Potassium Ferrate: A Novel Chemical Warfare Agent Decontaminant

摘要

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) present a potential threat to military and civilian populations. Current decontamination formulations for CWAs, however, have several shortfalls, including environmental hazards, health hazards, practical use limitations, logistical management difficulties, and/or unsatisfactory CWA destruction efficiencies. Potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) addresses all of these issues through its high oxidation potential, stable shelf life, and benign reduced state, namely iron oxide. A series of bench- scale trials on surrogate and actual CWAs demonstrated the potential efficacy of K2FeO4 as a viable decontamination agent. Destruction efficiencies using paste and aqueous K2FeO4 formulations exceeded 99% for 2,2-dichloroethyl ether, Sarin, Soman, mustard and V-nerve agents. The reaction times were as good as or better than commonly accepted decontaminants, such as bleach and sodium hydroxide.