9561260 Lavid 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.
