• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.659-668
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• 2006

The optimization of supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) process for decomposing nitromethane was studied by means of a design of experiments. The optimum operating region for the SCWO process to minimize COD and T-N of treated water was obtained in a lab scale unit. The authors had compared the results from a SCWO pilot plant with those from a lab scale system to explore the problems of scale-up of SCWO process. The COD and T-N in treated waters were selected as key process output variables (KPOV) for optimization, and the reaction temperature (Temp) and the mole ratio of nitromethane to ammonium hydroxide (NAR) were selected as key process input variables (KPIV) through the preliminary tests. The central composite design as a statistical design of experiments was applied to the optimization, and the experimental results were analyzed by means of the response surface method. From the main effects analysis, it was declared that COD of treated water steeply decreased with increasing Temp but slightly decreased with an increase in NAR, and T-N decreased with increasing both Temp and NAR. At lower Temp as $420{\sim}430^{\circ}C$, the T-N steeply decreased with an increase in NAR, however its variation was negligible at higher Temp above $450^{\circ}C$. The regression equations for COD and T-N were obtained as quadratic models with coded Temp and NAR, and they were confirmed with coefficient of determination ($r^2$) and normality of standardized residuals. The optimum operating region was defined as Temp $450-460^{\circ}C$ and NAR 1.03-1.08 by the intersection area of COD < 2 mg/L and T-N < 40 mg/L with regression equations and considering corrosion prevention. To confirm the optimization results and investigate the scale-up problems of SCWO process, the nitromethane was decomposed in a pilot plant. The experimental results from a SCWO pilot plant were compared with regression equations of COD and T-N, respectively. The results of COD and T-N from a pilot plant could be predicted well with regression equations which were derived in a lab scale SCWO system, although the errors of pilot plant data were larger than lab ones. The predictabilities were confirmed by the parity plots and the normality analyses of standardized residuals.