PHOTO-THERMAL CONVERSION OF CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS AND HALONS TO VALUABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE MATERIALS

THERE ARE PRESENTLY VAST STORES OF CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (CFCS) AND BROMOCHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (HALONS) IN USE AS REFRIGERANTS, FIRE SUPPERSSANTS, CLEANING AGENTS, SOLVENTS, PROPELLANTS AND FOAMING AGENTS. SINCE THEY POSE A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE STRATOSPHERIC OZONE LAYER, THEY MUST BE REMOVED FROM SERVICE, AS SPECIFIED IN THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL AND NEW FEDERAL REGULATIONS. CONSEQUENTLY, IT WOULD BE OF GREAT ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT IF THESE MATERIALS COULD BE CONVERTED INTO LESS OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTITUTES. IT IS PROPOSED TO EMPLOY A NOVEL PHOTOCHEMICAL PROCESS FOR CONVERTING CFCS AND HALONS TO HYDROGENATED FLUOROCARBONS. THESE PRODUCTS RETAIN SIGNIFICANT COMMERCIAL VALUE YET AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF CHLORINE OR BROMINE IN THEIR MOLECULAR STRUCTURE; THUS THEY HAVE ZERO OZONE DEPLETION DIELECTRICS, PROPELLANTS AND FIRE SUPPRESSANTS. THE PROPOSED PROCESS IS DESIGNATED PHOTO-THERMAL HYDRODEHALOGENATION(PTH). IT ACHIEVES SELECTIVE REMOVAL OF CHLORINE OR BROMINE ATOMS OF HC1 UNDER A REDUCING ATMOSPHERE WITH ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT AND MODERATE HEATING. PHASE I PROGRAM WILL INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE FOLLOWING CONVERSIONS: HALON 1301-- >HFC-23; CFC-114 -->HFC-134; HCFC-22 -->C-4 TO C-10 PERFLUOROALKANES. USEFUL INITIAL PROCESS CONDITIONS WILL BE ESTIMATED BY A KINETIC MODEL. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WILL THEN BE CONDUCTED IN A LABORATORY-SCALE FLOW REACTOR. DATA TO BE GATHERED WILL INCLUDE PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION AND YEILDS AS A FUNCTION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS (TEMPERATURE, RESIDENCE TIME, AND LIGHT INTENSITY).