Pine Bluff Commercial
July 1, 2003

ARSENAL COMPLETES TEST BURNS

By Scott Loftis/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

A third and final test burn at the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility's liquid incinerator was completed Monday, one day after heavy rains forced its postponement.

Chris West, Washington Demilitarization Co. communications manager, said one test burn in the liquid incinerator was completed on Saturday and a second on Sunday. The third test burn was started Sunday but had to be stopped when rainwater caused a piece of equipment to malfunction.

"Water from the rain ran down a conduit and burned out an electronics card," West said.

The card was replaced, and West said the third test burn was conducted Monday. The first test burn lasted about six hours, the second about five hours and the third nearly five and a half hours.

The test burns, which are required by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, involve two chemical compounds -- 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and perchlorethylene. The liquid incinerator is designed to destroy the liquid chemical agent component of rockets, mines and other containers stored at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.

The compounds used in the test burns were selected because they are thermally and chemically stable and more difficult to destroy than the actual stockpiled chemical agent, according to a statement from Washington Demilitarization Co.

The tests were conducted to test the efficiency of the liquid incinerator and the destruction facility's pollution abatement system in removing toxic materials from air emissions released into the environment. Federal regulations call for 99.9999 percent of toxic materials to be removed from such emissions.

West said data from the test burns will be sent to an independent laboratory, which will in turn submit a report to the Department of Environmental Quality.