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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)
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      Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)


      Mission: Destroy Chemical Weapons Stockpile

      Vision: Chemical Weapons Free by 2023

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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

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Agent Hydrolysate Component Used to Test Biotreatment Process

Published: December 22, 2015 | Category: PCAPP News, Technology
Five isotainers of thiodiglycol were transferred into a 30-day Storage Tank to await use in testing of the biotreatement process.

Five isotainers of thiodiglycol were transferred into a 30-day Storage Tank to await use in testing of the biotreatement process.

With systemization, the testing phase of the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP), 93 percent complete, focus is on Biotreatment Area (BTA) Risk Reduction.

A major step in the risk reduction process is surrogate testing, which involves starting up the Immobilized Cell Bioreactors (ICB), said Dr. Jim Earley, chief scientist, PCAPP.

During agent destruction operations, hydrolysate, the byproduct of the chemical agent neutralization process, will be pumped into the ICBs to be further broken down by biomass, or microorganisms. A surrogate feed consisting of Thiodiglycol (TDG), the primary component of hydrolysate, and nutrients will be used to test the biotreatment process as part of the risk reduction testing program prior to the start of agent operations, Earley said.

In preparation for the testing, five isotainers of TDG, manufactured by BASF of Ludwigshafen, Germany, were delivered to the PCAPP site this fall. Each was placed in one of the 30-day storage holding tanks where it was diluted with process water.

“The TDG is diluted to less than 30 weight percent, as required by treaty, and will be further diluted during surrogate testing,” said Earley.

During surrogate testing, one module, consisting of four ICBs, will be started up simultaneously. This will allow for Standard Operating Procedures to be written concisely, Earley said.

Biomass, approximately 4,500 gallons of waste-activated sludge, will be added to each ICB unit and water will be added to fill one compartment of the unit. Each ICB will be aerated and the pH will be controlled by adding bicarbonate, which will serve as a buffer during the initial batch mode operation, said Earley.

The initial feed will consist of TDG, diammonium phosphate and urea. During continuous feed operations, the TDG loading to the ICBs will be incrementally increased from 12.5 percent to 100 percent of design in order for the microbes to become fully acclimated to the TDG. The startup and acclimation process will take two to four weeks, during which TDG concentration will need to be reduced by at least 85 percent before more feed will be added. Samples will be taken daily, Earley said.

“The risk reduction testing is designed to reveal challenges,” said Walton Levi, deputy site project manager, PCAPP. “It will allow PCAPP staff to understand failure modes and hence, develop corrective actions.”

More PCAPP Technology Articles

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    Attention to Detail Prevents System Clogs

    Published: March 23, 2021
  • Innovative Solution Reduces Problematic Munitions

    Innovative Solution Reduces Problematic Munitions

    Published: March 4, 2021
  • Pueblo Plant Upgrades Closed-Circuit Camera System

    Pueblo Plant Upgrades Closed-Circuit Camera System

    Published: February 10, 2021
  • Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Automation Specialist Wendell Savage teaches the Training Facility robot about the new Drained Munition Weight Station. Later, the lessons were applied to the plant’s Munitions Washout System.

    Pueblo Plant Worker Instrumental in Campaign Success

    Published: February 2, 2021
  • Static Detonation Chamber Units Begin Testing

    Static Detonation Chamber Units Begin Testing

    Published: December 22, 2020
  • Workers Reconfigure Equipment for Next Destruction Campaign

    Workers Reconfigure Equipment for Next Destruction Campaign

    Published: November 30, 2020
  • Safety System at Pueblo Plant Receives Upgrade

    Safety System at Pueblo Plant Receives Upgrade

    Published: November 20, 2020
  • A Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant laboratory employee leads community stakeholders on a tour of the facility on Oct. 14.

    Stakeholders Tour Plant, Evaluate Future Usability of Items

    Published: October 30, 2020
  • Plant Sets Best Three-Month Processing Record

    Plant Sets Best Three-Month Processing Record

    Published: October 7, 2020
  • Pueblo Plant Operating Under Final Hazardous Waste Permit

    Pueblo Plant Operating Under Final Hazardous Waste Permit

    Published: October 1, 2020
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Related PCAPP News

  • Antistatic Gear Improves Safety

    Antistatic Gear Improves Safety

    September 20, 2018
  • Washout System Tested for Optimal Performance

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    July 28, 2017
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  • Solution Devised for Over-Pressurized Rounds

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  • Heating Technique to Eliminate Residual Chemical Agent

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  • Pueblo Plant Uses Present-Day Technologies to Clean up the Past

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Related Videos

  • Pueblo Plant Control Room Prepares for Operations

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  • Modified Ammunition Vehicles Ensure Safe Transportation of Chemical Weapons

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    Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Self-Operating Vehicles

    September 30, 2013

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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)