Translated material
Nitrogen respiration
The creation of safe and environmentally friendly production facilities for the destruction of chemical weapons required the work of specialists in various fields - chemists, doctors, technologists, engineers, designers, economists, lawyers, firefighters, and the military. Russia has developed a systematic approach to the creation of enterprises for the industrial destruction of chemical weapons. And it all starts with the choice of technology for destroying the toxic substance (CA). In Russia, competitions for alternative technologies were held in 1993-1994, 1995, 1998. Their examination was based on the “Methodology for a comprehensive assessment of technologies for the destruction (disposal) of chemical weapons.” The main criteria for evaluating technologies are safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
At the first competition, the technology for destroying lewisite was selected. It made it possible to successfully destroy all reserves of this chemical agent at a facility in the village of Gorny, Saratov Region, and today it is successfully operating at a facility in Kambarka. At the 1995 competition for the destruction of organophosphorus toxic substances, a two-stage technology was chosen as the base one, as well as two backup ones: the destruction of chemical agents in ammunition and thermal. The first technology to be introduced was the destruction of chemical weapons directly in ammunition. Its implementation at the Maradykovsky facility in the Kirov region played a decisive role in Russia’s implementation of the second stage of the convention. At the 1998 competition, technologies for the destruction of mustard gas and mustard-lewisite mixtures were selected. The introduction of selected technologies at the site in Gorny allowed Russia to complete the first stage of the international Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction on time and to liquidate all Russian mustard gas reserves in 2005.
All Russian technologies are two-stage. They provide for the rapid destruction of toxic substances in the first stage and deep subsequent processing of the resulting reaction masses in the second. Two-stage technology makes it possible to completely neutralize toxic substances and ammunition casings. The toxic substance, immediately after its removal from the ammunition, is neutralized by interaction with a chemical reagent and is irreversibly converted into a product that is not suitable for further use for military purposes. Then there is a deeper processing of the reaction masses obtained during neutralization.
Minimization of danger is achieved primarily due to the principle of discreteness: until the toxic substance is removed from one ammunition and sent to the reactor, the next ammunition is not opened. That is, the destruction process is carried out with a limited amount of chemical agents, which eliminates the development of an uncontrolled emergency situation and sharply reduces the level of risk. The danger is also minimized through organizational, engineering, technical and technological solutions. High temperatures and pressure are excluded - this prevents the possibility of transferring toxic substances to a dangerous state. OM is fed into the reactor under vacuum conditions under a layer of degassing reagent (implemented at the facility in Gorny) or mixed with the degassing solution in jet-type reactors that provide rapid mixing in a small volume (used at the facility in Kambarka).
The process of destroying toxic substances is carried out under “nitrogen respiration” with the formation of less volatile and less toxic compounds. Air pressure is maintained in the premises. Multi-stage ventilation emissions purification systems are used, including devices with solid sorbents. All purification systems have backup devices that capture industrial pollutants when the main devices are replaced, ensuring continuous purification of the emitted air. Treated wastewater is returned to production - a closed water cycle mode. Personnel use personal protective equipment for respiratory organs and skin. In total, there are more than 30 engineering, technical and technological methods for minimizing danger.
All chemical weapons destruction facilities belong to the first hazard class. By the decision of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Russia, the sanitary protection zone was established at 2 km for facilities in the village of Gorny and Maradykovsky, and 1 km for the facility in Kambarka. The dimensions of protective measures zones for each chemical weapons destruction facility are established by a special decree of the government of the Russian Federation. For example, the area of such a zone around a complex of objects in the village of Gorny is 77.23 square meters. km, Kizner village - 510 sq. km including 32 settlements, Kambarka - 87 sq. km including three settlements, the city of Shchuchye, Kurgan region - 445 sq. km including 16 settlements, the city of Pochep, Bryansk region - in the amount of 1048 sq. km including 132 settlements.
Security control and state supervision of the activities of chemical weapons destruction facilities is based on a list of priority pollutants. It includes toxic substances that must be destroyed at a specific facility, as well as inorganic compounds of arsenic, sulfur and phosphorus contained in reaction masses, and general industrial pollutants. In the working area, air, cleanliness of surfaces and tightness of technological equipment are continuously monitored using automatic instruments and periodic sampling. The state of water, soil, plant and animal biodiversity is monitored. Samples are analyzed in the facility's permanent laboratory.
The industrial safety control system was first implemented during the creation of a pilot industrial facility for the destruction of chemical weapons in the village of Gorny. Today, such a system operates at two more sites. In the village of Gorny, 67 automatic monitoring devices for the air environment and ventilation emissions and 90 stationary posts for sampling the air and ventilation environment were installed. Over three years of operation, more than 100 thousand samples were analyzed there to determine mustard gas and lewisite. At the facility in Kambarka there are 48 stationary automatic devices for continuous sanitary and hygienic monitoring of the air environment and ventilation emissions and 118 stationary automatic sensors for continuous monitoring of the tightness of process equipment. The system is served by 140 stationary posts for air sampling and ventilation safety and 17 stationary posts for conducting analytical work directly in work areas. During the operation of the facility in Kambarka, more than 80 thousand samples were analyzed to determine lewisite.
At the first stage of the first launch complex of the Maradykovsky facility, the industrial safety control system includes 31 stationary devices for automatic control of the air environment and ventilation emissions, 29 stationary posts for sampling the air and ventilation environment and 11 stationary analytical posts for carrying out analytical work directly in work areas. During the year of operation of the facility, more than 35 thousand samples were analyzed. All this ensures the safety of the destruction of Russian chemical weapons stockpiles.