CHEMICAL-PROCESSING IN HIGH-PRESSURE AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS .1. HISTORICAL-PERSPECTIVE AND CONTINUING DEVELOPMENTS

Use of high-temperature pressurized liquid water has been investigated as a reaction medium for conducting chemical reactions and conversion . Results of these studies have demonstrated that high-temperature pre ssurized liquid water, especially in the presence of suitable catalyst s, has unique chemical and physical properties. An overview of fundame ntal investigations and processing considerations in this environment is presented including details regarding the effects of temperature, p ressure, and catalysis. The reactivities of various feedstocks tested are discussed along with the development and scale-up of high-pressure reactor systems used to investigate the process chemistry and enginee ring. Several new processing concepts were developed for gasification, destruction, and gas processing based on these findings.