ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN PHOTO-THERMAL OXIDATION OF HAZARDOUS CHLOROCARBONS

AN ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE STREAMS CONTAINING CHLOROCARBONS IS NEEDED. CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS INCINERATION, CATALYSIS, FILTRATION, AND ADSORPTION ARE INADEQUATE. INCINERATION PRODUCES INTOLERABLE QUANTITIES OF OXYCHLORINATED TOXIC COMPONENTS AND SOOT; CATALYSIS IS NOT YET PROVEN, AND MEMBRANE FILTRATION AND ADSORPTION BY ACTIVATED CARBON MERELY REMOVE THE CHLOROCARBONS WITHOUT REALLY GETTING RID OF THEM. RESEARCHERS ARE EXPLORING A NOVEL PHOTO-THERMAL OXIDATION (PTO) OF CHLOROCARBONS BASED ON PHOTO-INITIATED REACTIONS BY UV PHOTONS TO SELECTIVELY CLEAVE THE C-C1 BOND AT MODERATE TEMPERATURES AND AT FUEL RICH CONDITIONS. UNDER THESE CONDITIONS PTO PROVIDES HIGH CONVERSION AND SUFFERS NEITHER FROM EXCESSIVE LOSS OF VALUABLE HCS NOR FROM EXPENSIVE SEPARATION COSTS. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO DEMONSTRATE, EXPERIMENTALLY, FEASIBILITY AND TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF A PROTOTYPE. SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION WILL PROVIDE THE TECHNICAL FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PTO PROCESS AND ITS ULTIMATE COMMERCIALIZATION.