Sequestration and Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants by Ionic Liquids

The ongoing use of chemical warfare agents (CWA) as weapons of destruction remains a dangerous threat in current times. In the aftermath of a CWA incident, it is vital to conduct a thorough decontamination of the surrounding environment, encompassing all exposed items. At the present time, decontamination systems continue to rely heavily on bleach-based solutions due to the broad range of decontamination action. The limitations of these systems include the potential for material destruction, high toxicity, generation of hazardous by-products, and the necessity for waste treatment prior to safe disposal. Herein, we report a decontamination strategy based on the use of a biodegradable ionic liquid (IL), cholinium acetate (ChlAce). ChlAce can be employed in either an immobilized form or as a standalone agent and is capable of sequestration via sorption (adsorption/absorption), confinement, solubilization, and/or decontamination (neutralization) of CWA simulants, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) and 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), in their gaseous and liquid states at relatively mild temperatures. The combination of ChlAce with choline hydroxide facilitates a more rapid neutralization reaction resulting in less toxic neutralization by-products. This approach offers a straightforward solution that circumvents the high toxicity, corrosion, and method complexity associated with current in situ decontamination methods.