DOD ET R&D

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY R&D

 The Pentagon has released a list of projects being funded in 
the first year (FY 1995) of the Environmental Security Technology 
Certification Program. The list matches closely the requirements 
often described by the neighbors at military bases across the country. 
In releasing the list, the Defense Environmental Security office 
asserted that most of the technologies under development will not 
only protect the environment and public health, but save the 
government money once they are fielded.
 These projects confirm that the Defense Department is at the 
forefront of many important environmental technologies:

POLLUTION PREVENTION

1. Advanced Nontoxic Antifouling Coating. This is designed to 
replace toxic hull coatings (paint) with non-toxic substances.

2. Waste Acid Detoxification and Reclamation. This appears to be a 
closed-loop system for reclaiming acids fouled by metal wastes from 
electroplating and other industrial processes.

COMPLIANCE

3. Measurement of Lead in Drinking Water. The project is testing a 
low-cost instrument for on-site, continuous measurement of lead in 
drinking water.

4. Highly Energetic Material Disposal. The supports the 
demonstration of a three-step method for removing and chemically 
breaking down solid fuel from missiles and rockets. By 2005, the 
stockpile of such fuel will reach 163 million pounds. The current 
disposal method, open burning, directly releases large quantities of 
hazardous wastes, such as hydrogen chloride, into the environment.

5. Demonstration of Robotic In Situ Condition Assessment for 
Underground Storage Tanks. In this project, an ultrasound-
instrumented robot "crawls around" inside storage tanks, examining 
corrosion.

6. Supercritcal Water Oxidation. The project will demonstrate a 
transportable disposal unit for demilitarizing and neutralizing 
smokes, dyes, and other pyrotechnics.

7. Control of Lead in Drinking Water. In this project, epoxy linings 
will be used to prevent lead from old piping to leach into drinking 
water.

8. Photocatalytic Destruction of Nitrate Esters in Air. This project 
will develop an ultraviolet oxidation process to treat air emissions of 
nitroglycerine and solvents.

CLEANUP

9. Peroxone Treatment of Explosives-Contaminated Groundwater. 
Peroxone oxidation will be used to treat groundwater contaminated 
with explosives and propellant wastes.

10. Biotreatment of Explosives-Contaminated Soils in Slurry 
Reactor. This is a field demonstration of a bioreactor, using both 
aerobic and anaerobic processes, for treating soil containing RDX, 
HMX, and TNT.

11. Joint Small Arms Range Remediation. This project will 
demonstrate transportable equipment for separation, soil-washing, 
and stabilization to remove lead (from bullets) from impact berms at 
military small arms firing ranges.

12. Fiber Optic Biosensor. The project will develop a hand-held 
device for measuring TNT and other contaminants in water.

13. POL (Petroleum-Oil-Lubricants) Sensor Validation of SCAPS 
(Site Characterization Analysis Penetrometer System). In this 
system, a fiber optic probe from a mobile van is lowered, in a cone 
penetrometer, into soil to detect hydrocarbon contamination in real 
time.

UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE (UXO)

14. Remote Sensing of Surface UXO with Active Laser and Passive 
Infrared Airborne Line Scanner. This technology permits safe, 
remote detection of surface unexploded munitions regardless of 
vegetation density or thermal conditions.

15. Classification and Mapping of Underwater UXO. This method 
uses several marine geophysical remote sensing technologies to 
detect unexploded munitions under up to 50 meters of water.

16. Multi-Sensor Towed Array Detection System. This project is 
demonstrating sensors, mounted on a towed platform, for detecting 
buried unexploded ordnance.

17. Subsurface Ordnance Characterization System. This technology 
is designed to detect and map underground unexploded munitions 
and distinguish them from other debris.

18. Remote Controlled Surface/Near Surface UXO Detector and 
Manipulator. This unstaffed vehicle uses three sensor technologies to 
locate surface and near-surface unexploded munitions, and then 
excavates them.