Destruction of Perfluorosulfonic Acids (PFSAs) via Supercritical Water Oxidation

    公开(公告)号:US20230373824A1

    公开(公告)日:2023-11-23

    申请号:US18200506

    申请日:2023-05-22

    IPC分类号: C02F1/72 C02F11/08

    摘要: Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a destruction technology to quickly treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)-impacted groundwater, investigation derived waste, and other aqueous matrices such as landfill leachate and aqueous film forming foam. Laboratory-prepared and field-collected samples with inlet PFAS concentrations up to 50 parts per million were consistently destroyed to less than 70 parts per trillion for all PFAS, when running at the determined optimal operating conditions (≥600° C. and 3,500 pounds per square inch). We investigated the correlation between temperature and flowrate of the system, finding that reactor temperatures ≥450° C. destroys perfluorinated carbonic acids, but higher temperatures and specified conditions are necessary to destroy perfluorosulfonic acids. Using a higher density oxygen source also increases the throughput of a SCWO reactor, here up to 140 mL/min, without affecting PFAS destruction. Continuous 5-log reduction in the concentration of PFAS (99.999% destruction) is demonstrated for 3 hours at steady-state operation. The destruction efficiency is not impacted by the addition of co-contaminants such as petroleum and other organic hydrocarbons, and the SCWO process is successfully applied to waste streams without pretreatment. The treated effluent is largely comprised of complete combustion products including carbon dioxide, water, and the corresponding anion acids; hence, the treated liquid can be released back into the environment after neutralization.