Mélange (rocket fuel component)
Mélange (Soviet name for Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid) is a liquid oxidant rocket propellant component that was "used during the Soviet era as one of two components to propel small and medium range missiles."[1] It is highly toxic and aggressive mixture of nitric acid (≥ 70%) and dinitrogen tetroxide (18-27%) and other additives and impurities (~ 3%) with very limited amount of water (≤ 4%).[2] As the mixture is an extremely strong oxidant, it can ignite combustibles upon contact. Upon decomposition it produce red fumes of nitrogen tetroxide and nitric acid.[1][3][4][5]
Some former-Soviet countries have large quantities. Ukraine, for example, had 16,000 tonnes, which the OSCE has helped process. NATO has successfully processed mélange in Uzbekistan. Most states are eliminating their mélange, either by neutralizing it or transferring it to specialized chemical facilities. The substance can be processed into chemical products for civilian use, such as agricultural fertilizers.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "NATO Topics: Mélange Uzbekistan – conversion of rocket fuel oxidizer". www.nato.int.
- ^ "Liquid Rocket Fuel in the OSCE Area: Overview of Disposal Aspects" (PDF). osce.org. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "Mélange: a toxic time-bomb". osce.org.
- ^ "Міністерство закордонних справ України - The last part of the liquid rocket fuel component "mélange" was deported for its further disposal outside Ukraine". mfa.gov.ua.
- ^ "Ecological monitoring and evaluation of the project "Elimination of rocket fuel component stocks (Melange) in the Republic of Armenia - Phase III" - Implementation". cens.am.