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VX Destruction at Newport to Resume this Week
Destruction of VX nerve gas at the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Indiana is expected to resume this week, according to a U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency press release (see GSN, Sept. 7). Work at the facility will commence now that workers have lowered the flammability of wastewater produced during chemical neutralization, the release says. “Analytical results of caustic wastewater processed during this limited restart of destruction operations show we have been successful in removing flammability from the process wastewater,” project manager Jeff Brubaker said in the release, “and as a result, operators have begun draining containers of VX into holding tanks within the destruction facility and neutralization operations are expected to resume this week.” Mixing VX, hot water and sodium hydroxide at 194 degrees for an hour before lowering the temperature in the neutralization reactor until processing was finished lowered the flammability of the waste product. Also, nitrogen was passed through the reactor to reduce the presence of a flammable chemical. After these two processes, the wastewater’s flashpoint can be classified as nonflammable, according to the release. Valves on processing reactors, which were believed to be the source of leaks at the facility, are also being replaced. Replacements have been installed on one reactor, with work on a second reactor scheduled to begin this week, according to the release. “We anticipate that the agent destruction facility will undergo further operational pauses throughout the facility’s life span,” Brubaker said. “These pauses and facility modifications are vital to ensure optimum performance of the Newport facility” (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Sept. 14).
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