Nitroglycerine purification

Nitroglycerine can detonate in pipes of diameter down to approximately 5 mm. In nitroglycerine manufacture there is, therefore, an inherent danger of transmission of detonation from one manufacturing house to another in the series. Even a pipe which has been emptied of nitroglycerine can have on it a skin of the product sufficient to enable transmission of detonation from one end of the pipe to the other. To prevent the spread of an accident it is now usual to transfer nitroglycerine as a non-explosive emulsion in an excess of water. Such emulsion transfer is particularly convenient with the NAB process, as the emulsion transfer lines can also carry out the necessary process of washing and purification. 

Tsuchida, S., Maki, T., Sato, K., Purification and characterization of glutathione transferases with an activity toward nitroglycerin from human aorta and heart. J. Biol. Chem. 265 (1990), p. 7150-7157... 

From experience gained over many years, special equipment and methods of nitration and purification of nitroglycerine have been developed and certain traditions established. Recently, however, changes have occurred in this field. Continuous methods of nitroglycerine manufacture have been introduced. In many cases they have revolutionized traditional techniques and led to new manufacturing processes. 

The transport of stabilized nitroglycerine to the rooms where it is to undergo final purification, e.g. filtration through a flannel, is now performed by means of a pipeline. In order to increase the safety of this operation, an emulsion of nitroglycerine in water or in an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate is produced by means of an injector and this emulsion is run through the pipeline. 

The nitroglycerine, washed twice with cold water, is then transferred to the final purification stage in another building and the wash water is transferred to the labyrinth in the usual way. 

Separation of nitroglycerine from acid Purification of nitroglycerine Filtering nitroglycerine Transport of nitroglycerine Recovery of stabilizing water The spent acid... 

Description of Applicable Wastes Relatively stable high explosives such as high-melting explosive (HMX, or octahydro-l,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine), 2,4,6-tetranitro-N-methylaniline (tetryl), or TNT can be reliably reclaimed and reused. Propellants such as nitrocellulose (NC), dinitrotoluene (DNT), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and nitroglycerine (NG) and oxidizers such as ammonium perchlorate (AP) are less stable and may require significant purification prior to reuse. 

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