Study of chemical weapon agent disposal based on microwave energy application

Discusses research work dealing with the effects microwaves exert on different substances, first of all, on chemical weapon agents (CWAs). The first stage of investigation included tests with a surrogate CWA and the results have shown that microwave energy at 2450 MHz is most effectively absorbed by organophosphorus agents (OPA). Tributylphosphate (TBP) was used as the surrogate CWA. The tests with TBP revealed that the substance was being disintegrated by microwave energy absorbed. The temperature of the agent was 270 to 3000°C, while the temperature of the reactor´s walls was 100°C less. If ordinary incineration technology is used for destruction of chemical weapons, the shell has to be heated up to 600-7000°C. These tests proved the high efficacy of the method, and the agent´s residue upon completion of the process did not exceed 1×10^-4. Energy consumption was 2 kWh per 1 kg of the agent