TECHNOLOGY FOR DETOXIFYING SOLID AND LIQUID ORGANIC WASTE

IN PHASE I, RESEARCH WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DEVELOP AN AP- PROACH FOR A NEW COST-EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO MINERALIZE A WIDE VARIETY OF TOXIC ORGANIC COMPOUNDS WHICH OCCUR IN LARGEAMOUNTS IN SOLID AND LIQUID INDUSTRIAL WATES. THIS APPROACH EMPLOYS PHOTOPROMOTED SOLID-CATALYZED OXIDATIVE DEGRADATION TO CONVERT THE TOXIC COMPOUNDS TO EN- VIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS, NAMELY, CO2 FROM CHEMICALLY BOUND CARBON AND HALIDE ION FORM CHEMICALLY BOUND HALOGENDEGRADATION WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY DISSOLVING OR DISPENSINGTHE WASTES IN WATER, ADDING A CHEMICAL REAGENT AND A CATA- LYST, BOTH OF WHICH ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE, AND IRRADIATING THE CATALYST WITH LIGHT WHICH IT ABSORBS. THE CLASSES OF POLLUTANTS TO BE INVESTIGATED INCLUDE POLYNUCLEARAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, PHENOLS, OTHER AROMATIC COMPOUNDS ANDHALOGENATED HYDROCARBONS. PHASE I RESEARCH WILL DETERMINE OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR DEGRADATION OF EXAMPLES OF THE FOUR CLASSES OF POLLUTANTS BY STUDYING THE DISPERSION OF POLLU- TANTS IN AQUEOUS REACTION MEDIA BY, E.G., DETERGENT-PROMOTEDEMULSIFICATION, THE NATURE AND METHOD OF DEPLOYMENT OF THE CATALYST, NATURE AND CONCENTRATION OF THE OXIDANT, CHARACTERISTICS OF INCIDENT LIGHT AND TIME AND TEMPERATURE OF REAC- TION. CHOICES OF CONDITIONS WILL BE GUIDED BY CURRENT CON- CEPTS OF PHOTOPROMOTED CATALYSIS BY SEMICONDUCTORS AND ON- GOING RESEARCH ON SUCH CATALYTIC PROCESSES AT SYNLIZE, INC AND ELSEWHERE. THE ANTICIPATED RESULTS OF WORK IN PHASES I AND II ARE BATCHAND FLOW PROCESSES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT FOR MINIRALIZA- TION OF THE INDICATED CLASSES OF PRIORITY ORGANIC POLLUTANTSFROM LIQUID AND SOLID INDUSTRIAL WASTES BOTH IN SITU AT IN- DUSTRIAL SOURCES OF THE POLLUTANTS AND AT CENTRAL FACILI- TIES FOR PROCESSING THE WASTES.