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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: The safe elimination of chemical weapons at Pueblo and Blue Grass by Sept. 30, 2023

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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

      BGCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky.

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

      PCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.

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Teamwork Key to Removing Used Carbon Filters

Published: April 19, 2022 | Category: BGCAPP News, Environment
Workers remove used carbon filters from the Blue Grass Explosive Destruction Technology air filtration system for disposal as hazardous waste.

Workers remove used carbon filters from the Blue Grass Explosive Destruction Technology air filtration system for disposal as hazardous waste. New carbon filters will be loaded later in the year to support the facility’s changeover to the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 to destroy drained, containerized nerve-agent rocket warheads.

A multi-disciplinary team safely removed used carbon filters from the air filtration system in the Blue Grass Explosive Destruction Technology facility.

“The activity took about a day per bank for the two banks of filters, where each bank consisted of 48 cells weighing close to 100 pounds apiece,” said Rusty Davis, Static Detonation Chamber 1200 deputy plant manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “The planners focused on ergonomics as well as personal protection to keep everyone safe from injury. With prior planning and a group of focused individuals from multiple Blue Grass teams such as Waste Management, Safety and Quality Control, the effort went safely and smoothly.”

The carbon filters were used during the destruction of mustard-agent projectiles as part of the facility’s negative-pressure ventilation system to ensure any mustard agent vapor would be captured before it could leave the facility, Davis said. The facility is being converted into the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 to process VX nerve-agent rocket warheads previously drained and containerized in the main plant. To ensure successful air filtration for the destruction of those warheads, the old filters needed to be removed and replaced with new ones.

“The filters are the last line of defense in a robust system to keep agent vapors from leaving the facility, and they are very effective at what they do,” Davis said. “We are planning for the installation of the new filters and will maintain the same focus on detail and personal safety as we did with the removal of the old ones.”

The old filter materials will be disposed of as hazardous waste in the plant’s waste-disposal process. Installation of the new filters is planned for later this year.

More BGCAPP News Articles

  • A skid of containerized, drained rocket warheads stands in the Static Detonation Chamber 2000 Enclosure Building to await destruction.

    Permit Modification Request to Increase Feed Rate Open to Public Comment

    Published: February 6, 2023
  • Operators move hoses to prepare for the transfer of hydrolysate into a truck tanker trailer at the Tanker Loading Station at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Blue Grass Plant Marks Secondary Waste Destruction Milestone

    Published: October 21, 2022
  • Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant crews inspect containerized drained rocket warheads before they are shipped to temporary storage.

    Public Comment Sought on Blue Grass Permit Modification

    Published: August 25, 2022
  • Workers install portions of the automated loading system for the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 2000 in the SDC 2000 Enclosure Building April 4. This equipment will take the place of human munitions handlers in loading containerized or overpacked munitions and components into the chamber for destruction.

    State Regulator Approves Two Blue Grass Permit Modifications

    Published: May 23, 2022
  • Workers remove used carbon filters from the Blue Grass Explosive Destruction Technology air filtration system for disposal as hazardous waste.

    Teamwork Key to Removing Used Carbon Filters

    Published: April 19, 2022
  • Workers pass a piece of plywood up the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 stairs in preparation for opening the roof to allow a new piece of equipment to be lowered into the building. The building passed decontamination verification testing in January, which means workers do not have to wear chemical protective gear as they prepare for the system’s next activity.

    Former Mustard Destruction Facility Passes Crucial Test

    Published: March 1, 2022
  • Workers drill holes for structural steel placement on the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 Off-gas Treatment System Building foundation at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. A public comment period is open through March 16 for a permit modification request for this system.

    Comment Period Open for Public Input on Draft Environmental Permit

    Published: February 23, 2022
  • A worker guides a crane after its placement of the thermal oxidizer for the Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 1200 unit at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The SDC 1200 requires a completely new off-gas treatment system in order to process drained, containerized VX nerve-agent warheads.

    New Pollution Abatement System Under Construction

    Published: August 30, 2021
  • A forklift operator is guided by spotters as he loads a crate of non-contaminated rocket motors onto a truck at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant July 20. The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection has opened a public comment period for plant modification requests that include additional storage space for the motors.

    Public Comment Period Open for Hydrolysate Shipment, Rocket Motor Storage

    Published: July 29, 2021
  • A truck and tank trailer sit in the tanker loading station at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Project Managers to Discuss Hydrolysate Shipment at June 9 Public Meeting

    Published: June 3, 2021
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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)