Feasibility study of electron beam irradiation for decontamination of chemical and biological warfare agent simulants: Dosimetric and operational evaluation.

This study evaluates the feasibility of electron beam (e-beam) irradiation as a sustainable technology with potential applicability to field-oriented decontamination of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and biological warfare agents (BWAs). For CWAs, a dosimetric analysis revealed that indirect interactions - mediated by hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) - play a dominant role in the radiolytic degradation of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), achieving over 90% removal at doses of 50 kGy and above. Major by-products, including methyl methylphosphonate and methylphosphonic acid, were identified. In contrast, direct electron interactions exhibited limited efficacy, underscoring the importance of reactive intermediates. For BWAs, e-beam irradiation achieved dose-dependent inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores, with sterilization exceeding 99.6% at 5 kGy. These results demonstrate that e-beam technology enables effective decontamination with minimal secondary waste and no chemical additives, offering a practical and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical or thermal methods for mitigating chemical and biological threats.