BOC promotes supercritical waste process
18 Oct 2001
BOC and Swedish firm Chematur Engineering are joining forces to promote the use of supercritical water oxidation for environmental applications.
The five-year agreement will see the firms collaborating on product development, sales and marketing.
SCWO uses water at 250 bar and 400-600°C, where it behaves both as a high-energy gas and a liquid, to oxidise organic matter. The end products of the process are sterile organic matter, water and carbon dioxide.
The first joint project focuses on using SCWO to destroy sewage sludge. Initial trials on a pilot plant in Sweden have been encouraging, the company says, and more extensive trials began last month.
In May, Chematur Engineering received its first order for a production scale Supercritical Water Oxidation process from a chemical company within the UK.
The plant has a capacity of 3 m3/h and is scheduled for commissioning next year.
