Section Five
WASTE TREATMENT PROCESSES
A. PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL
TREATMENT PROCESSES
31    ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS/BIODEGRADATION OF
NITROCELLULOSE
David M. Quivey, Doctoral Candidate
James E. Alleman, Professor
School of Civil Engineering
Purdue University Environmental and Hydraulic Engineering Area
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
Byung J. Kim
U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Champaign, Illinois 61824
INTRODUCTION
Cellulose nitrates, commonly known as nitrocellulose (NC), refer to a variety of compounds
containing various amounts of nitrogen bound to a backbone cellulose structure. Hydroxyl groups on
the cellulose monomer enable it to be esterified up to a maximum of three ester groups to every
anhydroglucose unit. This esterification is accomplished using various ratios of sulfuric acid, nitric
acid, and cellulose.
Nitrocellulose represents a very important industrial feedstock. The industrial use of NC is directly
related to the number of these hydroxyl groups replaced.by nitrate groups. The maximum percent of
nitrogen by weight that the cellulose can contain is 14.15% in the trinitrate form. Nitrocellulose with a
nitrogen content of -11.5-12.5% is typically used in industry in the manufacture of lacquers,
artificial leathers, and filter membranes. Highly nitrated NC, with a nitrogen content of
- 12.5-13.5%, is a principal ingredient of propellants, smokeless powders, and some explosives, and
is typically referred to as 'gun cotton.' The molecular structure of nitrocellulose in the theoretical
'trinitrate' form is shown in Figure 1.
During the manufacturing of nitrocellulose, large quantities of waste or unusable nitrocellulose are
generated. Customarily, these nitrocellulose residuals have been allowed to escape with the wash water
to receiving waters after some sedimentation and neutralization of the acid. The NC recovered by
sedimentation has typically been burned in open pits along with NC that did not meet specific
requirements and could not be recycled. This practice of either discharging or burning the residuals
Ai
iA
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o
O
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o
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N
N
N
o o
o o
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Figure 1.    Molecular structure of
nitrocellulose (theoretical 'trinitrate'
form).
49th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1994 Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.
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