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Environmentally acceptable sorbents of chemical warfare agent simulants

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Abstract

Development of environmentally acceptable decontaminants of chemical weapons and other highly toxic chemicals is important because of security, economical, health, political, and environmental reasons. The efficiency of natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) and synthetic zeolite, metal oxides, and their mixtures as chemical and physical sorbents of chemical warfare agents (CWA) was investigated. Commonly studied chemical warfare agent simulants dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) and 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES) were included in this study. Organic solutions of DMMP and 2-CEES were passed through a column filled with natural and synthetic zeolites and their mixtures with metal oxides. After passing through the column filled with different sorbents, all eluents were filtered and centrifuged before the gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) analysis. The efficiency of investigated adsorbents was estimated based on the obtained data. All investigated sorbents exhibited absorption efficiency for both simulants of chemical warfare agents. Infrared spectroscopy was used for the detection of DMMP and 2-CEES adsorbed to the investigated adsorbents. Since GC–MS analysis results indicate very good sorption properties of both simulants, the detection of adsorbed CWA simulants was a matter of routine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Croatian Defence Academy, Croatian Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia, Ilica 256, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Dragutin Tušek

  2. Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Danijela Ašperger

  3. Forensic Science Centre „Ivan Vučetić“, Ministry of the Interior, Ilica 335, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ivana Bačić

  4. Department of Materials, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Lidija Ćurković

  5. Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 20, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Jelena Macan

Authors
  1. Dragutin Tušek
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  2. Danijela Ašperger
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  3. Ivana Bačić
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  4. Lidija Ćurković
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Correspondence to Danijela Ašperger.

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Tušek, D., Ašperger, D., Bačić, I. et al. Environmentally acceptable sorbents of chemical warfare agent simulants. J Mater Sci 52, 2591–2604 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0552-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0552-x

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