Originally published on December 2, 2013 <br /><br />The Obama administration is proposing to destroy Syria's chemical weapons aboard a U.S. ship in international waters.<br /><br />The neutralization process, known as hydrolysis, would be carried out aboard the 700-foot U.S.-owned MV Cape Ray in the Mediterranean Sea with U.S. navy warships patrolling nearby.<br /><br />This proposal will first need to be approved by Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a multinational chemical weapons watchdog agency, before the disposal can proceed. According to the OPCW, this operation would produce 7.7 million liters of effluent to be packed into 4,000 containers.<br /><br />The OPCW has set a December 31 deadline for the removal chemical waste from Syria, but many countries have been reluctant to take on the task.<br /><br />According to the Star Tribune, Jonathan Lalley, a spokesperson for the president's National Security Council, said that no final decisions have been made regarding the disposal of chemicals outside Syria.<br /><br />"We and our international partners are pursuing alternative means of destruction, and we will continue discussing with other countries how they might best contribute to that effort," Lalley said in a statement.<br /><br />The neutralization method, formally known as the Field Deployable Hydrolysis System was developed at the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center in Maryland.<br /><br />In this process, the toxic agent is mixed with water and caustic material, before heating the mixture, to destroy its chemical toxicity. Hydrolysis can destroy 99.9% of the toxic agent.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
