Objective The objective of the project is to demonstrate, on an industrial scale and at three different contaminated sites, the viability of the wet oxidation technology that was developed by IDE ENVIRONNEMENT. This technology consists of low-pressure, low-temperature wet oxidation of organics with the help of hydrogen peroxide. Laboratory tests have shown that this technology will be capable of digesting organics not only to the acetic acid stage but down to carbon dioxide.For the incineration of low concentrated solutions of hydrocarbons in water, containing other atoms, such as halogens or phosphorus, wet oxidation has been tried. Despite rises in temperature and pressure, and despite efforts to raise the oxygenizing potential by adding, for instance, ozone, some compounds withstood the attack of oxygen, heat and pressure. Process technology using hydrogen peroxide has been developed. A mobile demonstration unit was constructed and operated at oil polluted sites near Madrid and near Barcelona. In both cases, groundwater was polluted by the soil contamination. The groundwater was extracted from wells, cleaned up in the mobile plant, and returned to the ground. It was demonstrated that the process is capable of destroying virtually all hydrocarbons including those containing halogens and phosphorus, converting the acetic acid which is easily biodegradable, carbon dioxide, and other basic and low atomic compounds; the rate of destruction can be raised to above 99%. The process requires only 120 C and 3 bars pressure, compared with the original wet oxidation process that requires above 200 C and above 10 bars pressure. Thus, process economy is favourable for water polluted with organic contaminants, preferentially not biodegradable, in the range up to 20 000 mg/l chemical oxygen demand (COD), incineration being recommended at higher concentrations; the treated effluent, being detoxified and odourless, may have to undergo after treatment in a conventional biological sewage treatment plant. The process promises to become a standard in the treatment of chemically difficult organics loaded waste water.For the incineration of low-concentrated solutions of hydrocarbons in water, containing other atoms, such as halogens, phosphorus, etc., or not, wet oxidation has been tried by several researchers. Despite rises in temperature and pressure, and despite efforts to raise the oxygenizing potential by adding, for instance, ozone, some compounds withstood the attack of oxygen, heat and pressure. Within its ACE 89 programme on clean technology demonstration projects, the Commission of the European Communities has assisted a team consisting of the Barcelona-based INSTITUT CERDA (project manager), the Toulouse-based IDE ENVIRONNEMENT and the Spanish companies EMGRISA and SERENSA to develop the process technology using hydrogen peroxide from lab to demonstration scale. The project was successfully performed in the period of March, 1991, through May, 1993. A mobile demonstration unit was constructed and operated at oil-polluted sites near Madrid and near Barcelona. In both cases, groundwater was polluted by the soil contamination. The groundwater was extracted from wells, cleaned up in the mobile plant, and returned to the ground. It could be demonstrated that the process is capable of destroying virtually all hydrocarbons including those containing halogens and phosphorus, to acetic acid which is easily biodegradable, carbon dioxide, and other basic and low-atomic compounds; the rate of destruction can be raised to above 99 %. This being already a very good result, the process recommends itself by requiring only 120 oC and 3 bars pressure, as compared with the original wet oxidation process that requires above 200 C and above 10 bars pressure. Thus, process economy is favourable for water polluted with organic contaminants, preferentially not biodegradable, in the range up to 20.000 mg/l COD, incineration being recommended at higher concentrations; the treated effluent, being detoxified and odourless, may have to undergo after-treatment in a conventional biological sewage treatment plant. The process bears promise to become a standard in the treatment of chemically difficult organics-loaded waste water. Programme(s) ENV-ACE 2 - Action (EEC) by the Community relating to the environment (ACE), 1987-1991 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme DEM - Demonstration contracts Coordinator Institut CERDA EU contribution No data Address 185,Numancia 08034 Barcelona Spain See on map Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Direccion general de politica ambiental Spain EU contribution No data Address See on map Total cost No data Empresa para la gestion de residuos industriales (EMGRISA) Spain EU contribution No data Address General Arrando 5 28010 Madrid See on map Total cost No data IDE Environment France EU contribution No data Address Avenue Georges Latecoere 31031 Toulouse See on map Total cost No data
