Cleaning of Residues from Equipment Surfaces After Demilitarization of Arsenical-Based Munitions and Fill Materiels

Abstract : This report summarizes efforts to select and validate a cleaning reagent to be used in demilitarization operations. In demilitarization operations involving the chemical neutralization of arsenic-containing chemical warfare agents with sodium permanganate, the equipment becomes coated with deposits which are primarily manganese dioxide. These deposits must be removed from the equipment on a regular basis to prevent leaks and maintain operational tempo. An oxidative aqueous-based reagent identified as HPO2(tm) reagent (U.S. Patent Number 6,960,701; all rights reserved) was found to be the best cleaning reagent in these demilitarization operations.