Destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls

摘要

Chlorobenzenes present in PCBs as viscosity reducing diluents can be largely removed from the PCBs by fractional distillation without carry over of PCBs into the chlorobenzene rich distillate. The PCB rich bottoms can be economically destroyed using a sodium dispersion under conditions of temperature, concentration and stirring which result in autocatalytic reaction. Sodium dispersion can be measured for dispensing into the reaction by accumulation under a pressurized gas space in a measuring vessel of predetermined volume until a predetermined pressure is attained. The pressurized gas is then employed to expel the dispersion from the measuring vessel into the reactor.