The first two tanker trucks filled with hydrolysate left the Blue Grass plant Oct. 7 for destruction at an off-site treatment, storage and disposal facility in Texas.

“This first-time operation went very well,” said Ashley King, waste manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “As a project we have been loading and shipping condensate from the main plant off-gas treatment system for quite a while now, so the operators are familiar and comfortable with the process.”

Operators wearing personal protective equipment loaded two tankers with approximately 4,500 gallons each of hydrolysate, the product of nerve agent neutralization at the Blue Grass plant, King said. The hydrolysate was tested for the presence of chemical agent and cleared before loading.

Drivers then transported the tankers approximately 1,000 miles to Veolia Environmental Services, near Port Arthur, Texas. At least two vehicles will always be used for these shipments, with one vehicle ready to assist in the event of an issue or accident involving the other vehicle.

“We’re following in the footsteps of several other chemical weapons destruction plants that have also shipped hydrolysate to Veolia,” King said. “We know we can do it safely and the facility will destroy it safely and efficiently.”

The first shipment of hydrolysate was received at Veolia Oct. 8 and entered the industrial incineration destruction process the same day. Hydrolysate shipments are now being made on a regular basis and will continue after the main plant destruction process is complete.