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Projects arrow Ammonium Nitrate detection

G-2313

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Effective Detection of Ammonium Nitrate with Inhibitor Modification for Safety Research and Development

Project Status: 3 Approved without Funding
Duration in months: 36 months

Objective

Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3) is agricultural fertilizer, which is produced in industrial quantities in Georgia, but not only produced but also imported from other countries, e.g. Kazakhstan, Russia and more. AN belongs to dual use chemicals, as is potent explosive and detonator. There are risks associated with the use of AN. On 22 July 2011, in the Oslo bombing by Anders Breivik was used AN explosive (ANFO) in front of the building housing the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Justice and the Police. In several European Countries is banned use of AN, e.g. Germany and Ireland. In 2008 Ammonium Nitrate Security Program was proposed by the USA Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to direction from Congress to "regulate the sale and transfer to prevent the misappropriation or use of ammonium nitrate in an act of terrorism.". The fertilizer is banned in Afghanistan because it's an easy ingredient for Home Made Explosives (HME). In January 2010, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan also issued a decree banning the use, production, storage, purchase, or sale of ammonium nitrate. By Sep. 2011 US Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) demolished AN storage in Kandahar.
The aim of our project is to apply innovative and reliable method of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for the detection and study of modified ammonium nitrate with the adding of inhibitor and to investigate explosive potential of compound in different experimental physicochemical conditions for safety and security governance.
Among short term tasks is to share experience of foreign countries, particularly, EU and USA on safety use of Ammonium Nitrate by adopting methods of production and legislative regulation.
In 2013 by Kevin Fleming (US Sandia National Laboratories) was developed formula, which was not patented to allow its free use. Invention is the combination of iron sulfate with ammonium nitrate and resulted in an effective and cheap fertilizer which is useless as a component in an ANFO explosive; the metathesis reaction occurs if someone tries to alter the fertilizer to make it detonatable when mixed with a fuel iron sulfate becomes iron nitrate and ammonium nitrate becomes ammonium sulphate.
Preferred aspects of the project is to provide ammonium nitrate compositions comprising ammonium nitrate and at least a second compound, which is presented under conditions and in amounts effective to substantially reduce the detonation sensitivity of the composition and/or to otherwise improve a desired property of the composition. In preferred structures, at least a substantial portion of the ammonium nitrate in the composition is in the form of a double salt with one or more of second compounds. In our study we are using as a second compound certain triazole containing molecules, which are used in agriculture.
In certain structures, the second compound is selected from the group consisting of ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, ammonium molybdenate, ammonium hexaflouralsilicate, neodymium hydroxynitrate, and combinations of two or more of these (Kweeder & Iwamoto, 2007). Fertilizer is a mix of (NH4)2SO4, the double salts (NH4)2SO4•2(NH4NO3) and (NH4)2SO4•3(NH4NO3), and a trace of NH4NO3. Agronomic tests show that the material works just as well as conventional ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate fertilizers.

We consider scientific confirmation for safety applications of NH4NO3 by blasting support operations for threats and consequences management of ammonium nitrate.

Participating Institutions

LEADING

I. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU)

PARTICIPATING

LEPL G. Tsulukidze Mining Institute

COLLABORATOR

Great Bay Community College

COLLABORATOR

Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Departamento Fisica de Particulas

COLLABORATOR

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität

COLLABORATOR

The University of Rhode Island

PARTICIPATING

National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC)