one of the atolls in the Pacific) is adopted as a main technology. Essential fault of this technology is a possibility of emission of fuel mixture components, chemical agents and products of their combustion. One stage technology for destruction of chemical agents, containing P, S, As and etc., in saline melt is also developed. However the necessary legislative base, allowing to solve the problem of CW destruction, was adopted in this country by the beginning of the seventies.

While developing technologies for CW destruction in Russia the possibility of utilization products of their processing is being considered. During destruction of organophosphorus chemical agents the two-stage technology is worked out. On the first stage the chemical reaction is carried out, in result of which nontoxic products are generated (alkaline hydrolysis, oxidative chlorination and alcoholysis). On the second stage thermal decontamination of munitions bodies and the destruction of nontoxic reaction mass is carried out. It is possible to burn them with further burial of solid wastes at special waste storage sites as well as bituminization of reaction mass with further utilization or burial. Bodies of chemical munitions are subject to full utilization after their termal decontamination and remelting.

The one-stage tecnology, based on thermal decomposition of chemical agents in munitions of small calibre without their preliminary opening is worked out too. It excludes the availability of reaction mass.

The international examination reasserted the efficiency and safety of Russian technology of GosNIIOKhT, based on the principles, which beneficially distinguish it from technology used in USA.