The objective of this Topic Area was to seek proposals to demonstrate and validate prototype alternative technologies for the demilitarization of energetics. Of particular interest were the following alternative technologies: 

• Prototype photoreactors that utilize light to breakdown energetic materials.
• Prototype electrochemically assisted processes to breakdown energetic materials. 

The following criteria was required: 

• The proposed technology must be a viable closed disposal technology (CDT)¹ alternative to open burning (OB) and open detonation.
• The alternative technology must be safe, scalable, and cost-effective to treat (i.e., demilitarize) energetic components used for or within specific military munitions.
• Prototype process must pass an energetics safety inspection.
• Proposed technologies should have low environmental impacts that would be quantified within a sustainability analysis.^2,3 Proposals should establish a lifecycle framework that can mature as the technology or process advances through the acquisition process.
• The prototype should demonstrate increased treatment rates compared with current CDT that would also be quantified within the sustainability analysis.
• The prototype should demonstrate reduced operations and maintenance costs compared with current CDT that would also be quantified within the sustainability analysis.
• Proposed research may involve the use of biological, chemical, and/or mechanical processes to safely break down the energetic materials into energetic products. Thermal processes that do not cause combustion of the energetics also may be considered.
• Proposals should identify viable energy, chemicals, and energetic materials input into the process.
• The proposal should identify any necessary pretreatment process that is required to create the necessary form factor for the energetic material
• The materials and processes to be demonstrated/validated should already be developed to a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4, and the proposed project should mature them to TRL 7 or higher. Prototypes should be beyond laboratory-scale processes. Projects must assess reliability, maintainability, availability, scalability, testability, producibility, usability, and safety. 

Many CDTs are not proven, are expensive to build, permit, and operate, are typically energy intensive, and have lower treatment rates compared with open burning. Alternative demilitarization methods of plastic bonded energetics, if successfully developed, would position the DoD to demilitarize relevant munitions at a lower cost in a dynamic regulatory environment, and would reduce or eliminate open burning of waste explosives resulting in low emissions of hazardous air pollutants and green-house gases.  

One method capable of safely and efficiently treating explosives is open burning. A second method for treating waste explosives involves the use of CDTs that include closed disposal chambers. Several examples of potential CDTs have been identified by the National Academy of Sciences. CDTs typically involve the burning and/or detonation of energetic materials within a hardened chamber with the emissions being filtered prior to release. Closed disposal chambers for detonation typically treat full rounds of munitions and have a treatment rate on the order of tens to hundreds of pounds per hour, which is not sufficient for large operations, such as DoD OB operations.