Jacques Mercadier

Global reaction heat of acetic acid oxidation in supercritical water

Abstract The scaling-up of hydrothermal oxidation process is performed by the use of simulation tools, which require an important experimental support. In this way, we have proposed a new experimental approach to determine the global reaction heats of hydrothermal oxidation reactions. A quasi-adiabatic tubular reactor was developed in order to follow the temperature profiles along the reactor during the oxidation reaction. From the experimental temperature profiles, a model of the reactor thermal behavior was proposed and gives access to the global reaction heats. The experimental setup and model have been validated for acetic acid oxidation in supercritical water with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. The global reaction heat of acetic acid hydrothermal oxidation (P=25 MPa, 400≤T≤570 °C) has been found equal to −925 kJ mol−1.

Data for scaling-up hydrothermal waste water treatment process

Abstract Hydrothermal oxidation of wastes is developed as an alternative technique in order to limit the toxic end-product formation, the waste volume and the energy supply. We are now working on the transfer of this technology, and so on the determination of data for scaling-up the hydrothermal oxidation process. The main data concern the knowledge of reactive pathway, the determination of reaction kinetic and thermal parameter. Kinetic and thermal data have been determined for the hydrothermal oxidation of acetic acid as well as the reactive pathway of hydrothermal oxidation of a C, H, O, N compound, the fenuron (C6H5-NH-CO-N(CH3)2).