# US 5,710,359 A · Environmentally appropriate degradation and disposal of heteroatom-containing compounds > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,710,359 A - Document ID: US5710359A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/571,697 - Filed: 1995-12-13 - Granted: 1998-01-20 - Earliest claimed: 1993-09-09 - Assignees: DSM Chemie Linz GmbH - Inventors: Johannes Lercher; Zhan Zhaoqui - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5710359A ## CPC - A62D 3/20: by hydropyrolysis or destructive steam gasification, e.g. using water and heat or supercritical water, to effect chemical change - A62D 2101/04: Pesticides, e.g. insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or nematocides - A62D 2101/22: containing halogen - A62D 2101/26: containing nitrogen or phosphorus - A62D 2101/28: containing oxygen, sulfur, selenium or tellurium, i.e. chalcogen - A62D: CHEMICAL MEANS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES OR FOR COMBATING OR PROTECTING AGAINST HARMFUL CHEMICAL AGENTS; CHEMICAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN BREATHING APPARATUS ## Abstract Process for the environmentally appropriate degradation of chemical compounds which have one or more heteroatoms X, with X being F, Cl, Br, I, N, O or S, by cleavage of the C--X carbon-heteroatom bonds, characterized in that the chemical compounds or articles which contain the chemical compounds are treated with water vapor in the presence of an aluminum catalyst at 300.degree.-600.degree. C. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Process for the degradation of atrazine or melamine-formaldehyde resins having C--X bonds where X is N, or compounds which have one or more C--X bonds, where X is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, I, O and S, by cleavage of the C--X bonds, wherein said atrazine or melamine-formaldehyde resins or compounds or articles which contain said atrazine or melamine-formaldehyde resins or compounds are treated with water vapor at a temperature of 300.degree. to 600.degree. C. in the presence of an aluminum catalyst consisting essentially of catalytically active aluminum oxide or AlOOH as active constituent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the compounds contain one or more C--X bonds which are C--F, C--Cl, C--Br, C--I, C--SH, C--S--C, C--S--S--C, C=S, C--O--C, C--OR, COOR.sub.3 or C=O, where R is H or alkyl. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the compounds are aliphatic hydrocarbons substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group consisting of --F, --Cl, --Br, --I, --OR, --OOR.sub.3, =O and --SH, and optionally, in addition to the above C--X bonds, contain C--X bonds selected from the group consisting of C--S--C, C--S--S--C, and C--O--C, in the hydrocarbon chain, where R.sub.3 is H or alkyl. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the compounds are aromatic hydrocarbons substituted by one or more radicals selected from the group consisting of --F, --Cl, --Br, --I, --OR.sub.3, and --SH, where R.sub.3 is H or alkyl. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the compounds are heterocyclics which contain one or more C--X bonds which are C--S--C or C--O--C in the ring and are unsubstituted or substituted by one or more radicals which are --F, --Cl, --Br, --I, --OR.sub.3, or --SH, where R.sub.3 is H or alkyl. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein atrazine or melamine-formaldehyde resins are decomposed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst used is aluminum oxide. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the aluminum catalyst is initially charged in a fluidized-bed apparatus and a carrier gas inert under the reaction conditions is used to build up a fluidized bed into which the water vapor and the chemical compound are introduced, whereupon the reaction gases and other degradation products are conducted away and separated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1 which consists essentially of subjecting said compounds to water vapor in the presence of an aluminum catalyst. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) Process according to claim 9, wherein the catalyst consists essentially of aluminum oxide. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) Process according to claim 9, wherein X is Cl, Br, I, O or S. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) Process according to claim 9, wherein X is F, Br, I, O or S. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) Process according to claim 9, wherein X is F, Cl, Br, I, O or S. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst is in the form of tablets, pellets, particles, spheres or rings. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) Process according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst is applied to a support which is inert under reaction conditions and comprises silicon, aluminum, zinc oxide or steel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the compound having a C--X bond is trichloromethane, methylene chloride, dichloroethane, dibromoethane, butyl iodide, dimethylmethane, butyl chloride, chlorocyclohexane, bromoundecane, benzyl chloride or chlorobenzene.