Wet oxidation of waste oil

A waste aqueous emulsion including mineral oil, fatty acids and surfactant was wet oxidized by using both microautoclaves for hydrothermal treatments and the continuous wet oxidation apparatus. The treatment at 300°C for 60 minutes reduced Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in waste oil emulsion by about 90%. IR absorption spectra suggested that a large part of the organic contents in waste oil was decomposed into inorganic matters.