Phosphorus contamination

This paper describes the development of a system and facilities for safe, efficient, and accurate filling of white phosphorus (UP) munitions. This new development replaces dip-fill operations used by the U.S. Army for over thirty years, a production method that was hazardous to operating personnel and generated unacceptable quantities of phosphorus contaminated water and gas. The new development, Volumetric Filling, is relatively pollution free and exceeds the U.S. Army s standards for filling of white phosphorus munitions. 

Existing Information on Health Effects of White Phosphorus 2-5 Existing Information on Health Effects of White Phosphorus Smoke 5-1 Frequency of NPL Sites with White Phosphorus Contamination... 

White Phosphorus. Anemia (marked decrease in red blood cells or hemoglobin) and leukopenia (very low levels of white blood cells or leukocytes) were observed in workers chronically exposed to airborne white phosphorus (Ward 1928). Because the workers handled white phosphorus contaminated rags, it is possible that exposure occurred via oral and dermal routes also. No information on exposure levels was provided. In another occupational exposure study, no alterations in hemoglobin or total or differential leukocyte levels were observed (Hughes et al. 1962). 

Racine CH, Walsh ME, Collins CM, et al. 1992b. Remedial investigation report White phosphorus contamination of salt marsh sediments at Eagle River Flats, Alaska. Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab, Hanover, NH. NTIS/AD-A250 515/4. 

Richardson SM, Weston RF. 1992. White phosphorus contamination of wetlands Effects and options for restoration. In Proceedings of the Federal Environmental Restoration 92,... 

Sensitivity of exhaust - after treatment devices. It is clear that excessive deposition of phosphorus and sulfur on the catalyst can cause the reduction in system efficiency. Oil phosphorus contaminant comes from the oil additive ZDDP. The reduction in its use adversely affects both antiwear and antioxidation performance. Sulfur comes from the base oil, antiwear additives, detergents, organomolybdenum friction modifiers, and from the fuel. There is strong pressure from OEMs to reduce the sulfur level of the fuel, and to reduce the sulfur contamination of the catalyst, which results from presence of sulfur in oil. 

Catalytic properties Phosphorus is known to have deactivation effects for some automotive catalysts and the formation of CeP04 has been identified in phosphorus contaminated catalysts (Uy et al., 2003). Nanocrystalline LaP04 would act as Lewis acid in a catalytic process, which could be determined by a temperature-programmed ammonia adsorption/desorption process (Onoda et al., 2002 Rajesh et al., 2004, 2007). In addition, the rare earth phosphate NCs could act as supports for example, Pd, Pt, or Rh supported on RPO4 show excellent catalytic reduction of NO into N2 and O2 (Tamai et al., 2000), and gold supported on RPO4 shows catalytic activity and stability for CO oxidation. 

In the 19 century, cases were observed of workers in the match industry who suffered liver damage due to phosphorus contamination leading to acute hepatic dystrophy. Since then, the relationship between exogenous noxae and liver disease has been considered unequivocal. 

Commercially available lubricating oils caused relatively little deactivation in comparison with lead and phosphorus contamination from fuel. However, Acres and Cooper (4) demonstrated that when the normal dialkylzinc dithiophosphate additive was replaced by similar compounds without the heavy metal—such as in some forms of ashless oil—catalyst deactivation was rapid. Again the nontoxicity of phosphorus compounds in the presence of heavy metal was associated with formation of inorganic phosphates. 

The findings of Mauritzen and Stedman (75) on phosphorus contamination in the RNA fraction obtained by means of the STS procedure on isolated nuclei have been mentioned. Davidson and Smellie (32), in applying this method to various fractions (mitochondrial, nuclear, etc.) of liver and other tissues labeled with P , found contamination of the RNA nucleotides with at least five organic nonnucleotide phosphorus compounds as well as with inoiganic phosphate, all of hi er specific activity. 

Red phosphorus. Commercial red phosphorus is usually contaminated with small quantities of acidic products. It should be boiled for 15 minutes with distilled water, allowed to settle, decanted through a Buchner funnel, and then washed two or three times with boiling water by decantation. Finally, the phosphorus is completely transferred to the Buchner funnel and washed with hot water untU the washings are neutral. It is dried at 100°, and kept in a desiccator or in a tightly stoppered bottle. 

The development of a brown color indicates that sufl cient phosphorus oxytrichloride has been added. If the mixture remains colorless, the final product is likely to be contaminated with unreacted iV-( -tolylsulfonylmethyl)formamide. It is therefore advantageous to add more phosphorus oxjrtrichloride and continue stirring until the brown color is obtained. 

InP, in the range 10 —10 cm . Boron, phosphorus, and other shallow impurities can be detected in silicon in concentrations approaching 10 cm . Copper contamination at Si surfaces has been detected down to 10 cm levels. ... 

Steel is essentially iron with a small amount of carbon. Additional elements are present in small quantities. Contaminants such as sulfur and phosphorus are tolerated at varying levels, depending on the use to which the steel is to be put. Since they are present in the raw material from which the steel is made it is not economic to remove them. Alloying elements such as manganese, silicon, nickel, chromium, molybdenum and vanadium are present at specified levels to improve physical properties such as toughness or corrosion resistance. 

The iron formed in a blast furnace, called pig iron, contains impurities that make the metal brittle. These include phosphorus and silicon from silicate and phosphate minerals that contaminated the original ore, as well as carbon and sulfur from the coke. This iron is refined in a converter furnace. Here, a stream of O2 gas blows through molten impure iron. Oxygen reacts with the nonmetal impurities, converting them to oxides. As in the blast furnace, CaO is added to convert Si02 into liquid calcium silicate, in which the other oxides dissolve. The molten iron is analyzed at intervals until its impurities have been reduced to satisfactory levels. Then the liquid metal, now in the form called steel, is poured from the converter and allowed to solidify. 

Many contaminants contain nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur, and degradative organisms may utilize one or more of these leaving the major part of the substrate intact. This is particularly important for munitions-related compounds with a high N/C ratio, when the addition of carbon sources may lead to the favorable development of anaerobic or facultatively anaerobic microorganisms. 

Natarajan, S., Stamps, R.H., Saha, U.K., and Ma, L.Q., Phytofiltration of arsenic-contaminated ground-water using Pteris Vittata L. Effect of plant density and nitrogen and phosphorus levels, International Journal of Phytoremediation, 10 (3), 222-235, 2008. 

The contaminants that can be removed by flotation include conventional pollutants such as BOD, COD, total suspended solids (TSS), phosphorus, phenols, oil and grease, as well as toxic pollutants including heavy metals, toxic organics, pathogenic microorganisms, and radioactive radon 22.28,33,54,64,100-102... 

The organics contaminants, whose concentration is usually expressed in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), are utilized as food for the bacteria. Besides oxygen, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are also needed by the bacteria for its metabolism. The concentrations of oxygen, bacteria, organic contaminants, and nutrients, as well as other factors, have an affect on the biological treatment rate. 

MRH Aluminium 10.71/33, iron 4.35/50, magnesium 10.88/40, manganese 5.06/50, sodium 5.56/55, phosphorus 7.32/25, sulfur 4.27/20 Mixtures of the chlorate with ammonium salts, powdered metals, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur or sulfides are readily ignited and potentially explosive [1], Residues of ammonium thiosulfate in a bulk road tanker contaminated the consignment of dry sodium chlorate subsequently loaded, and exothermic reaction occurred with gas evolution during several hours. Laboratory tests showed that such a mixture could be made to decompose explosively. A reaction mechanism is suggested. 

---