An assessment of supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) - Existing problems, possible solutions and new reactor concepts

The process of supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a promising alternative to the incineration of aqueous organic waste streams and has received an enormous interest during the last decade. However, SCWO as an end-of-pipe technology has some disadvantages that have hindered an industrial application of the process. Beside technical problems due to reactor corrosion and salt precipitation, problems result from the fact that SCWO often is claimed as a general technology for all possible waste streams, a claim that the technology cannot fulfill. In this article, the existing problems of SCWO as an end-of-pipe technology are described and possible solutions are discussed, different reactor concepts are elucidated, and a suggestion for future research and technical procedure in the SCWO field is given. Additionally, an assessment of possible energetic applications of the SCWO process is given, in which SCWO is more than a waste treatment technology. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.