Scale-up of catalytic wet oxidation under moderate conditions

The Catalytic Wet Oxidation with pure oxygen is a suitable treatment process for the degradation of organic matter in wastewaters and sludges. The applied moderate reaction conditions lead only to a partial oxidation of the organics. Therefore the resulting process water has to be purified in a biological treatment plant. In this study, experimental data collected during the wet oxidation of phenol and sewage sludge in a laboratory batch reactor as well as in a pilot plant are presented. A generalized kinetic model combined with a residence time analysis allows to predict accurately the degradation of organic matter in the pilot plant. The wet oxidation of wastewaters and sewage sludge was realized in one single plant concept. Treating suspended or diluted organic wastes produces a highly biodegradable process water containing low molecular oxidation products. The investigated Catalytic Wet Oxidation of sewage sludge generates a residual solid complying with the European quality standards of disposal concerning leachability and organic content. Due to its low capital and operating costs, the Catalytic Wet Oxidation process constitutes an acceptable alternative to incineration for the disposal of sludges.