The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) is to identify the optimal trees and plants and/or their optimal growing conditions to produce the various grades of cellulose according to MIL-C-206, MIL-DTL-20330, or MIL-C-216 so as to produce nitrocellulose (NC) according to MIL-DTL-244 with maximum nitrogen content, specifically including Types A and B. Proposals should consider the following address various considerations:
- Examine typical tree species (i.e., pine, other softwoods) and/or alternative plant sources as supply of cellulose for nitrocellulose production. Long-term market sustainability should be considered.
- Determine the impact of growth conditions on cellulose within the mature plant of interest. In particular, evaluate the influence of varied growth conditions on cellulose structure, fiber morphology variation, impurities, and other cellulose properties relevant to nitrocellulose quality to identify optimal conditions for cellulose production and to identify the robustness of the cellulose source for NC production.
- Assess and quantify the fibril structure of all possible aspects of the plant for cellulose production.
- Assess and quantify the availability of hydroxyl functionality on the cellulose for reaction.
- Identify plants and growing conditions that maximize hydroxyl availability while achieving other acceptable properties according to MIL-C-206, MIL-DTL-20330, or MIL-C-216.
- Evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics, such as molecular weight, degree of crystallinity, fiber coarseness, fiber lumen diameter, and wall thickness, to indicate the suitability for producing the grades and types of nitrocellulose that are typically produced using cotton linter and softwood wood pulps with properties described in MIL-C-206, MIL-DTL-20330B, and MIL-C-216.
The following requirements must be met:
- Use standard delignification processes to separate cellulose from lignin and hemicellulose. A strong justification is required for alternative delignification processes considering such processing would not fit within standard paper pulping processes domestically.
- Use standard nitration procedures to prepare NC.
- Assess the properties of the NC according to MIL-DTL-244 requirements.
- Selected plants and conditions must yield fibers that result in acceptable NC properties according to MIL-DTL-244C.
- The resultant nitrocellulose must be able to be effectively blended with nitroglycerin to produce double base propellant formulations.
The proposal must outline the expected process to transition this technology to the DoW and identify the steps that will be taken during the proposed project.
Proposals should include a plan to conduct a preliminary Life Cycle Analysis1 (LCA) to help indicate the life cycle cost benefit associated with the proposed process relative to current cellulose and nitrocellulose production processes. Proposals should establish a life cycle framework that can compare to the baseline and mature as the technology or process advances through the development and acquisition processes. This tiered approach aims to develop and document a minimum data set at each stage of research and development that can be used to make informed decisions and streamline transition to an acquisition program. The LCA may include varying depths of data and information that can inform: the goal and scope of an analysis; the identity and quantity of relevant inputs and outputs to the system; and the estimation of life cycle impacts and costs. A preliminary LCA would help indicate the cost benefit associated with the proposed process relative to current processes. Any proposals that do not include an LCA should provide a reason for exclusion.
Given the subject matter, proposal teams that use or produce energetic materials must have appropriate licenses/approvals to work with explosives. It is also possible that a proposal responding to this SON will contain controlled unclassified information (CUI) or information that SERDP will treat as CUI. However, to enable proposal review from the scientific community, the proposal should not include CUI or information that SERDP will treat as CUI. If it is necessary to include CUI or information that SERDP will treat as CUI, an addendum document should be provided that includes the relevant CUI for the SERDP Office to review. In those cases, the SERDP Office will appropriately mark the document to ensure protection of the CUI from public release and enable review by other federal representatives and SERDP-designated subject matter experts for the express purpose of facilitating peer review or scientific/technical assessment of this proposal. Information should be kept at the Distribution C level to enable review by other federal representatives, while Distribution D will be accommodated if necessary. Distributions B and E and classified proposals will not be accepted. As an alternative to Distribution C or D, the following Distribution F authorization may be acceptable: Distribution authorized to SERDP and their designated support contractors; employees of other federal agencies and their designated support contractors; and SERDP-designated subject matter experts for the express purpose of facilitating peer review or scientific/technical assessment of this proposal.
Identification of optimal plants and growing conditions for cellulose production will result in increased supply chain resiliency to produce NC to meet Department of War needs and will provide added flexibility to produce nitrocellulose with fiber attributes that are tailored to munition applications. Identification of optimal cellulose feedstocks should increase supply chain resiliency, reduce cost, enhance capability, and improve quality in support of the National Defense Industrial Strategy2.
Manufacturing of explosives and propellants is performed at Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Nitration of cellulose is performed in batch reactions that are controlled by the operators to safely maximize production of the desired energetic material. The two Department of War qualified sources of cellulose for nitrocellulose production are cotton linter and woodpulp cellulose. Cotton linter cellulose is obtained as a byproduct of cotton farming that primarily feeds into textile and seed oil production. Wood pulp cellulose is obtained from the managed forests for production of paper and wood products. A fraction of this cellulose is converted to high purity cellulose, referred to as dissolving pulp, that is later converted to cellulose derivatives (ethers, acetates, nitrates, etc.) or regenerated to produce textile fibers. There have been recent reductions in the domestic dissolving pulp market (both cotton and wood) resulting in decreased availability of cellulose sources for Department of War applications. Cellulose is the largest component in all plant species. For crops, such as corn, most of this is ground or burned back into the soil. For lumber, the branches can be left behind as is or chipped or mulched. Bacterial cellulose has potential for use in production of nitrocellulose, but its cost is an order of magnitude higher than that of plant-derived cellulose3,4 and thus advancements in obtaining high-quality cellulose from plant derived sources are important.
The cost and time to meet the requirements of this SON are at the discretion of the proposer. Two options are available:
Standard Proposals: These proposals describe a complete research effort. The proposer should incorporate the appropriate time, schedule, and cost requirements to accomplish the scope of work proposed. SERDP projects normally run from two to five years in length and vary considerably in cost consistent with the scope of the effort. It is expected that most proposals will fall into this category.
Limited Scope Proposals: Given the scope of work required, we do not encourage limited scope proposals for this statement of need. However, proposers providing sufficient justification for a limited scope effort will be considered. Proposers with innovative approaches to the SON that entail high technical risk or have minimal supporting data may submit a Limited Scope Proposal for funding up to $350,000 and approximately one year in duration. Such proposals may be eligible for follow-on funding if they result in a successful initial project. The objective of these proposals should be to acquire the data necessary to demonstrate proof-of-concept or reduction of risk that will lead to development of a future Standard Proposal. Proposers should submit Limited Scope Proposals in accordance with the SERDP Core Solicitation instructions and deadlines.
John La Scala, Ph.D.
SERDP & ESTCP Program Manager
Weapons Systems and Platforms
Email: john.j.lascala.civ@army.mil
Mr. J. Kevin Hiers
SERDP & ESTCP Program Manager
Resource Management and Resilience
Email: john.k.hiers.civ@mail.mil
2 https://www.businessdefense.gov/NDIS.html
3 Radha, A.; Ahluwalia, V. K.; Rai, A. K.; Varjani, S.; Sindhu, R.; Binod, P.; Saran, S.; Kumar, V.; Pandey, A. Strategies for Scale-up of Bacterial Cellulose Production. In Bacterial Cellulose; CRC Press, 2023.
4 Absharina, D.; Putra, F. J. N.; Ogino, C.; Kocsubé, S.; Veres, C.; Vágvölgyi, C. Bacterial Cellulose Production in Co-Culture Systems: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions. Appl. Microbiol. 2025, 5 (3). https://doi.org/10.3390/applmicrobiol5030092
