Destruction of Halogenated Plastics in a Molten Salt Oxidation Reactor

Halogenated plastics such as PVC pipe, PTFE tube, and latex gloves were test-burned in a bench-scale molten salt oxidation reactor. Hydrogen halides (HCl and HF) and free halogens (Cl2 and F2) first released by the thermal decomposition of halogenated plastics (PVC and PTFE) were nearly completely collected in the hot sodium carbonate salt bath. Compared to halogen collection, sulfur collection was not complete and SO2 emission for rubber gloves decreased with stoichiometric air ratio. The entrainment of spiked metals and their fraction in the sub-micron particle size range increased with the chlorine content as well as the operating temperature.