CORP Author |
Rockwell International, Newbury Park, CA. ;Thagard Research Corp., Irving, CA. ;Baird Corp., Bedford, MA.;Municipal Environmental Research Lab., Cincinnati, OH. |
Abstract |
The objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a high temperature fluid-wall (HTFW) Reactor to detoxify biorefractory hazardous substances, as well as soils contaminated with hazardous materials, such as PCBs, dioxins, and organophosphates. A typical HTFW Reactor consists of a vertical, porous carbon cylinder surrounded by six carbon or silicon carbide electrically conductive rods that heat the core to ca. 2200C. The high equilibrium temperature within the core results in degradation of the hazardous substances to simple atomic or molecular forms; the rapid rate of cooling precludes formation of potentially harmful intermediates or byproducts. The hot zone of the small research reactor used in this study has a 3-in. diameter core and is 3ft long. In a typical test, fine carbon or soil, spiked with a PCB (1% Aroclor 1242), was dropped through the reactor at 100 g/min for 20 min. Representative solid and vapor samples were collected for analysis. Analyses were performed by gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection. The results show an overall reduction in concentration of PCB by factor of 2,300,000, corresponding to a destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) of 99.9997%. |