Steam pyrolysis of N, N, N', N' - Tetrabutyl diglycolamide (TBDGA) part-I: Experimental investigations

•Steam pyrolysis is studied as a waste management method for diglycolamide extractant and has potential for treating concentrated organic waste.•The products of steam pyrolysis have been quantitatively identified in gaseous and liquid products.•The process conditions of steam pyrolysis, i.e. steam to diglycolamide ratio, temperature and residence time have been optimized for complete gasification of liquid waste.

Steam pyrolysis of N,N,N',N'-tetrabutyldiglycolamide (TBDGA) is investigated in a non-catalytic tubular reactor for complete gasification as a waste management method for solvents used in Nuclear Industry. A total of 19 products have been identified in the product streams and quantified to get complete material balance under varying operating conditions of the process at atmospheric pressure. The optimized reaction parameters for the complete gasification of TBDGA were temperature of 1050 °C, water to TBDGA molar ratio of 124 and TBDGA's flow rate of 5.7 g h−1.