Destruction of chlorobenzene and carbon tetrachloride in a two-stage molten salt oxidation reactor system

Molten salt oxidation (MSO) is one of the promising alternative destruction technologies for chlorinated organics, because it is capable of trapping chlorine during organic destruction. This study investigated the characteristics of a two-stage MSO reactor system for the destruction of CCl4 and C6H5Cl. Investigated parameters were the MSO reactor temperature (from 1023 K to 1223 K) and the excess oxidizing air feed rate (50% and 100%). The destruction of chlorinated solvents is substantial in the Li2CO3–Na2CO3 eutectic molten salt, irrespective of the tested condition. However, further oxidation of CO, which is found to be the major destruction product, is not substantial due to the limited temperature and gas residence time in the MSO reactor. Increases in the reactor temperature as well as those in the oxidizing air feed rate consistently lead to decreased emissions of carbon monoxide. No significant influence of the MSO reactor operating condition on the chlorine capturing efficiency was found. Over 99.95% and 99.997% of the chlorine was captured in the hot MSO reactors during the C6H5Cl and CCl4 destructions, respectively. This result suggests a relatively low potential of the MSO system in the recombination of chlorinated organics, when compared to a conventional incineration system.