Project Title:
Solid Waste, Chemical Oxidation Unit for Closed Environments
92-1-12.04-3149 NAS09-18854
Solid Waste, Chemical Oxidation Unit for Closed
Environments
Lynntech, Inc.
111 East 27th Street, Suite 204
Bryan, TX 77803
G. Duncan Hitchens (409-822-3149)
Abstract:
The company has developed an innovative oxidation process
capable of treating solid organic wastes for recovery of highly
valued materials in a controlled, ecological life-support system
(CELSS) environment. Regenerative systems for food, air, and water
will largely depend upon recovery of reusable resources from solid
wastes. This new catalytic reaction process is highly effective
for oxidizing a wide range of typical CELSS materials, including
inedible biomass and plastic (e.g. Teflon). This process would
completely convert waste, operate without expendables, and present
several physical and chemical system advantages. During the
company's preliminary study, a laboratory bench-scale reactor
system was assembled and tested, and organic oxidation tests were
carried out in a temperature range of 600 to 700øC at ambient
pressure. Test results showed that waste pretreatment was not
required, oxidation was extremely rapid, the offgas was
essentially free of toxic substances, and the inorganic materials
formed during the process were predominantly simple salts. These
results have provided a sound technical basis for the design and
implementation of the Phase I project. The objectives of Phase I
will be to demonstrate the feasibility of the reactor system, to
conduct experiments to obtain parametric data for mass balance
calculations, and to determine the fate of nitrogen compounds and
mineral salts.
Potential Commercial Application:
Potential Commercial Applications: This technology can be used
for hazardous waste treatment and industrial effluent clean-up.
The process is attractive for the destruction of chlorinated
hydrocarbon pollutants and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
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