Abstract: Method for treating a composition containing (a) a chemically toxic material, typically containing a toxic metal and/or (b) an energetic, typically explosive, material, comprising (i) forming an aqueous dispersion of the composition; (ii) adding an inert absorbent material such as a clay; and (iii) heating so as to degrade the material (a) and/or (b) to a less hazardous form. The product is an inert matrix in which the hazardous materials (a) and/or (b) are dispersed, ideally in a sufficiently well bound form as to prevent leaching on subsequent long-term storage.

Abstract: The casing metal of, for example, a munition containing organic materials is removed or at least perforated by anodic dissolution in a chamber (16) fabricated to contain the explosion should the munition detonate. The contents are then exposed to reaction with anolyte from a plant (17), the anolyte comprising nitric acid and electrochemically regenerable silver II ions.