The conversion of liquid rocket fuels: risk assessment, technology and treatment options for the conversion of abandoned liquid ballistic missile propellants (fuels and oxidizers) in Azerbaijan / edited by Wolfgang P.W. Spyra and Kay Winkelmann

Annotation The Conversion of Liquid Rocket Fuels is the first volume to be dedicated to the demilitarization of Azerbaijan. It is the product of an exciting workshop which brought together participants from NATO member countries and partner countries to share ideas and experience. This publication investigates the possible treatment methods for hazardous ballistic missile wastes being stored in Azerbaijan. The uniqueness of this volume lies in its interdisciplinary nature with authors coming from a diverse range of fields and experiences. Topics include risk assessment of hazards, environmental and human toxicology, technological options for chemical disposal, and comparative case studies from similar projects in Moldova and Georgia. Also featured is an introduction to the field of demilitarisation and military conversion, and a cultural analysis of the emerging Republic of Azerbaijan. Those in military or civilian administrative positions who face the task of chemical waste disposal or demilitarization will find The Conversion of Liquid Rocket Fuels especially interesting. This volume brings new experiences and information to the field of environmental studies and war and armed conflict Table of Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 10 1. The NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund: The Process and the Role of the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA)......Page 12 2. The Evolution of Risk in the 1990’s......Page 22 3. Weapon Systems Using Samine, Melanj and Isopropyl Nitrate......Page 30 4. Chemical Composition of Rocket Fuel Components: Melanj, Samine, and Isonite......Page 36 5. The Toxicology of Melanj, Samine, and Isopropyl Nitrate......Page 44 6. Location of Liquid Missile Propellant Depots in Azerbaijan, Recent Storage Situation, and Risk Assessment......Page 64 7. Disposal of Rocket Fuels Stored at Alyat and Mingechevir Depots, Azerbaijan......Page 84 8. Past Experience in the Treatment of Rocket Fuel Components and Their Industrial Flows......Page 96 9. Transforming Liquid Rocket Fuel Components into Useful Products: Experience in Georgia......Page 100 10. Support to Partnership for Peace Trust Fund Projects by the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA): The Project in Moldova to Destroy Melanj Rocket Fuel.........Page 110 11. Opportunities for Technolithic Transformation of Liquid Rocket Fuels......Page 116 12. Potential Dangers of Stored Rocket Fuel Components and Rational Ways of Eliminating their Threat to the Population and the Environment......Page 120 13. Transportation of General Rocket Fuel Components......Page 128 14. Chemistry and Alternative Usage of Missile Propellants Stored in Azerbaijan......Page 136 15. Transformation and Cooperation: Cultural Impressions of Azerbaijan......Page 146 Enclosure A: List of Participants......Page 154 R......Page 158 X......Page 159 Prof. Dr. -Ing. Wolfgang Spyra Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus, Germany The demilitarization and conversion of military properties wor- wide has been a topic of growing importance since the end of the Cold War. The slowing of the arms race brought on by weapons treaties and relaxed tensions between NATO and Warsaw Pact nations caused sto- piles of conventional weapons to become superfluous. The need to process and dispose of such weapons began more quickly in NATO countries. This demilitarization process began shortly after the reunification of Germany and was largely completed by the mid to late 1990’s. The remaining process, no small task in itself, of converting lands formerly used by the military into safe and environmentally acceptable landscapes may continue for decades to come. Due to a lack of resources and technology, the process of demilitarization in the former Warsaw Pact countries has launched more slowly. In 2002 both Georgia and Moldova finished projects which destroyed their stocks of liquid ballistic missile components. Both these projects were carried out through the cooperative support of trans-national organizations, private contractors, and research institutions. The Republic of Azerbaijan now finds itself at the beginning of its demilitarization process. Stored at the country’s military depots are over 2000 tons of missile fuels, oxidizer, and chemical additives. This hazardous waste is kept in tanks intended only for temporary transport and storage. The NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Trust Fund was established in November 2000, as a mechanism to assist PfP nations to destroy antipersonnel mine stockpiles under the Ottawa Treaty. Edited By Wolfgang P. W. Spyra, Kay Winkelmann.