Method for extracting a solid energetic material from contaminated soil

A method of extracting solid energetic material from contaminated soil comprising a mixture of energetic material with plant substances, mineral aggregates and metal parts, the method comprising:

• sieving and washing of the contaminated soil to recover said mixture and remove the earth and sand possibly present,
• a first densimetric separation between a light fraction comprising the plant substances and a heavy fraction comprising the energetic material, the mineral aggregates and the metal parts, by immersing the mixture thus recovered in a water bath,
• extracting the heavy fraction obtained during the first densimetric separation,
• drying or draining the heavy fraction thus extracted,
• a second densimetric separation between the energetic material on the one hand and the metal parts and mineral aggregates on the other hand by immersing the heavy fraction thus dried or drained in a brine bath of an alkali metal formate, said brine having a density greater than that of the energetic material and less than each of the densities of the metal parts and mineral aggregates, and
• extracting the energetic material obtained as a result of the second densimetric separation.