Catalytic bromine recovery from HBr waste
- Catalytica Inc., Mountain View, CA (United States)
Waste HBr is formed during the bromination of many organic molecules, such as flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural chemicals. For over 50 years attempts to recover the bromine from waste HBr by catalytic oxidation have been unsuccessful due to low catalyst activity and stability. The discovery of a new high-activity catalysts with excellent long-term stability and life capable of high HBr conversion below 300{degrees}C has made catalytic oxidation of waste HBr commercially feasible. The oxidation of anhydrous HBr using oxygen is highly exothermic, giving an adiabatic temperature rise of 2000{degrees}C. Use of 48 wt% HBr in the oxidation reduces the adiabatic temperature rise to only 300{degrees}C. A multitubular heat exchanger type of reactor can then be used to manage the heat. A 5,000 kg/yr pilot plant was built to verify the performance of the catalyst, the suitability of the reactor materials of construction, and the multibular reactor concept. The pilot unit has a single full-scale reactor tube 4 m long and 2.54 cm in diameter with a hot oil jacket for heat management. Excellent catalyst stability was observed during a 600 h catalyst-life test. HBr conversion of 99% was maintained throughout the run, and over 360 kg of bromine was produced. The temperature at a localized hot spot near the reactor inlet was only 15-20{degrees}C above the reactor inlet temperature, indicating efficient heat management.
- OSTI ID:
- 142019
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930304-; TRN: 93:003688-1709
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 205. American Chemical Society national meeting, Denver, CO (United States), 28 Mar - 2 Apr 1993; Other Information: PBD: 1993; Related Information: Is Part Of 205th ACS national meeting; PB: 1951 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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