The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) is a facility built to destroy the

chemical weapon A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

s stockpile at the

Blue Grass Army Depot Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) is a U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command storage facility for conventional munitions and chemical weapons. The facility is located in east central Kentucky, southeast of the cities of Lexington and Richmond, Kentucky ...

(BGAD), near Richmond, Kentucky. The last munition, an M55 rocket containing GB nerve agent, was destroyed July 7, 2023. It marked the last chemical weapon in the U.S. stockpile. Since 1944, the Army stored 523 short tons (474 t) of nerve agents

sarin Sarin (NATO designation GB nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound.VX and mustard agent in 155mm projectiles, 8-inch projectiles and M55 rockets at BGAD. That was about 2% of the nation's original chemical weapons stockpile. BGCAPP used neutralization to destroy the majority of the stockpile and Static Detonation Chamber units to augment the main plant. Destruction of this stockpile was a requirement of the

Chemical Weapons Convention The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), officially the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is an arms control treaty administered by the Organisation for ...

, an international treaty to which the United States is a party. The

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW; French: ''Organisation pour l'interdiction des armes chimiques'', OIAC) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), ...

is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention and monitored the progress of the nation's chemical weapons destruction programs. The

Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives The Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA) was responsible for the safe and environmentally sound destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles previously stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, and the ...

(PEO ACWA) oversaw the destruction of the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile and now is managing destruction of agent-contaminated secondary waste and closure activities. BGCAPP Aerial Image

Planning and organization

A systems contract was awarded in June 2003 to a joint venture team composed of Bechtel National, Inc., and

Parsons Corporation Parsons Corporation is an American multinational technology-focused defense, intelligence, and infrastructure engineering firm. Founded in 1944, Parsons is headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, and serves both government and private sector orga ...

. The Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass team was contracted to design, construct, systemize, and operate and close BGCAPP. In March 2005 the design-build-operate-close schedule was extended to make the program more affordable on an annual basis. Site preparation work and the construction of support buildings continued and final designs for the remaining BGCAPP facilities were completed in 2010. In June 2019, the Static Detonation Chamber began destroying mustard agent-filled projectiles. In January 2020, the BGCAPP main plant facility began destroying nerve agent-filled projectiles. The last munition was destroyed July 7, 2023. The destruction schedule exceeded the terms of the Chemical Weapons Convention deadline of April 29, 2012. The U.S. subsequently made a commitment to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to complete chemical weapons destruction by September 30, 2023, which it accomplished. Closure activities (decontamination, demolition, restoration of site and closure of permits) are slated to be completed by 2027. Legislation enacted by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

in 2007 (Public Laws 110-116 and 110-181) mandated the destruction of the remaining U.S. national chemical stockpile in accordance with the April 2012 date, but in no circumstances later than December 31, 2017. This deadline was subsequently extended to December 31, 2023, by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92).

History of chemical demilitarization in Kentucky

Technology

The

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

conducted studies to evaluate potential impacts of the elimination of these weapons using incineration and non-incineration methods for the plant. Four technologies were considered: * Incineration * Chemical neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) * Chemical neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation and gas phase chemical reduction * Electrochemical oxidation

Neutralization

The Department of Defense initially selected neutralization followed by supercritical water oxidation for use at the depot. In 2020, the decision was made to not use the supercritical water oxidation system and instead ship the nerve agent hydrolysate to a permitted treatment, storage and disposal facility. The neutralization method consisted of the following steps: * Munitions were disassembled by modified reverse assembly. * The chemical agent was drained from the munitions. The liquid agent was chemically mixed with caustic and water to destroy the chemical agent using hydrolysis. The resulting chemical compound is known as hydrolysate. * Hydrolysate was held and tested to ensure agent destruction. * The agent hydrolysate was shipped to Veolia North America near Port Arthur, Texas, for further processing. Destruction of this hydrolysate was completed on August 28, 2023. Hydrolysate from decontamination activities continued being shipped during the plant's closure phase. * Metal parts were thermally decontaminated by heating them to more than 1,000 °F (538 °C) for a minimum of 15 minutes. The metal parts were then safely recycled. * Gas effluents were filtered through a series of

HEPA HEPA (, high efficiency particulate air) filter, also known as a high efficiency particulate arresting filter, is an efficiency standard of air filters. Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standa ...

and carbon filters before being released to the atmosphere.

Explosive Destruction Technology (EDT)

After an X-ray assessment of the mustard munitions stockpile showed that the agent had significantly solidified in the rounds—making removal of mustard agent from projectiles difficult using neutralization—ACWA decided to explore use of Explosive Destruction Technology (aka Explosive Demolition Technology, Explosive Detonation Technology, EDT) for these projectiles. EDT uses heat/pressure from explosion or just heat to destroy munitions; it is not considered

incineration Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high ...

and does not require disassembly of weapons. Three general types of technologies can destroy chemical weapons: * Detonation Technology – destroys the majority of the agent and explosive in the munition by detonating donor explosives wrapped around the munition. The resulting off-gasses are processed through secondary treatment to ensure agent destruction. Examples of detonation technology include the Transportable Detonation Chamber, or TDC, and the DAVINCH (Detonation of Ammunition in a Vacuum-Integrated Chamber). * Neutralization Technology – uses small explosive

shaped charge A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ...

s to open the munition and consume the explosive in the burster and

fuze In military munitions, a fuze (sometimes fuse) is the part of the device that initiates its function. In some applications, such as torpedoes, a fuze may be identified by function as the exploder. The relative complexity of even the earliest fu ...

. The agent is destroyed by subsequent neutralization. The U.S. Army's Explosive Destruction System, or EDS, is an example. * Thermal Destruction – uses the heat of the electrically heated containment vessel to

deflagrate Deflagration (Lat: ''de + flagrare'', 'to burn down') is subsonic combustion in which a pre-mixed flame propagates through an explosive or a mixture of fuel and oxidizer. Deflagrations in high and low explosives or fuel–oxidizer mixtures ma ...

the munition and destroy the agent and energetics. The resulting gases are treated in an off-gas treatment system. The Static Detonation Chamber, or SDC, is an example of thermal destruction technology. Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass received approval from PEO ACWA to begin initial work on an Explosive Destruction Technology system at the Blue Grass plant. Following a competitive procurement process, Bechtel Parsons selected the Static Detonation Chamber. In June 2015, the SDC completed Factory Acceptance Testing at the Dynasafe workshop in Kristinehamn, Sweden. The SDC was assembled and installed at BGCAPP in 2016. In May 2018, EDT technicians brought the air filtration system online for the first time. In July 2018, construction substantially completed and testing began on EDT plant equipment in remote operations mode. In February 2019, a total of 24 B586 conventional munitions were processed in the Static Detonation Chamber as part of systemization activities. On June 7, 2019, the Static Detonation Chamber, now called the Static Detonation Chamber 1200, entered the operations phase with the successful destruction of the first mustard agent-filled munition. On September 4, 2021, the final mustard 155mm projectiles in Kentucky were destroyed in the Static Detonation Chamber 1200. On October 25, 2023, after being retrofitted with a new off-gas treatment system and completing systemization, the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 began destroying drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent. The containerized rocket warheads are considered agent-contaminated secondary waste and are being destroyed as part of the plant's closure phase.

Static Detonation Chamber (SDC)

In September 2019, BGCAPP received state approval to begin work on a second, larger SDC, called the SDC 2000. Workers broke ground January 22, 2020. The site includes the main structure housing the detonation chamber, a storage magazine and support buildings. It began operations on January 27, 2023, destroying the first containerized rocket warhead containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent. BGCAPP used the new, larger SDC 2000 to destroy drained and undrained rocket warheads, M55 rocket overpacks and rockets not suitable to be processed in the main plant during the plant's operations phase. It continues to use it during closure to destroy drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of GB nerve agent. In September 2021, after the final mustard munition was destroyed at BGCAPP, the original SDC, now known as the SDC 1200, began a changeover process. On October 25, 2023, it began destroying drained, containerized rocket warheads containing residual amounts of VX nerve agent. The containerized rocket warheads, previously drained in the main plant during agent-destruction operations, are classified as agent-contaminated secondary waste. The SDC 2000 and SDC 1200 both are estimated to continue operations until 2025 as part of the plant's closure phase.

Closure

State environmental regulators approved the BGCAPP permit modification request for closure Sept. 27, 2023, and the plant is in the closure phase, expected to take three years. The plant is destroying agent-contaminated secondary waste (see Static Detonation Chamber section, above) as part of this phase. Closure is the final phase of the project, coming after chemical weapons destruction operations have been completed. Closure encompasses planning, preparation and disposal of agent-contaminated and non-contaminated secondary waste; facility and equipment decontamination; and decommissioning and demolition of facilities in accordance with public law and U.S. Army direction. In addition, personal property is dispositioned, real property is returned to BGAD, environmental permits are closed and the contract is closed.

Public outreach

The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office permanently closed to the public in 2024, but staff continues to be available at bgoutreach@iem.com. The Blue Grass Chemical Stockpile Outreach Office was established to serve as the community's primary information resource on chemical weapons destruction in Kentucky. Although the outreach office closed in April 2024 as part of overall BGCAPP closure activities, the BGCAPP outreach staff continues to respond to inquiries, provides information to stakeholders and guest speakers for civic groups, and interfaces with the governor-appointed Kentucky Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission and its Chemical Destruction Community Advisory Board.

References

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External links

Centers for Disease Control, Chemical DemilitarizationChemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (Kentucky)U.S. Army Chemical Materials ActivityBlue Grass Army Depot website
{{coord, 37.7171, -84.2077, type:landmark_region:US-KY, display=title Buildings and structures in Madison County, Kentucky United States chemical weapons depots United States Army arsenals Military installations in Kentucky Chemical weapons destruction facilities 2010 establishments in Kentucky