An effective treatment solution for organic effluents
Hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) - also known as wet oxidation (WAO) - is an emerging clean process that provides new solutions for the treatment of various organic residues. Still little known in Quebec, it consists of treating various effluents with a high organic content by using the properties of water at high temperature and high pressure. The advantage of this technology is that it generates an efficient and controlled degradation of wet organic compounds for which incineration is not a cost-effective option (effluents from the chemical industry, water treatment plant sludge, etc.). HTO does not require solvents or chemicals. Recovery of the energy released is even possible without the release of undesirable substances such as dioxins or furans.
The CTTÉI acquired its first equipment HTOin 2014. In 2017, it obtained support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC) to further its research. Studies conducted with the City of Sorel-Tracy and the Régie d'assainissement des eaux Richelieu Saint-Laurent have demonstrated the economic and ecological interest ofHTO for the treatment of aerated pond sludge.
A clean process with a future
The future application possibilities ofHTOdo not stop at the treatment of municipal sludge. All organic materials for which landfill is currently the only method of management, as well as effluents that are too concentrated or resistant to biological processes, can benefit from this clean technology: waste from the paper industry, toxic industrial effluents, hospital effluents, microplastics.
That is why, in the fall of 2021, the CTTÉI will open the first pilot-scale hydrothermal oxidation laboratory in Canada.
From laboratory tests to industrial implementation, via technical and economic studies, the CTTÉI is continuing to studyHTOand wishes to develop new treatment solutions for various organic waste .
For more information onHTO, please consult our data sheet or contact Jean-François Vermette at 450 551-8090 ext. 3517.
