Separation Science and Technology, Vol.32, No.1-4, 447-457, 1997
Combination of Indirect Electrochemistry with Supercritical-Fluid Extraction for Hazardous-Waste Destruction and Organic-Synthesis
At the Institut fur Technische Chemie of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe a method is developed to combine indirect electrochemistry with supercritical fluid extraction. Specially two applications are investigated. In the first case hazardous organics extracted by supercritical CO2 from contaminated solids or aqueous effluents are destroyed by indirect electrooxidation. A pressure cell has been constructed, where the CO2 loaded with the organics is contacted with the electrolyte containing the oxidation agent, so that the pollutants can be destroyed by oxidation. The regeneration of the electrolyte is carried out within the pressure cell. In the second case, with regard to synthesis, an organic reactant is dissolved in supercritical CO2, contacted in a column with the electrolyte containing the mediator, and oxidized or reduced to the corresponding products. In an ideal case the formed product is discharged from the column by the CO2 and can be isolated by an expansion step. The electrolyte is recycled by electrochemical regeneration outside of the pressure apparatus.
Keywords:OXIDATION;SEPARATION