CATALYTIC HYDRODECHLORINATION OF 1,2,3-TRICHLOROBENZENE

Detoxification by catalytic hydrotreatment can be a valid alternative to thermal incineration for the disposal of hazardous organic waste liquids. With this aim, the hydrodechlorination of 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene on a Ni-Mo/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The behaviour of this chemical in hydrotreatment is hopefully representative of that of many toxic chlorinated compounds. The experimental reaction runs were conducted in a stirred batch reactor in the presence of hydrogen, at constant pressure (p(H-2) = 100 bar), and using hexadecane as a reaction medium. The temperature, kept constant during each run, was varied in the range 200-degrees-C less-than-or-equal-to T less-than-or-equal-to 350-degrees-C. The experimental results consisting of concentrations of reactant, reaction products and intermediates vs. time, permit the identification of the reaction network and its modification with temperature. The kinetic constants (and their temperature dependence) of the reactions which form the network are also determined.