Waste reactor

Solution Polymerization. In this process an inert solvent is added to the reaction mass. The solvent adds its heat capacity and reduces the viscosity, faciUtating convective heat transfer. The solvent can also be refluxed to remove heat. On the other hand, the solvent wastes reactor space and reduces both rate and molecular weight as compared to bulk polymerisation. Additional technology is needed to separate the polymer product and to recover and store the solvent. Both batch and continuous processes are used. 

Di Stefano TD, Ambulkar A (2006) Methane production and solids destruction in an anaerobic solid waste reactor due to post-reactor caustic and heat treatment. Water Sci Technol 53 43-51... 

Since process design starts with the reactor, the first decisions are those which lead to the choice of reactor. These decisions are among the most important in the whole design. Good reactor performance is of paramount importance in determining the economic viability of the overall design and fundamentally important to the environmental impact of the process. In addition to the desired products, reactors produce unwanted byproducts. These unwanted byproducts create environmental problems. As we shall discuss later in Chap. 10, the best solution to environmental problems is not elaborate treatment methods but not to produce waste in the first place. 

Unwanted byproducts usually cannot be converted back to useful products or raw materials. The reaction to unwanted byproducts creates both raw materials costs due to the raw materials which are wasted in their formation and environmental costs for their disposal. Thus maximum selectivity is wanted for the chosen reactor conversion. The objectives at this stage can be summarized as follows ... 

Raw materials efficiency. In choosing the reactor, the overriding consideration is usually raw materials efficiency (bearing in mind materials of construction, safety, etc.). Raw material costs are usually the most important costs in the whole process. Also, any inefficiency in raw materials use is likely to create waste streams that become an environmental problem. The reactor creates inefficiency in the use of raw materials in the following ways ... 

Reactors. Waste is created in reactors through the formation of waste byproducts, etc. 

Under normal operating conditions, waste is produced in reactors in six ways ... 

In Chap. 2 the objective set was to maximize selectivity for a given conversion. This also will minimize waste generation in reactors for a given conversion. 

Let us take each of these in turn and consider how reactor waste can... 

Recycle waste byproducts to the reactor if byproduct reactions are reversible. 

Reactor temperature and pressure. If there is a significant difierence between the effect of temperature or pressure on primary and byproduct reactions, then temperature and pressure should be manipulated to improve selectivity and minimize the waste generated by byproduct formation. d. Catalysts. Catalysts cam have a major influence on selectivity. Changing the catalyst can change the relative influence on the primary and byproduct reactions. 

Feed purification. Impurities that enter with the feed inevitably cause waste. If feed impurities undergo reaction, then this causes waste from the reactor, as already discussed. If the feed impurity does not undergo reaction, then it can be separated out from the process in a number of ways, as discussed in Sec. 4.1. The greatest source of waste occurs when we choose to use a purge. Impurity builds up in the recycle, and we would like it to build up to a high concentration to minimize waste of feed materials and product in the purge. However, two factors limit the extent to which the feed impurity can be allowed to build up ... 

In early designs, the reaction heat typically was removed by cooling water. Crude dichloroethane was withdrawn from the reactor as a liquid, acid-washed to remove ferric chloride, then neutralized with dilute caustic, and purified by distillation. The material used for separation of the ferric chloride can be recycled up to a point, but a purge must be done. This creates waste streams contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons which must be treated prior to disposal. 

The third source of process waste after the reactor and separation and recycle systems is process operations. 

Plutonium (Pu) is an artificial element of atomic number 94 that has its main radioactive isotopes at 2 °Pu and Pu. The major sources of this element arise from the manufacture and detonation of nuclear weapons and from nuclear reactors. The fallout from detonations and discharges of nuclear waste are the major sources of plutonium contamination of the environment, where it is trapped in soils and plant or animal life. Since the contamination levels are generally very low, a sensitive technique is needed to estimate its concentration. However, not only the total amount can be estimated. Measurement of the isotope ratio provides information about its likely... 

The catalytic vapor-phase oxidation of propylene is generally carried out in a fixed-bed multitube reactor at near atmospheric pressures and elevated temperatures (ca 350°C) molten salt is used for temperature control. Air is commonly used as the oxygen source and steam is added to suppress the formation of flammable gas mixtures. Operation can be single pass or a recycle stream may be employed. Recent interest has focused on improving process efficiency and minimizing process wastes by defining process improvements that use recycle of process gas streams and/or use of new reaction diluents (20-24). 

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