Process for treatment of wastewater containing inorganic ammonium salts

Abstract

A process for treating an aqueous wastewater containing ammonium compounds. The process comprises the steps of preheating a liquid influent and introducing the preheated influent, an oxygen-containing gas an the wastewater into a reaction vessel for undergoing wet oxidation. An oxidized effluent is then withdrawn from the reaction vessel, which includes a gas phase containing ammonia and carbon dioxide and a liquid phase containing the ammonium compounds. The temperature of the effluent is then reduced to a temperature sufficient to condense a substantial portion of the ammonia into the liquid phase, and afterwards the remaining gas phase containing a substantial portion of the carbon dioxide is separated from the resulting liquid phase. Either prior to or subsequent to the separation the pH of the liquid phase is adjusted to a level whereby a substantial portion of the ammonia remains in the liquid phase when the liquid phase is subsequently subjected to an elevated temperature above the boiling point of water and the water content of the pH-adjusted liquid phase is then reduced by evaporation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.