Nonthermal plasma alternative to the incineration of hazardous organic wastes. [Mixtures containing oil and trichloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethane]
We are developing silent discharge plasma (SDP) oxidation technology as an alternative to incineration and as a post-incinerator treatment process for hazardous organic wastes. As an alternative to incineration, SDP apparatus has been coupled to a high-temperature packed-bed reactor, the plasma apparatus serving as a second stage for treating gaseous effluent from the packed bed. As a post- incinerator treatment process, SDP apparatus has been evaluated using a prepared gaseous feed containing hazardous organic compounds which are expected to be found in the machining fluids (trichloroethylene (TCE), carbon tetrachloride (CCl{sub 4}), and trichloroethane (TCA)). In typical tests with the packed-bed reactor alone, we have treated mixtures containing oil and several per cent TCE, TCA, or CCl{sub 4} removing the chlorocarbons to levels of ppm-order for TCA and to order {approximately}100 ppb for TCE and CCl{sub 4}, as measured in the gaseous effluent. In representative stand-alone tests with the SDP reactor, we have removed TCE in the gaseous influent from 1,000 ppm concentrations to around 100 ppb in the gaseous effluent (CCl{sub 4} appears to be more treatment-resistant). The measured figures of merit for the SDP reactor (electrical energy per mass of removed chemical) are 10's of kW-hr/kg for >>99% removal of TCE and 100's of kW-hr/kg for 90% removal of CCl{sub 4}, both being non-optimized cases in terms of waste concentration, carrier gas composition, water content, flow rate, and electrical power. Using combined packed- bed/SDP reactors on chlorocarbon/oil mixtures, several per cent chlorocarbon concentrations have been removed to well below the 100-ppb level overall. We envision eventual reductions to levels of {approximately}10 ppb or less.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5410824
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-1088; CONF-920527-3; ON: DE92013452
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Incineration conference, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 11-14 May 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ORGANIC WASTES
OXIDATION
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
DECOMPOSITION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
PACKED BEDS
PLASMA
SPECTROSCOPY
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
MATERIALS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
WASTES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing