MARCH 18, 2015
DENVER, COLORADO
The U.S. Army plans to begin destroying the nation's largest
remaining stockpile of chemical weapons Wednesday.
The first container of mustard agent was moved into an
airtight containment building at Pueblo Chemical Depot in southern Colorado,
and crews expected to open it and neutralize it later in the day.
"Everybody's really excited, but we're being cautious,
making sure all the procedures are followed exactly," said Bruce
Huenefeld, manager of the first destruction process to get underway at the
depot.
The facility has about 2,600 tons of mustard agent, most of
it contained in about 780,000 shells.
Mustard agent can maim or kill by damaging skin, the eyes
and airways. It's being destroyed under a 1997 international treaty banning all
chemical weapons. It will take four years to destroy the Pueblo stockpile.
Another 523 tons of mustard and deadly nerve agents are
stored at Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. Blue Grass isn't expected to start
destroying its weapons until 2016 or 2017, finishing in 2023.
The destruction process is safe, officials said.
Most of Pueblo's stockpile will be dismantled and
neutralized in a highly automated $4.5 billion plant built at the depot.
About 1,400 damaged shells and a dozen metal bottles of
mustard agent are considered unsuitable for that plant. They'll be torn open
with explosives inside a sealed chamber, and the mustard will be chemically
neutralized.
The metal bottles contain mustard that was extracted from
the shells for testing.
They'll be the first to be destroyed, followed by the
damaged shells, depot spokesman Thomas Schultz said.
The explosion chamber was expected to start operating
Wednesday with the destruction of a single steel bottle, officials said, but
the automated plant isn't expected to begin work until December or January.
Design and construction have taken years, and final testing and training are
underway.
Mustard agent is a thick liquid, not a gas as commonly
believed. It has no color and almost no odor, but it got its name because
impurities made early versions smell like mustard.
The U.S. acquired 30,600 tons of mustard and nerve agents,
but it never used them in war. Nearly 90 percent of its original stockpile has
already been destroyed.
Source:AP.com
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The U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) is located in southeastern Colorado, encompassing approximately 23,000 acres. The depot’s mission is the safe, secure storage of 2,611 tons of mustard agent, while protecting the environment, workforce and surrounding communities. The weapons, stored and monitored at the depot since the 1950s, have been rendered obsolete and accordingly must be destroyed. This chemical weapons destruction program extensively involves the local community, in addition to state and federal regulators.
Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant
Located within the current boundaries of the depot, the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) includes a variety of facilities for purposes including agent processing, energetic processing, control and storage, munitions storage, biotreatment, entry control, utility, laboratory, personnel maintenance and other support tasks. The Bechtel Pueblo Team (BPT) was awarded the systems contract to design, construct, systemize, pilot test, operate and close the main facility.
The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program, known as PEO ACWA, is responsible for managing the destruction of the Pueblo chemical weapons stockpile and will oversee the BPT contract. PEO ACWA is headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
Technology
On July 16, 2002, Department of Defense officials selected neutralization followed by biotreatment as the disposal technology to be used at PCD. Neutralization followed by biotreatment uses hot water to neutralize the chemical agent, effectively destroying the mustard agent molecules.
The resulting hydrolysate is mostly water and thiodiglycol, a common industrial chemical that is readily biodegradable. Ordinary sewage treatment bacteria, or microbes, consume the organics in the hydrolysate. Besides being a common phenomenon in nature, the science of using microbes to help dispose of hazardous waste has existed for decades. Sewage treatment facilities across the country use microbes every day to help break down raw sewage.
It is recognized that a limited number of munitions will not be able to be easily processed through the main destruction plant. These problematic munitions include those that have leaked in the past and are overpacked, as well as “rejects” whose condition does not allow for automated processing. These munitions will be safely processed in PCAPP’s Explosive Destruction System.
Public Outreach
The Pueblo Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office and the Pueblo Chemical Depot Public Affairs Office keep the community informed of issues regarding chemical weapons destruction. The offices respond to inquiries, provide information materials and coordinate guest speakers for a variety of different civic groups and organizations.
The offices work closely with the Army, state regulatory agencies and local and state emergency preparedness authorities to create a comprehensive public involvement and outreach program.