Chemistry in Near‐ and Supercritical Water

Water – A magic solvent for biomass conversion

“…By this pre-treatment, the yield is increased because of the higher reactivity of cellulose [8,9]. This points to an important aspect of hydrothermal processes: They can be combined with biological or biochemical processes because they are carried out in the same solvent [10]. Depending on the reaction conditions and especially in the case if acids are added the biomass is not only disrupted, but already partly hydrolyzed during steam explosion [11].…”

Sustainability and the Chemical Industry

“…Supercritical water can be used as a solvent and reactant [102][103][104] for the hydrolysis, hydrogenation, or oxidation of organic compounds, which are not soluble in water under standard conditions. However, above the critical point of water, its properties are very different to those of normal liquid water or atmospheric steam.…”

Supercritical Water Gasification of Municipal Sludge: A Novel Approach to Waste Treatment and Energy Recovery

“…The rapid endothermic, hydrothermal-pyrolytic decomposition of liquefied organic materials appears to progress concurrently with hydrolysis, reaching completion within seconds to minutes (Brunner, 2009b;Peterson et al, 2008a). Partial oxidation of the pyrolyzed compounds drives the pyrolysis and gasification reaction exothermically (Koda et al, 2001;Kruse & Vogel, 2010;Peterson et al, 2008a;Vogel et al, 2005). The disintegration of sludge under SCW conditions results in the formation of hydrolysis products, including volatile fatty acids, phosphorous compounds, dissolved biodegradable organics, gases (i.e., CO and CO2), and H2O (Rulkens, 2008).…”