StrategyPage.com
Neutering Ammonium Nitrate
February 14, 2012: The United States is trying to get fertilizer
manufacturers to produce less explosive products. That's because terrorists
increasingly use ammonium nitrate (a commonly used agricultural fertilizer)
for their bombs (by mixing it with fuel oil and setting it off with a
detonator). There is now a new form of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that it
will not function effectively as an explosive. The Honeywell Corporation
found that by adding some modified ammonium sulfate to the ammonium nitrate,
you actually improve the fertilizing ability of the mix (by making the
treated soil less acidic), and also prevent the fertilizer from being used
as an explosive. Actually, you can still use the ammonium sulfate nitrate
mix as an explosive, but it requires some creative chemistry to do so, and
serves as a technological barrier for most terrorist groups. Although not a
fertilizer manufacturer, American conglomerate (it makes a lot of different
stuff) Honeywell found this less explosive ammonium nitrate formula while
developing fire retardants. New discoveries are often made that way, by
accident.
The military has long used ammonium nitrate as an explosive in large bombs
(usually five tons or more of ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and powdered
aluminum) and would continue to do so. But plain old ammonium nitrate would
be reclassified as "military grade explosives material" and its sale would
be restricted. Unfortunately, some terrorists will be able to find chemists
with the skills to convert the ammonium sulfate nitrate fertilizer to the
more explosive type. It is still a difficult process, but not so difficult
that some terrorists will find a way to do it. Meanwhile, the larger problem
is getting ammonium nitrate fertilizer manufacturers, in areas where
terrorists obtain and use the fertilizer for explosives (Pakistan, in
particular), to switch to the non-explosive type.
StrategyPage.com C 2012
