US EPA

7683101 

Journal Article 

Chemical neutralization of explosives as a viable option in humanitarian demining operations 

Heberlein, DC; Briggs, BD; Patel, DL; , 

1996 

I I T RESEARCH INST 

CHICAGO 

827-840 

WOS:000085216200070 

Previous effort conducted in the 1970's involved chemical neutralization techniques for non-detonative destruction of the TNT explosive charge in landmines for countermining operations. Two specific techniques were (1) an essentially isothermal solvent/amine "wash-out" system that simultaneously dissolved and neutralized the TNT into a non-explosive, nearly inert residual composition and (2) a highly exothermic hypergolic chemical initiation system that achieved an autocatalytic non-detonative self-consumption of the TNT. Based on this earlier work, this humanitarian demining effort was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of chemical neutralization methodology to achieve in situ neutralization of landmines, with emphasis on anti-personnel mines, and to extend the work to Composition B sind RDX explosives in addition to TNT. The objective was to demonstrate one or more systems that could be implemented quickly and simply to neutralize surface-emplaced landmines. A number of delivery systems were evaluated as well as numerous chemical reagents that were hypergolic with the explosives and would initiate an autocatalytic self-consumption in them. The first system, referred to as "bullet with chemical capsule", used about 15 mt diethylenetriamine in a plastic capsule that was placed just above the surface-emplaced landmine. A bullet, shot through the capsule and into the mine, ruptured the capsule, penetrated the casing of the mine, and entered into the explosive charge, causing the amine hypergol to contact the somewhat fractured explosive and initiate the highly exothermic autocatalytic complete destruction of the explosive. The second system, referred to as "chemical-filled projectile", shot a bullet/cartridge projectile into the mine in such manner that the bullet would penetrate the mine casing and enter the explosive, rupture the cartridge to release about 10 mt of diethylzinc (with 20 percent toluene diluent) into the penetrated explosive to similarly achieve at highly exothermic autocatalytic complete destruction of the explosive. Both systems were effective against TNT and Composition B. The major advantage of this chemical neutralization methodology is that complete, non-detonative neutralization of the explosive component in the landmines is achieved, yielding products that are environmentally acceptable and without detonation damage to the area or contamination by mine-casing debris, especially in the case of metal-encased landmines. 

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22nd International Pyrotechnics Seminar 

FT COLLINS, CO