Methods for detoxifying polychloro-organic wastes

摘要

The invention provides an improved method for disposing polychloro organic waste (PCOW) materials. The invention relates to a method of hydrogenating PCOW materials in a bi-phasic solvent system (comprising an aqueous solvent and an organic solvent) and filtering the mixture at an elevated temperature (e.g., 60-110° C.) through a filter of unwoven polymer fabric that is capable of separating waste particles of no less than approximately 1 micron in size. Thereafter, 1-20% by weight of a lower aliphatic alcohol is added to the waste mass and the solution is hydrogenated with molecular hydrogen at approximately 60-130° C. with a pressure of approximately 10-50 atmospheres in the presence of a catalyst (e.g., palladium on a carrier) and a quantity of an approximately 10-20% aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide.