SBIR-STTR Award

Replacements for the halocarbons banned by the MontrealProtocol will be produced by technologies which generate spent catalystsas a waste byproduct. These spent catalysts contain tin, a valuable metalresource, in a matrix that will undoubtedly be classified as hazardouswith regard to its disposal.Chemical and Metal Industries, Inc., proposed in this Phase I effort toinvestigate two alternative technologies for recovery of tin values fromthis spent catalyst. The tin recovery processes also aim at minimizing ortotally eliminating hazardous wastes associated with this spent catalyst.Recovered tin products from these processes can be directly recycled tothe fluoroproducts industry or to other existing tin chemical markets.Organic wastes from the process can be disposed of as non hazardous solidwastes.The successes of Chemical and Metal Industries, Inc., in recoveringantimony values from similar classes of spent catalyst and their closeassociation with the plants that will generate this new class of spenttin catalyst assures an excellent commercialization potential forsuccessful processes developed in Phase I and Phase II research.

Tin catalysts are being used or are proposed for the productionof several hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and hydrochloro-fluorocarbon (HCFC)replacements for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that have been eliminated orare being phased out in the United States and other developed countriesdue to their ozone depletion potential (ODP). In Phase I,Chemical & MetalIndustries, Inc., demonstrated the technical feasibility of a process forrecovering tin and fluoride values from the spent catalyst and spentcatalyst residues from these fluorination processes. The process alsominimizes the amount of hazardous and other waste that would have to betreated and disposed of in the absence of such technology. In Phase II,the process demonstrated in Phase I, will be scaled up to pilot scaleoperation. Tin and fluoride products from the pilot plant will be usedfor confirming acceptability in the marketplace. The testing will alsoprovide guidance for design and construction of the commercial scaleprocess in Phase III. Issues that are also important to address at pilotscale include the materials of construction for this highly corrosiveservice and the economic viability of the process.