Contact Us

Summer 2003

Edgewood 

Chemical Stockpile 

Outreach Offi ce

1011 B Woodbridge 

Center Way

Edgewood, MD 21040

(410) 676-6800

Outreach Offi ce Hours

Monday–Friday

8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Other hours by appointment

U.S. Army 

Aberdeen 

Chemical Agent 

Disposal Facility 

Public Affairs Offi ce

(410) 436-5253

Bechtel Aberdeen 

Public Outreach Offi ce

(410) 436-9507

Reach Highlighting

the U.S. Army’s

Chemical 

Demilitarization 

Program

Edgewood

U.S. Army

Chemical Materials Agency 

(Provisional)

www.cma.army.mil

step as industrial wastewater and the fi nal effl uent 

is suffi ciently non-toxic to allow for its discharge 

under applicable environmental permits.

On June 17, trained hazardous waste material 

drivers specially contracted by DuPont for the 

Aberdeen project, began transporting the fi rst 

hydrolysate shipments to Chambers Works. 

Chambers Works is the largest commercial and 

industrial wastewater treatment facility in the 

United States, processing more than 18 million 

gallons of wastewater daily. The neutralization 

of the entire Aberdeen stockpile and the 

decontamination of the containers will produce 

roughly seven million gallons of hydrolysate. 

Although the hydrolysate is neither explosive nor 

fl ammable, recent analyses have shown several 

batches of hydrolysate to have a pH higher than

the 12.5 pH level originally estimated, making it 

more corrosive than expected. Public meetings

were held July 16 and 17 in Harford and Kent 

counties to discuss these analyses with the 

community and inform citizens that the higher

pH hydrolysate could be transported to DuPont

for safe, effective treatment.

DuPont is scheduled to receive approximately 12 

trucks a day, fi ve days a week, during full-scale 

operations. The hydrolysate is shipped under 

the applicable Department of Transportation 

(DOT) classifi cation for hazardous wastes. The 

recommended emergency response measures for 

the hydrolysate are the same as for consumer 

commodities, shipped as Class ORM-D, the DOT 

classifi cation commonly used by industry to ship 

household chemicals to retail stores for sale to the 

public. Like wastes of similar and greater hazard, 

You may be aware of how the mustard agent 

stockpile at Aberdeen Proving Ground is being 

neutralized. But do you know what happens to the 

byproduct of that process?

According to a recent telephone survey conducted 

last spring, 89 percent of those surveyed indicated 

they did not know about the neutralization 

byproduct, called hydrolysate, and the Army’s plans 

to transport it off site for biotreatment. We’d like to 

make sure the community is informed about what 

happens to the hydrolysate.

Hydrolysate is the muddy-looking liquid that 

remains after the neutralization process is complete. 

It’s mostly water, with a small amount of an 

organic chemical called thiodiglycol, a commercial 

compound used extensively in the ink and paint 

industry. Also present are some impurities, organic 

compounds and metals, such as copper and iron, 

which were present in the mustard agent.

It’s important to know that each batch of 

hydrolysate is tested before it leaves the Aberdeen 

Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ABCDF) to 

ensure no mustard agent is detected. DuPont 

Secure Environmental Treatment is under contract 

to biotreat the hydrolysate at its Chambers Works 

facility in Deepwater, N.J.

During biotreatment, the hydrolysate undergoes 

DuPont’s “powdered activated carbon treatment” 

(PACT) process, which combines both carbon 

adsorption and biological degradation technologies. 

Biological degradation involves microorganisms 

that “digest” the thiodiglycol to form carbon 

dioxide and wet solids. The water from the wet 

solids is further treated in an additional PACT 

ABCDF’s hydrolysate is on the move

Continued on page 3 Hydrolysate Transport
2

Survey assesses community 

awareness and information needs

Last spring, you may have received a telephone 

call from The Research Group, a market research 

organization. The Army contracted The Research 

Group to determine if the communities surrounding 

Aberdeen Proving Ground have adequate 

information about neutralization of the mustard 

agent stockpile at the Aberdeen Chemical Agent 

Disposal Facility (ABCDF). The survey, conducted 

March 27 through April 9, included more than 600 

phone interviews in a random sampling of residents 

who live closest to the disposal facility in Harford, 

Kent and Cecil counties. 

What we learned:

• When asked to name sites where chemical 

stockpiles are being eliminated, 74% of those 

surveyed mentioned the disposal efforts at APG. 

• About 30% of those surveyed said they wanted 

more information about process safety and 

the facility’s impact on the environment and 

the community.

• More than two-thirds (69%) believe safety

is the Army’s number one priority during 

mustard agent disposal.

• Three-in-ten (30%) believe disposal poses an 

environmental threat. 

• Approximately 68% of those surveyed believe the 

Army openly answers questions about mustard 

agent disposal and provides information as soon 

as it is available. 

• Roughly nine-in-ten respondents (89%) did not 

know about hydrolysate, the byproduct from the 

neutralization process, and the Army’s plans to 

transport it to DuPont’s Secure Environmental 

Treatment facility in Deepwater, N.J.

• Approximately 90% of those surveyed did not 

know about the ton container decontamination 

efforts that will take place when the mustard 

agent has been neutralized.

What we’ll do:

• We will continue to provide the community with 

regular and timely status updates on our progress 

at the ABCDF.

• We will continue to be available to answer 

questions in a variety of forums, which include 

but are not limited to one-on-one discussions, 

public meetings, speaking engagements, and fairs 

and festivals.

• We will develop information products to help 

the community learn more about environmental 

protection, hydrolysate transportation and ton 

container decontamination efforts.

What you can do:

• If you need more information or have questions, 

call the Edgewood Chemical Stockpile Outreach 

Offi ce at (410) 676-6800.

• Call the number above to add your name to the 

mailing list. 

• Fill out and return the reply portion of our 

bi-monthly “Report Card” mailers and tell 

us how you feel we’re doing in meeting your 

information needs.

• Schedule a presentation for your group, no matter 

how big or small, to learn more about accelerated 

disposal at APG.

• Visit our Web site at www.cma.army.mil to check 

out our fact sheets, news releases and recent events.

Aberdeen resident Alexander Alviarez, left, gets the facts 

about the Army’s Chemical Materials Agency (Provisional) and 

accelerated mustard agent disposal efforts at APG from CMA 

support contractor Craig Campbell. Alviarez, holding his son, 

Maurice, visited CMA’s booth during the Armed Forces Day 

celebration May 17 at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md. 

Photo by Nancy Hofmann
Photo by Nancy Hofmann

Aberdeen Proving Ground Restoration Advisory Board 

member Thomas McWilliams, right, discusses environmental 

matters with Maryland Department of the Environment’s 

Ed Hammerberg and Butch Dye following a July 16 public 

meeting at the Edgewood Senior Center in Harford County, 

Md. A second public meeting was held July 17 in Kent County, 

Md., to update citizens on the status of operations at ABCDF 

and discuss fi ndings of a higher pH in the neutralization 

byproduct, called hydrolysate.

3

You may have completed and returned the REACH Reader 

Survey Card that appeared in our Spring 2003 newsletter. 

Some readers asked us to provide more facts about 

operations at ABCDF. We’d thought you’d like to know 

Just the Facts, too.

How does it work?

• Mustard agent is drained from the steel

containers and added to large titanium

mixing reactors

• 2,500-gallon reactors hold approximately 

120 gallons of mustard mixed with 1,600

gallons of hot water per batch

How many people will it take?

• 60 workers per shift

• Each worker has completed an average of 

 190 hours of training

• Managers have completed even more training; plant manager has over 330 hours of training

• That averages more than 11,400 hours of 

 training per shift

• Each shift has

 - drain station operators - laboratory technicians

 - neutralization operators - maintenance technicians

 - hazardous waste operators - engineering personnel

 -environmental personnel - security personnel

 - safety personnel - administrative personnel

 - medical staff

How long will it take?

• Plant operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Each batch of mustard agent takes about four 

 hours start to fi nish, for neutralization

• Shipment of the hydrolysate takes just over an 

 hour by truck for biotreatment

Just the Facts

hydrolysate can be safely transported in tanker trucks 

specifi cally confi gured to carry hazardous waste. These 

trucks meet the stringent requirements of the DOT 

and are operated by experienced and specially licensed 

hazardous waste transport operators. No special

police or security escorts are required. Each truckload 

is carefully inspected, recorded and tracked. Chemical 

Weapons Convention inspectors also may be present

at the Chambers Works facility to ensure that

all aspects of the hydrolysate biotreatment meet

treaty requirements.

For more information about neutralization of the 

mustard agent stockpile at Aberdeen Proving Ground, 

call the Public Outreach and Information Offi ce, 

(410) 436-4555 or (410) 436-6137; 

the Edgewood Chemical Stockpile Outreach Offi ce, 

(410) 676-6800; the Aberdeen Chemical 

Agent Disposal Facility Public Affairs Offi ce, 

(410) 436-5253; or the Bechtel Aberdeen Public 

Outreach Offi ce, (410) 436-9507. Also, you may 

visit our Web site at www.cma.army.mil. For more 

information about the DuPont Secure Environmental 

Treatment program, call their External Affairs Offi ce, 

(302) 992-4273.

Continued from page 1

ABCDF’s hydrolysate is on 

the move

Total Drained

More than 61 tons of mustard

agent have been drained

from 79 containers.

Total Neutralized

Of the drained mustard agent, 

more than 50 tons

have been neutralized.

Hydrolysate Transport

Shipment of neutralization 

byproduct, called

hydrolysate, to DuPont 

Secure Environmental

Treatment at Chambers 

Works in Deepwater, N.J., 

for biotreatment began 

June 17, 2003.

“At a glance – ABCDF stats”

(as of July 31, 2003)
Test your knowledge about the mustard agent stockpile at Aberdeen Proving Ground

1) The mustard agent stockpile stored in the Edgewood Area of APG was manufactured in preparation for:

a. World War I b. World War II c. Vietnam d. Persian Gulf War

2) The mustard agent stockpile is being destroyed because:

a. the Army no longer intends to use chemical weapons

b. the United States signed an international treaty that prohibits production, stockpile and use of chemical weapons

c. Congress mandated that the Army destroy the stockpile

d. all of the above

3) The Maryland Citizens’ Advisory Commission:

a. was appointed by the Governor to help citizens infl uence Army decisions about destroying the chemical stockpile

b. is a state agency that offers advice to citizens on any subject

c. is co-chaired by Harford and Kent County residents 

d. both a. and c.

4) The Army’s plan to accelerate APG stockpile disposal involves:

a. destroying all of the agent fi rst, then cleaning the containers later

b. speeding up how fast employees will work

c. manually draining the containers instead of using robotics and shipping the mostly-water neutralization byproduct to an existing 

 commercial facility instead of building one at APG

d. both a. and c.

5) The Army is neutralizing the agent here at APG’s Edgewood Area. The byproduct of the neutralization process:

a. is readily biodegradable using ordinary sewage-treatment variety bacteria

b. is tested to ensure that no mustard agent remains

c. is transported for biotreatment to DuPont’s Chambers Works facility in Deepwater, N.J.

d. all of the above

Answers:

Edgewood Chemical Stockpile Outreach Offi ce

c/o U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency (Provisional)

Public Outreach and Information Offi ce

E4585 Parrish Road

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010

Reach

 1) b. World War II; 2) d. All of the above; 3) d. Both a. and c; 4) d. Both a. and c; 5) d. All of the above.