High Temperature Photochemical Destruction of Toxic Organic Wastes Using Concentrated Solar Radiation

Technical Report · Sun May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10111998· OSTI ID:10111998

Dellinger, B.; Graham, J. L.; Berman, J. M.; Taylor, P. H.

Application of concentrated solar energy has been proposed to be a viable waste disposal option. Specifically, this concept of solar induced high-temperature photochemistry is based on the synergistic contribution of concentrated infrared (IR) radiation, which acts as an intense heating source, and near ultraviolet and visible (UV-VIS) radiation, which can induce destructive photochemical processes. Some significant advances have been made in the theoretical framework of high-temperature photochemical processes (Section 2) and development of experimental techniques for their study (Section 3). Basic thermal/photolytic studies have addressed the effect of temperature on the photochemical destruction of pure compounds (Section 4). Detailed studies of the destruction of reaction by-products have been conducted on selected waste molecules (Section 5). Some very limited results are available on the destruction of mixtures (Section 6). Fundamental spectroscopic studies have been recently initiated (Section 7). The results to date have been used to conduct some relatively simple scale-up studies of the solar detoxification process. More recent work has focused on destruction of compounds that do not directly absorb solar radiation. Research efforts have focused on homogeneous as well as heterogeneous methods of initiating destructive reaction pathways (Section 9). Although many conclusions at this point must be considered tentative due to lack of basic research, a clearer picture of the overall process is emerging (Section 10). However, much research remains to be performed and most follow several veins, including photochemical, spectroscopic, combustion kinetic, and engineering scale-up (Section 11).

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 10111998
• Report Number(s): NREL/TP-430-6534; ON: DE94006912; BR: WM1020000; TRN: AHC29507%%54
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: May 1994
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
ORGANIC WASTES
DECOMPOSITION
TOXIC MATERIALS
DETOXIFICATION
PHOTOLYSIS
PYROLYSIS
SOLAR PROCESS HEAT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR RADIATION
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
NITRO COMPOUNDS
DIOXIN
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
FUEL OILS
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
COMPILED DATA
photocatalytic action
titanium dioxide
hazardous substances
solar detoxification
hazardous contaminants
400500
320305
140905
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROCESS HEAT