Destruction of acetone using a small-scale arcjet plasma torch

A small-scale thermal plasma torch has been constructed to determine the feasibility of its use to dispose of hazardous solvent wastes. The system has been studied using acetone as a test compound. The plasma jet is generated using argon and a commercial AC/DC welding supply. The system is operated using torch currents ranging from 50 to 200 A and solvent flow rates in the range 0–200 ml/h. Oxygen is added to alter the chemistry occurring in the reaction chamber. The destruction of acetone and the relative amounts of the reaction by-products are monitored using a residual gas analyzer. The pyrolysis products consist primarily of CO, CH4, C2H2, C2H4, and other CxHy radicals when no oxygen is added to the system. By adding oxygen to the system, thermal oxidation processes occur that increase the production of CO2 and significantly decrease the amount of acetone in the exhaust gases. This paper includes data on the destruction efficiency of acetone as a function of solvent flow rate, torch power, argon flow rate and oxygen injection rate. The results indicate that greater than 99% destruction efficiency of acetone can be achieved with addition of oxygen to the reaction mixture using an arcjet current of 75 A.