The destruction of industrial aqueous waste containing biocides in supercritical water -: development of the SUWOX process for the technical application

The potential of supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) lies in the complete destruction of persistent, anthropogenic waste material. The obstacles in the technical application are due to the highly corrosive reaction medium and the precipitation of salts. The concept of the SUWOX facility is based on a corrosion resistant double-wall reactor the material of which is adapted to the respective compounds of the waste water, and a system pressure of 70 MPa at temperatures of 470-490degreesC to obtain high fluid densities which lead to high salt solubility. The investigations were carried out over a period of 3 years within the scope of an industrial cooperation sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The aim is the development of the SUWOX process into an industrial scale application. After proof of the successful destruction of pollutants dissolved in industrial waste water the investigations concentrated on the development of an application-odented plant as well as on an economic oxidant supply. This report reviews the concept, the steps of development for application and the results obtained. Based on these results a technological plant has been developed and constructed, which is to be regarded as the preliminary stage of an industrial pilot plant for the disposal of waste water containing biocides. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.