Salt Separation and Destruction of PFAS Utilizing Reverse Osmosis and Salt Separation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023047367-A1
Application number	US-202217883600-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 9, 2022
Priority date	Aug 6, 2020
Publication date	Feb 16, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are destroyed by oxidation in supercritical conditions. PFAS in water is concentrated in a reverse osmosis step and salt from the resulting solution is removed in supercritical conditions prior to destruction of PFAS in supercritical conditions.

First claim

1 - 24 . (canceled)

25 . A method of destroying PFAS, comprising: providing an aqueous solution comprising water and PFAS;
subjecting the aqueous solution to reverse osmosis to produce a clean water fraction and a briny concentrated fraction in which the PFAS concentration is at least 50% greater than the aqueous solution; preheating the briny concentrated fraction in a heat exchanger to form a preheated concentrated fraction that is at subcritical conditions; passing the preheated concentrated fraction into a pre-reactor where the briny concentrated fraction is converted to supercritical conditions at a first temperature causing sodium chloride to precipitate; removing at least a portion of the sodium chloride to produce a brine-reduced fraction; passing the brine-reduced fraction to a reactor where the fraction is subjected to oxidation under supercritical conditions wherein the concentration of oxidant and/or temperature is higher than in the pre-reactor; producing a clean hot water solution having a concentration of PFAS that is at least 90% less than the aqueous solution; and, wherein a fuel or oxidizer is added to the pre-reactor.

26 . The method of claim 25 further comprising transferring heat from the clean hot water solution to the aqueous solution in the heat exchanger in the preheating step.

27 . The method of claim 25 the fuel or oxidizer comprises an alcohol.

28 . The method of claim 25 the pre-reactor comprises a trans-critical hydrocyclone.

29 . The method of claim 25 the brine-reduced fraction passes through a heat exchanger and then combined with hydrogen peroxide prior to being introduced into a SCWO reactor.

30 . The method of claim 25 the fuel or oxidizer comprises an alcohol.

31 . The method of claim 25 wherein the aqueous solution comprising water and PFAS has a first volume; wherein 10% or less (or 5% or less, or 1% or less, or 0.1% or less) of a first volume is subjected to supercritical conditions; and
wherein, in said method, at least 95% (or at least 98% or at least 99%) of the PFAS in the first volume is destroyed in supercritical conditions.

32 . The method of claim 25 wherein the method is carried out in a trailer or a shipping container.

33 . A method of destroying PFAS, comprising: providing an aqueous solution comprising water and PFAS;
treating the aqueous solution to reduce its volume to form a reduced volume PFAS solution having a first concentration of PFAS; adding hydrogen peroxide to the reduced volume PFAS solution wherein the hydrogen peroxide is added in excess of that needed to destroy the PFAS; passing the reduced volume PFAS solution into a SCWO reactor and subjecting the reduced volume PFAS solution to supercritical water oxidation; and producing a clean effluent having a concentration of PFAS that is more than 100,000 times less than the first concentration of PFAS.

34 . The method of claim 33 wherein the clean effluent comprises 5 ppt of less of PFAS.

35 . The method of claim 33 comprising producing a clean effluent having a concentration of PFAS that is more than 1,000,000 times less than the first concentration of PFAS.

36 . The method of claim 33 comprising producing a clean effluent having a concentration of PFAS that is more than 10,000,000 times less than the first concentration of PFAS.

37 . The method of claim 33 wherein the clean effluent is treated with a solution comprising NaOH, LiOH, or KOH.

38 . The method of claim 33 wherein the reduced volume PFAS solution is mixed with a solution comprising 30 to 50 wt % H 2 O 2 at a weight ratio of between 30:1 and 70:1 wt % PFAS solution.

39 . The method of claim 33 wherein the reduced volume PFAS solution is passed through the SCWO reactor with a residence time of 20 sec or less, or 10 sec or less, or 5 sec or less, or in the range of 0.5 to 5 seconds.

40 . The method of claim 33 wherein, after start-up, no external heating is needed for the SCWO reactor.

41 . The method of claim 33 wherein the method is conducted in a mobile trailer at a PFAS-contaminated site.

42 . The method of claim 33 wherein SCWO reactor has an internal ceramic coating and wherein the ceramic comprises: B4C (boron carbide), SiC (silicon carbide), TaC (tantalum carbide), WC (tungsten carbide), metal fluorides such as YF3 (yttrium fluoride), YN (yttrium nitride), LaF3 (lanthanum fluoride), LaN (lanthanum nitride), YbN, YbF3, or any lanthanide nitride or lanthanide fluoride, HfN (hafnium nitride), CeN (cerium nitride), CeF3 (cerium fluoride), TaN (tantalum nitride), Ta (tantalum), TaF (tantalum fluoride), ZrN (zirconium nitride), ZrF (zirconium fluoride), WN (tungsten nitride), or combinations thereof.

43 . The method of claim 33 wherein the SCWO reactor comprises a flow channel having an internal diameter of at least 1 cm or at least 2 cm that slopes downward with respect to gravity.

44 . The method of claim 33 wherein flow through the SCWO reactor is turbulent flow with an Re of at least 2000.

45 . The method of claim 33 wherein the hydrogen peroxide is added in at least 50% excess.

46 . A method of destroying PFAS, comprising: providing an aqueous solution comprising water and PFAS;
treating the aqueous solution to reduce its volume to form a reduced volume PFAS solution having a first concentration of PFAS; passing the reduced volume PFAS solution into a SCWO reactor and subjecting the reduced volume PFAS solution to supercritical water oxidation; wherein corrosion of the SCWO reactor is reduced by use of a sacrificial electrode or impressed current cathodic protection; and producing a clean effluent having a concentration of PFAS that is more than 100,000 times less than the first concentration of PFAS.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Rosansky Stephen H
• Miller Michael
• Norris Patrick
• Argumedo Darwin
• Hendry Douglas
• Haggerty Ian
• Brown Keith
• James Joshua
• Casciano Joseph
• Winecki Slawomir
• Lal Vivek
• Mcguinness Tom

Classifications

• B01D21/267

  by using a cyclone · CPC title

• B01D61/08

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• B01D2311/1031

  Heat integration, heat recovery or reuse within an apparatus · CPC title

• C02F5/06

  using calcium compounds · CPC title

• C02F1/441

  by reverse osmosis · CPC title