An assessment of supercritical hydrothermal combustion (SCHC) for organic wastes destruction

The supercritical hydrothermal combustion (SCHC) accompanied by visible hydrothermal flame in supercritical water completely differs from conventional combustion, which represents more prominent comprehensive technical advantages in organic wastes destruction, comparing with wet-air oxidation, incineration and flameless SCWO. This paper reviews the existing SCHC reactors, which can be used for studying the ignition and extinction characteristics of various fuels, and also shows their effectiveness for the pollutant disposal and potential optimization directions. To date, the ignition and extinction temperatures of isopropyl alcohol, methanol and ethanol have been investigated broadly, however it is still necessary to further explore the ignition mechanism from micro perspective and build up proper ignition criterion models for hydrothermal flame. In addition, further research on the migration and conversion rules of various recalcitrant compounds such as phenol, ammonia, and so on during SCHC process is also of great significance.