Wet oxidation destroys the large molecules in waste (e.g., phenol), converting them predominantly to carbon dioxide with some formation of low weight carboxylic acids such as acetic acid, which is highly biodegradable.

The effect of this treatment is to condition a waste that is:

• toxic
• reactive
• refractory to biotreatment
• or hazardous

into a waste readily suitable to biological treatment. Wet oxidation also achieves a gross reduction of the waste Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and reduces loading to any downstream treatment process.

In addition to waste destruction, wet oxidation can be used for chemical recovery by oxidation of organic contaminants.

Anoxic hydrolysis can be used for the destruction of contaminants that can by hydrolyzed without oxygen. Cyanide or phosphorous would be examples of such contaminants.

For specific examples and treatment capabilities, please refer to our performance index.

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