US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Linda L Szafraniec

William T Beaudry

Yu-Chu Yang

John B Samuel

Steven P Harvey

Clifford A Bunton

Dennis K Rohrbaugh

A process for the detoxification or demilitarization of the chemical warf agent HT, a mixture of 2,2'-dichlorodiethyl sulfide and bis-(2-(2-chloroethylthio)ethyl) ether, is disclosed. The process includes 1) treating HT with a hydrolyzing agent to form a mixture of thiodiglycol (TDG) and bis-(2-(2-hydroxyethylthio)ethyl) ether(s?) (T-OH); 2) neutralizing the TDG and T-OH mixture to a pH sufficient for biodegradation of the mixture; and biodegrading the neutralized TDG and T-OH mixture. In preferred embodiments, the hydrolyzing agent is water and the neutralizing is carried out with NAOH. Biodegradation is preferably carried out with a sequential batch reactor.

Hydrolysis and biodegradation of the chemical warfare vesicant agent HT

A method for detoxifying substituted and unsubstituted phosphonothiolates and phosphonothioic acids. The method requires reacting the phosphonothiolate or phosphonothioic acid with a sufficient amount of a compound containing an HSO.sub.5 -ion, for a sufficient time and under conditions sufficient to produce a reaction product having less toxicity than the phosphonothiolate or phosphonothioic acid. The preferred compound containing an HSO.sub.5 -ion is potassium monopersulfate, 2KHSO.sub.5.KHSO.sub.4.K2S0.sub.4.

Oxidative detoxification of phosphonothiolates and phosphonothioic acids

A process for the detoxification or decontamination of aminoalkyl phosphonothiolates and more particularly, the chemical warfare agent VX and its analogs. The process comprises adding water to the chemical agent so that an hydrolysis reaction of the chemical agent with water occurs at specified molar ratios. In a preferred embodiment, the detoxification process is carried out in situ within the chemical agent storage containers in the field and includes mixing the contents of the container after adding the water. The mixing may be accomplished by shaking, rolling, tumbling or pumping.

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Bel Air, MD, United States of America

Linda L Szafraniec