Apparatus for salt separation (2) under supercritical water conditions, comprising a heat exchanger (4) and a fluidized bed reactor (6). The fluidized bed reactor comprising a supercritical water pressure containing wall (8) defining therein a fluidized bed chamber (10) connected to an inlet system (16) at one end thereof and an outlet system (18) configured to separate solids from supercritical fluid at another end thereof. The fluidized bed chamber receives a fluidized bed (12) therein and is configured to receive through the inlet system (16) a liquefied aqueous substance (14) for treatment in the fluidized bed chamber. The inlet system (16) comprises an inlet chamber (20) and a fluidization plate (22) positioned between the inlet chamber (20) and the fluidized bed chamber (10). The fluidized bed chamber extends between the inlet system (16) and outlet system (18) and comprises an entry section (10a) adjacent the inlet system (16), an outlet section (10c) adjacent the outlet system (18), and a mid-section (10b) extending between the entry section and the outlet section. The heat exchanger (4) extends along the fluidized bed chamber (10) and is configured to generate a decreasing temperature gradient in the fluidized bed chamber from the outlet section (10c) to the entry section (10a), the temperature gradient in the outlet section and mid-section being supercritical for aqueous substances and being subcritical for aqueous substances in the entry section (10a) adjacent the fluidization plate (22).

A supercritical water oxidation vortex reactor has a reactor shell configured to contain a pressurized and heated material including water, a burner assembly configured to create a supercritical core region in the material in the reactor shell, the supercritical core region including water above its critical point, an injector assembly configured to inject into the enclosed volume a subcritical wash stream including water below its critical point and an aspirator arranged in the enclosed volume and configured to remove a processed flow including purified water from an upper portion of the supercritical core region. The supercritical water oxidation vortex reactor is configured with an upward helical flow to transfer precipitated ionic compounds out of the supercritical core region, through a transcritical intermediate region, and into the subcritical wash stream where they re-dissolve.

The invention relates to a method for the fractioned separation of valuable substances from aqueous many-component mixtures such as aqueous wastes, sludges and sewage sludge under supercritical conditions. The invention also comprises valuable substance fractions that are enriched after the method according to the invention, more particularly phosphorous-containing and phosphorous- and ammonium-containing compounds such as fertilisers and synthesis gas as an energy source and as a valuable substance for the chemicals industry. The invention comprises devices for carrying out the methods. With the method and devices according to the invention, valuable substances can be completely recovered from wastes, sludges and sewage sludge and given a new use. The methods and devices are particularly suitable for recovering phosphorous and ammonium in the form of plant-available fertiliser, for recovering metals and heavy metals, for producing synthesis gas and for obtaining hydrogen from synthesis gas, i.e. for mobility.

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for processing a slurry containing organic components, such as biomass, having a water contents of at least 50%, comprising a heat exchanger (7) to heat the slurry and a reactor (8) to convert at least a part of the organic components in the slurry, wherein at least one of the heat exchanger (7) and the reactor (8) comprises one or more pipes (7A; 8A). At least one transport screw (15) is accommodated in the pipe (7A; 8A) or at least one of the pipes (7A; 8A).

A supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) system with a well-mixed SCWO reactor, a feedstock supplied to the well-mixed SCWO reactor by a feedstock supply line, a recirculation loop flow regulator in fluid communication with the well-mixed SCWO reactor; and a recirculation loop which includes the well-mixed SCWO reactor and the recirculation loop flow regulator, such that the recirculation loop flow regulator receives an oxidant from an oxidant supply line and a first portion of a reactor effluent from the well-mixed SCWO reactor and supplies the oxidant and the first portion of the reactor effluent to the well-mixed SCWO reactor. The SCWO system also includes a heat transfer unit operationally associated with the well-mixed SCWO reactor which performs at least one of: heating the well-mixed SCWO reactor and cooling the well-mixed SCWO reactor.

A system for on-line monitoring of a supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) process, the system including an SCWO reactor, a feedstock supply line which supplies a feedstock to the SCWO reactor, an oxidant supply line which supplies an oxidant to the SCWO reactor, at least one sensor which measures at least one parameter of the feedstock and the oxidant, and a controller which determines a Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and a Heating Value (HV) of the feedstock based on the at least one parameter, such that the controller adjusts the amount of the oxidant supplied to the SCWO reactor based upon the COD and the HV of the feedstock.

An indirect heat transfer supercritical water oxidation system includes a supercritical water oxidation reactant system and an intermediate medium circuit. A control method thereof includes controlling two-process pressure and temperature increase, controlling pressure and temperature decrease and controlling normal operation. The present invention focuses on automatic control strategy of engineering practice of the indirect heat transfer supercritical water oxidation system. The system heating process adopts the idea of circulating heating, which effectively reduces the investment of the heating equipment avoids the mismatch between the working pressure of the two processes, and ensures effectiveness of the heat transfer between supercritical pressure fluid in the inner tube and the outer tube of the preheater/heat exchanger during subsequent heating process. The effective control of a reaction temperature and overpressure protection of critical equipment ensure a process effect and system safety.

A near-zero-release treatment system and method for high concentrated organic wastewater is in the chemical engineering and environment protection field, whose core technology is SCWO. The wastewater and sludge are grinded by the homogeneous pump, pressurized by high-pressure plunger pump, transported to successive pipeline for preheating and mixing with the oxygen and undergoes SCWO reaction in the reactor. After pressure release in the pressure relief device, the reacted fluid passes through the self-cleaning filter and gas liquid separator for insoluble solid and gas separation; then enters the MVR for crystallization of the soluble salts to realize near-zero-release of the feeding. The regular water treatment technology (coagulation sedimentation, membrane biotechnology, membrane technology, etc.) is adopted to complement SCWO, which lowers the operating parameters of the reactor and cuts the operating cost by treating the remaining COD with regular water treatment technology.

The invention relates to a reactor 1 for supercritical hydrothermal gasification of aqueous multicomponent mixtures in the absence of oxygen. It is also an object of the invention to provide a system for operating the reactor 1, a method for operating the reactor 1, and the use of the reactor 1. The reactor 1 according to the invention is compatible with many existing systems, is compact, can be provided on a turnkey basis, and can be manufactured and operated at low cost. The reactor 1 according to the invention thus enables, for the first time, a diverse commercial use of hydrothermal gasification of biomass, sewage sludge and other organic wastes in supercritical water.

A process performed by a plant for oxidation of a waste stream with oxidizable material is described. In a start-up phase, supercritical water is fed to a supercritical water oxidation reactor, heating the process up to supercritical conditions. In a treatment phase, the waste stream is fed to the reactor for supercritical water oxidation treatment, in which sufficient mass of water under supercritical conditions is present in the reactor to retain supercritical conditions with the newly introduced waste stream. Oxygen is used as oxidant and a stoichiometric quantum is added to the reactor. The energy released from the oxidation reaction substitutes the energy provided by the addition of supercritical water up to a point where the reactor achieves near autothermal conditions with supercritical water providing trim heat requirement. The reactor outlet is quench cooled, neutralised and energy is recovered from it. A gas liquid separator ensures that the effluent stream is degassed.