Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis
Published on: May 10, 2020
Studies on conversion of waste nitramine and fuel-rich-based propellants into liquid fertilizer
Anu Abirami S1, Kashinath I Dhabbe1, Prashant S Kulkarni2
1a High Energy Materials Research Laboratory , Pune , India.
Abstract:
The current demilitarization processes employ open burning/open detonation which is not permitted by the environmental protection agency. Therefore, a systematic study has been carried out to convert waste/rejected nitramine propellant (NP) and fuel-rich-based propellant (FRP) into liquid fertilizer by digesting in dilute nitric acid followed by neutralization with potassium hydroxide and phosphoric acid. The obtained liquid fertilizers were fully characterized for nitrate, phosphate and ammonium ions along with potassium. Further, the effect of liquid fertilizers of NP and FRP on cluster bean plants was studied by taking different concentrations from 25 to 150 mL, and their effects on germination pattern, shoot growth, thickness of stem, size and number of leaves, number of pods and length over a full-grown period of plants were investigated. The results reveal that the germination index increases as the content of liquid fertilizer increases and the same trend was observed with respect to root and shoot growth. Also, broadness and the number of leaves showed an encouraging effect as concentration increases. Further, the final product, i.e. the number of pods of cluster bean and length in each pod was found to be more for liquid fertilizer of NP compared to FRP-based liquid fertilizer.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
The Nitrogen Cycle
2° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Preparation of Amines: Alkylation of Ammonia and Amines
Each alkylation step makes the nitrogen center more nucleophilic, which triggers successive alkylations until a quaternary ammonium salt is formed. Considering...
Nuclear Transmutation

