Degradation Kinetics of Organic Amines in Supercritical Water

Abstract

Organic amines are widely used in hydrothermal systems operating at sub and near critical conditions as potential pH stabilizing agents. This report investigates the feasibility of their application in hydrothermal systems operating beyond critical point of water. Reaction kinetics of organic amine degradation plays a key role in evaluating their stability, basicity and volatility in supercritical water. A thorough literature review indicates that organic compounds in supercritical water decompose through pyrolysis and hydrolysis mechanisms. Pyrolysis mechanism is favored at low water densities and hydrolysis at high water densities, density being specific to organic compound. The reaction rate in hydrolysis pathway is significantly altered by solvent properties like ionic product and dielectric constant.