Supercritical Water Oxidation: A Solution for the Elimination of Back-End Organic Reprocessing Wastes

Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a very efficient technique for total elimination of organic wastes from reprocessing activities on the way of 'zero wastes' facilities. This technology uses the properties of supercritical water (P > 221 bars and T > 647 K) to obtain a good mixing between oxygen (the oxidant) and the organic waste. Thereby, the oxidation reaction is fast and complete. Using the SCWO process, contamination contained in organic materials like spent solvents can be confined in a closed space, like a reactor in a glovebox. A new application is tested for the treatment of solid organic wastes like ion exchange resins (IER). Experiments are made with suspensions of IER in water and isopropyl-alcohol. A nuclear version of the process with the double shell reactor has been constructed and is being tested. The aim of this work is to obtain a treatment capacity of 1 kg/h for the nuclear version with the same global set-up, concept of process and security as well as contamination management as for a 200 g/h pilot. (authors)