Contact person: Jiří Henych
Inactivation of warfare materials
Powdered materials for quick inactivation of chemical warfare
ÚACH had developed unique methods for preparing powdered nanostructured metal oxides that quickly and effectively bind organophosphorous chemical warfare and related compounds (e.g. Sarin, Soman, VX and organophosphorous pesticides) to their surfaces and then chemically inactivate them; this also works with other pollutants, e.g. sulfonamide and other antibiotics or bisfenol S.
The basic research of these materials at ÚACH began after year 2000. During the following ten years we have prepared many new nanoadsorbents based on transition metal oxides and have developed methods for preparation in laboratory scale. Intensive studying of their physical and chemical properties and testing of their degradation activity. In the past five years we have selected several of the most effective adsorbents for which we up-scaled synthesis methods to produce hundreds of grams to kilograms of the active sorbents and verified their activity. We are further testing and comparing these sorbents with the available commercial materials that are used as means of protection by the military all over the world.
These materials are currently prepared at ÚACH; the used methods and procedures of preparation are a part of registered know-how of our institute.
The research is based on collaboration between ÚACH and Military Research Institute Brno, State enterprise (VVÚ). Materials prepared at ÚACH are tested at VVÚ by developed methodology that meets the criteria for testing the efficiency against real chemical warfare (Soman, VX, Yperite). We also collaborate on this research with University of Uppsala (Sweden), University of Alcalá (Spain) and J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (Czechia). This specifically involves the research and development of entirely new adsorbents, study of degradation mechanisms, and the possibility of their use also in the civilian sector (decomposition of pesticides and other toxic substances).
The preliminary results show that the degradation efficiency of the developed materials is higher than that of the commercially available ones. This comparison was carried out under the “SMART-DECON” project in which ÚACH supplied the materials for testing upon a contract between ÚACH and VVÚ. We expect further interest of VVÚ and other commercial subjects on these results. Another task will be an increasing of the production scale by ÚACH to pilot and semi-industrial conditions while retaining high efficiency of the degradation. After this phase (approximately in 2 – 5 years) it will be possible to launch industrial application of the result based on a license agreement.