Decomposition of CFC-12 by Molten Alkaline Hydroxide Compounds

—Confirmation of Decomposition Performance with Laboratory-scale Experimental Apparatus—

Abstract

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC-12) was decomposed using two kinds of molten alkaline hydroxides (NaOH and KOH) in without any oxidizing gas like air. During short experiments, operational conditions such as reaction temperature, CFC concentration, and gas flow rates were examined. The CFC-12 appreciably reacted with the molten alkaline hydroxides in an inert atmosphere at temperatures greater than 450°C. Decomposition reached about 70% when 10% of CFC-12 was fed to the reactor at 600°C and at a 500 mL/min flow rate.
Decomposition continued satisfactorily during longer experiments of 24h. Based on these experiments, the authors infer that CFC-12 decomposition occurred according to the following chemical reactions.
CCl₂F₂+6 (Na·K) OH→ (Na·K) ₂CO₃+2 (Na·K) C1+2 (Na·K) F+3H₂O