Kinetics of the alkaline hydrolysis of nitrocellulose

Christos Christodoulatos, Tsan Liang Su, Agamemnon Koutsospyros

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose) is an explosive solid substance used in large quantities in various formulations of rocket and gun propellants. Safe destruction of nitrocellulose can be achieved by alkaline hydrolysis, which converts it to biodegradable products that can then be treated by conventional biological processes. The kinetics of the alkaline hydrolysis of munitions-grade nitrocellulose in sodium hydroxide solutions were investigated in completely mixed batch reactors. Experiments were conducted using solutions of alkaline strength ranging from 0.1 to 15% by mass and temperatures in the range of 30 to 90°C. Regression analysis of the kinetic data revealed that alkaline hydrolysis of nitrocellulose is of the order 1.0 and 1.5 with respect to nitrocellulose and hydroxide concentration, respectively. The activation energy of the hydrolysis reaction was found to be 100.9 kJ/mol with a preexponential Arrhenius constant of 4.73 × 1013. Nitrite and nitrate, in a 3:1 ratio, were the primary nitrogen species present in the posthydrolysis solution. The kinetic information is pertinent to the development and optimization of nitrocellulose chemical-biological treatment systems.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)185-191
Number of pages7
JournalWater Environment Research
Volume73
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001

Keywords

  • Activation energy
  • Alkaline hydrolysis
  • Energetic materials
  • Kinetics
  • Nitrocellulose
  • Propellants
  • Treatment

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Kinetics of the alkaline hydrolysis of nitrocellulose'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this