Modelling wet-air oxidation of phenol in a trickle-bed reactor using active carbon as a catalyst

作者：Janecki Daniel^*; Szczotka Anna; Burghardt Andrzej; Bartelmus Grazyna

来源：Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 2016, 91(3): 596-607.

DOI：10.1002/jctb.4610

• catalytic phenol wet oxidation
• active carbon as catalyst
• trickle-bed reactors
• Euler-Euler model
• multiphase flow (CFD)
• plug flow model

BACKGROUND: Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol in a trickle-bed reactor has been investigated (operating parameters: P=1.85 MPa, T=393, 413, 433 K, L=0.17-1.77 kg m(-2) s(-1) and G=0.2-0.62 kgm-2 s-1). Activated carbon was used as a catalyst. The experimental results have been simulated by Eulerian multifluid model (CFD) and for comparison by the plug flow model.
RESULTS: The experiments proved that active carbon can be applied as a catalyst in the phenol oxidation processes revealing a catalytic activity comparable with that of commonly used metal oxides. The highest conversion of phenol obtained in long-lasting experimental runs carried out at stable catalytic activity (P-O2 = 0.31 MPa, T=413 K) was about 60%. Computed results show that the CFD model approximates better the experimental data (mean error 11.6%; standard deviation 5.2%) than the plug flow model (mean error 16.9%; standard deviation 12.2%).
CONCLUSION: CWAO of phenol over active carbon as a catalyst cannot be applied as an independent purification method. To remove phenol completely CWAO must be combined with other depolluting technology. The CFD model describes better the hydrodynamic phenomena in a bed of variable porosity than the simple plug flow model.

• 出版日期2016-3