Question: What steps include the process of decontamination?

Stuart Atkinson answered on 10 Mar 2016:

We test the material to find out what it might be. This could be pH test (acid/base), and then more complex tests such as infra-red and UV-visible spectrophotometry, to determine the types of chemical bonds present, and ICP (induction-coupled plasma) to determine the amount of each atomic element present. We then design a treatment suitable for the material in order to make it harmless. If we going to recycle the empty container it would then be washed out and possibly tested again to check all the chemical contents had been removed.