FACTORS AFFECTING WET AIR OXIDATION OF TNT RED WATER - RATE STUDIES

Preliminary experiments have demonstrated wet air oxidation (WAO) to b e feasible for TNT red water treatment. This paper presents the result s of rate studies for the evaluation of temperature, partial oxygen pr essure P(O2), initial red water concentration, salt concentration, and catalyst/initiator addition on WAO performance. Results show the WAO efficiency to be a function primarily of temperature, and to a lesser extent, the initial P(O2) A significant initial (usually <5 minutes) r apid reduction in total organic carbon (TOC) or chemical oxygen demand (COD) is observed in all experiments. The extent of reduction varies with the experimental conditions: the harsher the condition, the highe r the initial reduction. At lower temperatures, the subsequent WAO of red water proceeds as a first-order reaction with respect to TOC or CO D. Under harsher temperature conditions, the reaction follows two dist inct first-order phases. High salt concentrations (Na2SO4 and NaNO3) s lightly enhanced the overall oxidation. Addition of Cu(II) as a cataly st results in rate enhancement. Several issues regarding application o f WAO are discussed.