Hydrolysis and oxidation of an epoxy resin in sub- and supercritical water

Hydrolysis and oxidation in sub- and supercritical water has been widely st udied as methods to convert organic wastes into carbon dioxide and water. T his technique could be applied to destroy epoxy resin, a polymer easily use d in nuclear plants. This paper deals with the behavior of an epoxy resin t ested in a batch reactor. The organic network is hydrolyzed and oxidized. T he influence of temperature, pressure, and residence time is studied. Low-m olecular-degradation compounds are characterized by the GC/MS technique. Th e epoxy resin is completely destroyed by way of oxidation at 410 degrees C and 24 MPa.