CONTROLLED SOLIDIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS ORGANIC WASTES WITH RECOVERY OF RECYCLABLE COMPONENTS

PRESENT TECHNOLOGY FOR SOLVENT RECOVERY AND RECYCLE OR FOR THE SOLIDIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS LIQUID ORGANIC WASTE CANNOT BE APPLIED TO ALL WASTE STREAMS. MATERIALS CONTAINING CORROSIVE, HIGHLY REACTIVE, OR ACIDIC COMPONENTS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE DISTILLATION/SEPARATION EQUIPMENT OF SOLVENT RECOVERY OPERATIONS. NOR ARE THESE MATERIALS OR THOSE WITH HIGHLY TOXIC AND/OR CORROSIVE VAPOR CONSTITUENTS (CHLOROCARBONS, HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, METAL HALIDES) SUITED TO OPEN TRENCH MIXING WITH SOLIDIFYING REAGENT OR TO DIRECT INCINERATION. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH (PHASE I) INVESTIGATES THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF NEUTRALIZING, DETOXIFYING, AND SOLIDIFYING HAZARDOUS LIQUID ORGANIC WASTE IN A CLOSED CONTAINMENT SYSTEM. THE KEY COMPONENT OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM IS A TWIN SCREW, CONTINUOUS MIXER-EXTRUDER. THIS UNIT PERFORMS HIGH SHEAR MIXING OF LIQUID WASTE WITH NEUTRALIZING/SOLIDIFYING REAGENTS UNDER TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED AND VAPOR CONTAINED CONDITIONS ALLOWING RECOVERY OF VOLATILE COMPONENTS FOR RECYCLE. A SCREENING MATRIX WILL BE DEVELOPED TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF REAGENTS AND THE CONDITIONS TO BE EMPLOYED FOR EACH WASTE CANDIDATE. TESTING WILL GENERATE DATA ON THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLIDIFICATION, ON THE SAFETY ASPECTS OF HAZARDOUS COMPONENT HANDLING DURING PROCESSING, ON THE CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE SOLIDIFIED WASTE, ON RECOVERY OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS, AND ON OTHER PERTINENT SCALE-UP FACTORS FOR THE DEFINITION OF THE PHASE II EFFORT.