Success Stories

STCU project #1683 “The Development of a Technology for Processing Perchlorate Rocket Propellants in Civil Explosives” was completed in 2006. The project undertook a thorough study of the properties of solid perchlorate propellants to develop a technology to transform and produce emulsified explosives for mining. A hydro-jet wash-out technology for the solid propellant utilization was developed. The technology is ecologically pure and operates in a closed cycle, excluding water, soil, or air contamination. Known approaches, e.g. incorporation of ground propellants into water-based and emulsified industrial explosives, was implemented in addition to a newly developed technology to convert ammonium perchlorate into ethanolamine perchlorate. The project resulted in creating an opportunity for solid perchlorate propellants use as a source material for cheaper civil explosives.