Catalytic wet air oxidation of industrial aqueous streams

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) is a promising process for removing organic compounds from industrial aqueous streams. Over the last three decades a significant amount of research has been conducted on various aspects of the process including catalyst development, catalytic reaction mechanisms and oxidation reaction mechanisms, and the effects of important parameters such as temperature, pressure and pH on total organic carbon (TOC) removal. The Industrial Chemistry Group at RMIT University has conducted a significant amount of research on this process over the last several years focussing on organics removal from three very different industrial aqueous streams: Bayer liquor used in alumina refining; stripped sour water used in oil shale refining; and pulp and paper effluent used in paper manufacturing. Important results obtained on each of the aforementioned industrial aqueous streams are discussed in detail in this survey article.