Catalytic hydrodechlorination of decachlorobiphenyl

The hydrodechlorination (HDCl) process of decachlorobiphenyl (the most chlorinated among polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) promoted by a presulphided NiMo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst has been studied. The experimental runs were carried out in a stirred batch reactor at constant temperature and pressure using hexadecane as reaction medium. Temperature levels T=250 and 300 °C at hydrogen pressure PH2=20 bar were tested. The kinetic analysis of both the overall hydrodechlorination process (organic chlorine→inorganic chlorine) and of the partial network (decachlorobiphenyl→nonachlorobiphenyls→products) was performed and the corresponding kinetic constants have been evaluated. The HDCl process was completed in about 240 min at T=250 °C and in <60 min at T=300 °C.