Sometime early this year, Thiokol Corp. will begin recycling waste solid rocket motor propellant in a new plant in Brigham City, Thiokol spokesman Steve Lawson says.
In the past, waste fuel often was destroyed in open burning, which released air pollutants. The new facility will be able to process 300 pounds of solid propellant per hour without burning it."Successful operation of the new treatment facility and the identification of potential markets will constitute a major step toward protection of the environment through reuse or alternate use of important materials," Lawson said.
The new process uses a high-pressure water jet to grind up the waste propellant. Ammonium perchlorate, which is an oxidizer that is soluble in water and is a major ingredient in most solid propellants, is recovered in crystallizers installed in the plant.
"The water used in the process is then recycled," he said.
The process was developed by Thiokol under sponsorship of the Wright Aeronautical Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
The plant fully complies with the Clean Air Act and other federal and state rules, Lawson added.
Reclaimed ammonium perchlorate can be recast as solid propellants. It can also be sold to explosives makers or manufacturers of perchloric acid.
Under a contract with Hill Air Force Base, Thiokol is to reclaim approximately 40,000 pounds of the solid fuel. Western Electro Chemical Co., a major producer of ammonium perchlorate based near Cedar City, is to crystalize, dry and blend the reclaimed material for potential use as rocket fuel.