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The technique exploits the extreme oxidation characteristics of supercritical water, (defined as 221 bar and 374 ºC). Under these conditions oils become soluble, and a single homogeneous reaction phase is obtained in which the organic compounds and oxygen are brought into contact. This results in an almost instantaneous break down of organic substances into harmless products, essentially water and CO2 (without the formation of NOx, SOx, CO or other products of incomplete oxidation).
The University of Cadiz, a leading center of research for ecological waste treatment, recently conducted a comprehensive study of the hydrothermal treatment of a wide variety of compounds representing the principal effluents generated by industrial machining (classified as dangerous waste under current regulations).
The research found the design achieved greater than 99% elimination of the contamination in only a few seconds. On the basis of these results, we consider the system to represent a significant breakthrough in the elimination of dangerous wastes, offering a commercially viable, ecological alternative to simply storing up toxic waste in tanks or ponds.
Description of the technology
Hydrothermal Oxidation is a high-performance ecological waste treatment method which is finding commercial application in the treatment of aqueous organic residues, and is particularly relevant for breaking down synthetic oils (including industrial cutting fluids and engine oil). Such effluents are almost impossible to treat thoroughly using traditional techniques due to the high rupture strength of the emulsion, whereas Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) achieves close to 100% destruction of toxic content at very high processing rates.
Specifications
The research group Analysis and Design of Supercritical Fluids Processes at the University of Cadiz, made up of the researches Enrique Marínez de la Ossa, Juan Ramón Portela, Enrique Nebot and Jezabel Sánchez, has patented an innovative hydrothermal oxidation plant design with two independent liquid feed lines. The new design offers some major advantages in operational versatility compared to alterative hydrothermal systems, including total oxidation of insoluble industrial waste, which would otherwise be impossible to break down sufficiently using other techniques. The first feed-line transports aqueous waste solution to the reactor, while the second line feeds insoluble waste. The first line is pressurised and preheated to the correct operating conditions before introduction into the reactor. The second feed-line is simply pressurised and introduced into the reactor without preheating. Supercritical operating conditions are maintainted inside the reactor where oils become completely soluble. The oxidising agent, a stream of pressurised / preheated air, is then introduced and the oxidation reaction commences. The plant consists of a thermally insulated tubular adiabatic reactor, fitted with concentric heat exchangers to take advantage of the energy generated during the reaction process. The plant operates in the autothermal regime, without the need for an external supply of heat, which reduces operational costs considerably. Also, as the stream of insoluble residues is fed to the reactor in the absence of water, the power needed for the high pressure pump is reduced significantly, permitting greater control over the reaction process. In the event of excessive pressures or temperatures, the control system arrests the insoluble feed line, while the aqueous feed is maintained. This allows the system to rapidly return to ideal operating conditions, without needing to shut down the plant down completely. After the reaction process has completed, the output stream is cooled and depressurised to ambient conditions and passed through a gas-liquid separator in which a harmless aqueous phase and a gaseous phase containing mainly carbon dioxide and nitrogen are produced.
Main advantages of its use
Applications
The university of Cadiz is a state university with 4 campuses and more than 2,000 lecturers. It is located at South Spain and it is one of the nine state universities in Andalusia, Spain. We have in our portfolio more than 100 patents for licensing, looking for potential investors.
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