SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop an innovative photochemical process capable of transforming existing stockpiles of ozone-depleting substances into environmentally benign and commercially valuable products. Existing stockpiles of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) pose a serious threat to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. Their replacement with alternative materials will cause a significant disposal challenge. Currently, there is no economically practical and Environmentally acceptable technology. This project offers a unique solution designated, Photo-HydroDechlorination (PHD). It is based on a synergistic effect of W initiation combined with a reducing atmosphere of hydrogen, promoting chain-propagation reactions and leading to high selectivity of desired products. The primary objective of project is to experimentally demonstrate feasibility by efficiently transforming representative CFCs into desirable hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and/or monomers. To accomplish this objective, a four-task research plan is used. It includes: (1) design and construction of a special photochemical flow reactor, (2) experimental demonstration, (3) kinetic modeling, and (4) cost estimates. This project will lead to a "green" technology for environmentally safe transformation of ozone-depleting substances into commercially valuable products. The current stockpile of an estimated 4.5 billion pounds of CFCs, which poses a serious disposal problem, will become a vital feedstock to produce high value products. Based on preliminary cost estimates, the existing stockpile, which represents a huge environmental liability, can be turned into about $4 billion of saleable products.

This SBIR Phase II project will lead to a full-scale commercialization of a novel technology capable of transforming existing stockpiles of ozone-depleting substances (chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons) into environmentally acceptable and commercially valuable products. The proposed Photo-Hydro-Dehalogenation (PHD) technology exploits a synergistic effect obtained by combining ultraviolet (UV) radiation with a reducing atmosphere. UV fight promotes chain initiation by carbon-halogen bond cleavage. Long-chain radical reactions lead to formation of desirable products. Phase I research has already proven feasibility. Experimental results with three representative chlorofluorocarbons have convincingly and unambiguously demonstrated that the PHD process can achieve selective and high conversion at a cost of less than $ 1/lb of CFC converted, which is lower than any current destruction technology. The primary objective of Phase II is to design, construct and employ a pilot-scale prototype for a field demonstration. To meet this objective, a three-task work plan has been developed. It includes: (a) bench-scale studies of CFCs and extension to Halons, supplemented by chemical kinetic modeling, (b) design and construction of a pilot-scale prototype, and (c) field demonstration and performance evaluation. Successful completion of Phase II will ultimately lead to Phase III commercialization. This process should lead to a `green` technology for environmentally safe transformation of ozone-depleting substances into commercially valuable products. The current stockpile of estimated 4.5 billion pounds of CFCs, which poses a serious disposal problem, will become a vital feedstock to produce high value products. Based on preliminary cost estimates, the existing stockpile which represents a huge environmental liability can be turned with the process into about 4 billion dollars of salable products.