The Department of Defense (DoD) has many sites that have accumulated a substantial amount of explosives-contaminated scrap metal. Explosive incidents involving scrap metal from training and firing ranges have occurred over the years, and recently these incidents have come under increased scrutiny for safety concerns. Before commercial release for recycling, DoD policy requires certification that the scrap metal is inert. Currently, this certification is conducted by visual inspection; a process which is subjective, unscientific, and error prone due to an inability to inspect inside cracks, crevices, and internal parts. Military activities increasingly find that they must address the accumulations of range residues as a potential liability and invest assets to process the materials. Historical decontamination methods, including open burning, open detonation, and flashing, have become virtually unused due to environmental concerns and have created the current safety risk scenario for range personnel and commercial recycling companies.

Currently, the high cost of building permanent or semi-permanent structures for the decontamination process prohibits many installations from using effective decontamination technologies, such as hot-gas. This technology, when validated, should provide an effective, safe, and affordable decontamination process required by many DoD installations. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2005)