Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
compounds in subcritical water conditions. Toxic elements can be trapped in complex
oxides formed in the critical water process and recovered in a iltration step. Organic
products, including very stable organic molecules such as animal or human proteins, hor-
mones, and some drugs used in medical treatments, can be degraded in a supercritical
water process to produce simple molecules such as H
2
O, CO
2
, and N
2
. However, the pro-
cess can be undertaken in subcritical water conditions, with lower energy intake, if the
formation of highly oxidizing radicals and the degradation reactions are facilitated by the
presence of a nanocatalyst formed on the reactor walls.
