The Lummus Company

Abb Lummus Crest, Inc.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Chiung-Yuan Huang

Herbert D Riegel

Glenn T Hong

William R Killilea

John Edward Sawicki

Vincent A Strangio

Baldomero Casas

Herbert E Barner

Stephen J Sopko

This invention relates to improved wet oxidation process for the destruction of organic components in a wastewater stream contaminated with inorganic salts. In wet oxidation, the wastewater stream is contacted with an oxygen-containing water stream at elevated temperatures and pressures. The improvement for treating aqueous wastewater streams contaminated with inorganic salts wherein the organic contaminants are present in an amount from about 0.5 to 2% by weight resides in oxidizing the organic components in a tubular reactor at a temperature ranging from 325.degree. C. to not more than 370.degree. C. and a pressure ranging from 220 to 345 bar. The oxidation reaction is carried out in a reaction time of 5 minutes or less.

Wet oxidation of aqueous streams

In a supercritical oxidation process, the oxidized supercritical fluid effluent (46) discharged from the upper region of the reactor vessel (10) is contacted with a cold quench liquid (66) so as to produce a relatively solids free vapor stream (53) and a liquid stream (51) containing the bulk of the precipitates and other solids carried over in the oxidized supercritical fluid effluent (46). The temperature of the resultant liquid stream (51) is maintained at a temperature below the solids solubility inversion temperature, typically below 600.degree. F., so as to dissolve a substantial portion of the precipitates and other solids collected therein.

Supercritical water oxidation with overhead effluent quenching

A pressurized feed material (30) in aqueous suspension is oxidized in a supercritical temperature reaction zone (20) in an upper region of a vertically elongated, cyclindrical walled, closed pressure vessel (10) to form an oxidized super fluid phase (46) which is removed from the upper region of the vessel and a brine (44) containing precipitates and other solids which are collected in and removed from a subcritical temperature zone (16) in the lower region of the vessel. The wall (12) of the cylindrical pressure vessel (10) is scraped by rotatable scraper means (60) which upon rotation will dislodge precipitated solids from the wall (12).

Apparatus and method for supercritical water oxidation

Hydrogen chloride is recovered from a mixture with propylene by extractive distillation with an inert extraction solvent to minimize reaction between hydrogen chloride and propylene during such distillation. The temperature and pressure conditions are coordinated with the extraction solvent and amount thereof to prevent the presence of hydrogen chloride in a liquid state. The process is particularly suitable for recovering hydrogen chloride in the production of allyl chloride by thermal chlorination of propylene.

Hydrogen chloride-propylene separation

In an integrated process for oxychlorination and combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbon is burned to recover chlorine values essentially as hydrogen chloride. Hydrogen chloride is recovered from the effluent from the combustion by absorption with aqueous hydrogen chloride. Hydrogen chloride recovered by the absorption is subsequently recovered and employed in an oxychlorination reaction. A gas containing hydrogen chloride, water vapor and some oxygen recovered from the oxychlorination is cooled to condense aqueous hydrogen chloride which is employed in the absorption for recovering hydrogen chloride. The remaining gas is employed in the combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons. The process has particular applicability to an oxychlorination reaction of the type wherein a molten salt containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal is contacted with hydrogen chloride and oxygen to recover hydrogen chloride by enriching the higher valent metal chloride content of the molten salt.

Recovery of chlorine values in integrated process for oxychlorination

In an integrated process for oxychlorination and combustion of chlorinated hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons is burned to recover chlorine values essentially as hydrogen chloride. Combustion effluent and off-gas from an oxychlorination reaction are simultaneously treated to recover anhydrous hydrogen chloride for use in the oxychlorination reaction. In accordance with one embodiment, off-gas from the oxychlorination is employed in the combustion, prior to hydrogen chloride recovery in order to utilize any oxygen values therein. The process has particular applicability to an oxychlorination reaction of the type wherein a molten salt containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal is contacted with hydrogen chloride and oxygen to recover hydrogen chloride by enriching the higher valent metal chloride content of the molten salt.

In the production of chlorinated hydrocarbons, a gas stream containing unreacted hydrocarbon, chlorinated hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide and inerts, such as, carbon monoxide and/or nitrogen, is contacted with a chlorinated hydrocarbon absorption oil to separate hydrocarbon, chlorinated hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide from inerts. The rich absorption solution is introduced into a stripper wherein chlorinated hydrocarbons are recovered as a sidestream, absorption solution as a bottoms and a hydrocarbon-carbon dioxide stream, containing a reduced amount of chlorinated hydrocarbons, as overhead. The overhead is introduced into a further absorption column, primarily designed to recover chlorinated hydrocarbons in the absorption solution, with a hydrocarbon overhead being withdrawn therefrom which is rich in carbon dioxide and is essentially free of low boiling chlorinated hydrocarbon, to thereby facilitate subsequent separation of carbon dioxide. The process is particularly applicable to the production of chlorinated methanes or vinyl chloride.

Growing community of inventors

Glen Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Chiung-Yuan Huang