It was the objective of the project to develop a highly effective combined process of extraction by CO(2) to treat mass consumer or industrial wastes linked with the degradation of the extracts by supercritical water (SCE/SCWO). The concept is: moderately contaminated materials are subjected to conditions of supercritical CO(2). The extracted materials are concentrated and subjected to the stronger conditions of supercritical H(2)O. The model applications include waste plastics from electronic equipment with flame-retardants. The process should be adaptable to halogenated wastes of chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The following achievements were obtained:
-Various model plastics with defined amounts of flame-retardants for the extraction studies were prepared in various particle sizes and characterised by developing new analytical monitoring procedures.
-Further industrial wastes of pharmaceutical and chemical industries were selected and characterised with respect to the content of harmful substances; halogenated wastes were degraded by microwave generated UV radiation in a flow reactor.
-Basic parameters of CO(2) solubility depending on pressure and temperature were determined and modelled and requirements for the extraction component specified. The influence of modifiers was studied.
-The kinetics of the degradation of flame retardants was investigated, extracts of CO(2) extraction were degraded and studies on continuous flow reactors for the supercritical water oxidation performed. Reactors were evaluated based on fluid dynamic simulations and materials selected using corrosion tests.
-On-line measurement techniques were identified, e.g. Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), and measurement of temperatures and pressures at various reactor positions as well as product gas analysis was realised. A measuring cell for NIRS was designed, constructed and tested.
-A microwave heating or even reaction support is feasible, and a continuous reactor was designed and constructed.
-For the CO(2) extraction component a thin film extractor was designed and constructed for continuous operation with a throughput of 150l/h. Experiments were performed.
-A continuous counterflow reactor for the supercritical water degradation component was designed and constructed with a throughput of 50l/h.
-For the interface a buffer tank was constructed for the transfer of the extracts.
-Pre-feasibility studies enabled to estimate the costs of the extraction and degradation components depending on operating parameters.
-The reactors were tested in extraction and degradation at supercritical conditions and the results analysed on the basis of the modelling methods developed.
-Requirements of the combined extraction/degradation equipment were conceptually up-scaled, and economic and ecological considerations included the evaluation of the costs versus throughput. The integration into an electronic recycling concept was proposed.
The results of the project showed that the combined SCE/SCWO can solve the recycling of waste plastics from electronic/electric equipment when combined with sorting of identified material. Beneath the overall process, the individual components, microwave reactor, thin film extractor and the counterflow supercritical water reactor are of innovative character to be exploited commercially by the involved enterprises. The objectives are still of high relevance for environmental problems in industry and give new impulses for scientific work in research and technical progress in industry.