Patent ID: 8242323

Claim:
A process for the treatment of chemical agents comprising: neutralizing the chemical agents by an acid-base reaction in a reactor to yield neutralization products by supplying an alkali metal hydroxide to said reactor; producing hydroxyl radicals by reacting said alkali metal hydroxide with either ozone, or ozone in combination with hydrogen peroxide in said reactor at a pH greater than 7.0; reacting chemical agents not neutralized by said acid-base reaction with said hydroxyl radicals to detoxify the chemical agents and to yield degradation products; reacting the neutralization products and the degradation products with the hydroxyl radicals to increase the rate of neutralization and to further degrade the neutralization products, wherein steps of neutralizing the chemical agents, detoxifying the chemical agents by hydroxyl radicals, and further degrading the neutralized products are performed simultaneously within said reactor; and maintaining the pH over 7.0 in the reactor by continuous addition of alkali metal hydroxide to ensure continued neutralization and hydroxyl radical generation; whereby simultaneously neutralizing the chemical agents and reacting the chemical agents and the neutralization products with the hydroxyl radicals renders them suitable for disposal.