Gradient Technology in conjunction with Professor M. Hillmyer of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota proposed to develop advanced technology to recover and convert the explosive and urethane binder found in plastic bonded explosives. This technology provides a unique reclamation, recovery, and reuse opportunity for dramatically reducing the disposal cost of technology munitions in an environmentally friendly manner. The technology utilizes a waterjet to remove the plastic bonded explosive from the munition and a proprietary conversion method to decompose of polyurethane coated plastic bonded explosives. Our decomposition method allows the full recovery of explosive and non-explosive components of plastic bonded explosives without generating solid waste streams that must be landfilled or gaseous effluents that must be processed in order to meet environmental pollution emission restraints. This technology only generates products that can be sold in the chemical market to reduce the disposal cost per unit of ordnance recovered
