Recycling of Waste Propellant and the Challenges in Disposal: Range Safety

Propellant waste is generated in large quantity during proof testing and trials of gun, rocket and missile propulsion systems. In addition life expired ammunitions and rocket motors are studied in the test ranges. This becomes a potential fire hazard in the range and propellant waste disposal becomes a major issue for test ranges. Propellant waste disposal methodology is a challenging task for the defence and other Government agencies also. A large quantum of propellant energy from energetic materials is also get wasted while disposing in conventional way. Globally lands and soils are highly affected during military disposal and training activities because of involvement of large quantum of high energetic materials. Propellant waste undergoes different chemical and physical changes depending on the composition involved and environmental factors. Environmental threats involved in disposal of propellants are massive. Environmental guidelines do not permit disposal of energetic materials in open burning, whereas still the methodology is followed because of absence of other viable solution. Recent decades many eco-friendly disposal methods have been developed and even till today widely accepted methods is incineration, due to cost and time effectiveness. In this article, various disposal methodologies of propellant waste and its suitability specially for enhancing the range safety is discussed in detail.