Incineration and thermal treatment of chemical agents and chemical weapons

摘要

The U. S. Army has been directed by Congress to dispose of its approximately 24,800 ton stockpile of chemical weapons and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) by December 31, 2004 and has chosen to use incineration for this purpose(1). This stockpile contains the mustard gas, blister agents H. HD, and HT, and the organophosphorus nerve agents VX and GB. On Johnston Atoll a prototype disposal facility, consisting of four separate process streams each containing a furnace, afterburner and air pollution control section, has been constructed, tested and is now operational. In spite of the fact that this facility has met all major perofrmance goals, there is considerable opposition to the use of incineration for disposal of that portion of the stockpile stored at eight sites in the continental U. S.