Thermophilic Aerobic Treatment of Explosives Wastes (Pink Water Sludge): Bench Scale Test Results

摘要

Explosives wastes are generated by U.S. Army facilities as a result of explosivesmanufacturing; munitions load, assemble, and pack (LAP) operations; explosivesmachining, casting and curing; and laboratory testing of munitions. These nitroaromaticcompounds are relatively refractory to biological degradation. Thermophilic aerobictreatment systems offer the potential to degrade these compounds. The AFCSM processis a combination of single-stage thermophilic aerobic biological treatment, side streamchemical treatment step, and efficient solids separation. This paper describes a fourmonthbench test conducted using explosives wastes from McAlester Army AmmunitionPlant (MAAP) in Oklahoma. The bench test covered several different and variableloading conditions. Respirometric test procedures were used to validate whether or notwaste destruction had occurred due to biological activities.