This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the university of washington for hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) reclaim and innovative destruction

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Reclaim and Innovative Destruction Grants program (CFDA 66.047) provides $3,473,895 to the University of Washington to evaluate and demonstrate HFC destruction via alkaline hydrolysis (AH) technology. The key objectives are to:

1. Investigate HFC destruction chemistry under AH conditions, including modifying a lab-scale AH reactor, studying reaction kinetics and byproducts, and optimizing the AH process for HFC mineralization.

2. Construct and test an integrated, pilot-scale AH reactor system (1-3 gallons per hour throughput) to evaluate integration, monitoring, controls, and safety over an extended period.

3. Modify the pilot-scale AH reactor to investigate HFC injection strategies and compatibility with existing HFC infrastructure.

The project aims to demonstrate the greenhouse gas reduction potential of AH technology for destroying HFCs, which are potent refrigerants, and develop effective HFC reclamation and destruction methods. The award period is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2029.

The recipient will evaluate and demonstrate HFC destruction via alkaline hydrolysis (AH), which has previously been shown to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) successfully. Hydrothermal destruction will be demonstrated at several scales, and operators will be trained to operate full-scale systems. Life cycle and techno-economic analyses will also be performed to demonstrate greenhouse gas reduction potential.activities:task 1: investigating HFC destruction chemistry under AH conditions. (months 1-48) task 1A. Modification of laboratory CF-AH (months 1-6). To enable reactor operation at t GT; 100 #730; c, low vapor pressure hfcs can be reliably injected into the CF-AH system. This requires the modification of the existing laboratory AH reactor and the developing and testing of the cryogenic injection module. Previous experiments for determining the reaction rate and optimizing process chemistry were conducted in a laminar flow continuous AH reactor. Task 1B. Studying reaction kinetics and byproducts of mineralization for fhcs under AH conditions (months 1-18). We will study the HFC-23, HFC-134A, and HFC-152A with the goal of optimizing reactor operating conditions. First-order reaction rates for destroying hfcs under AH conditions will be determined by comparing parent compounds' concentrations before and after the treatment. Task 1C. Optimization of reaction process and development of integrated TRL 5 reactor for HFC mineralization under AH conditions (months 18-36) based on the outcomes of task 1B, we will investigate the optimal performance and the scale-up strategies for continuous flow AH system. Integrated laboratory scale reactor TRL 5 will be constructed and tested (1-3 gallons per hour) to evaluate integration, monitoring, and control strategies. Design and fabrication: (18-24 months) we will test the integration, e.g., heat recovery system, optimizing form factor, catalysis, amendment integration strategies, process monitoring and control, ancillary component selection, and redundancies for operational safety. The main objective is to test the process automation, robustness, and safety. Heat recovery will be introduced to reduce the cost of operation as the throughput rate increases from a few ML/min to up to 3 gallons per hour. Validate treatment of HFC in TRL 5: (months 24-36) the task will focus on two primary objectives: (1) evaluation of HFC destruction as a function of reactor throughput, operational conditions (t, p, PH, residence time, feedstock concentration). Gas exhaust and liquid effluent will be monitored to evaluate the destruction of HFC and to determine the most effective regime. (2) we assess the performance of the reactor's components over an extended period of time (~6 months) and the efficacy of integration strategies, reactor monitoring and controls, and operation safety. UW team will work closely with partners to streamline the modification of the pilot-scale reactor (task 1D). Task 1D. Modification of the pilot scale AH reactor (months 30-48). Investigate HFC injection strategy and compatibility with the existing HFC infrastructure. While the benchtop system requires smaller-scale pumps, the high throughput pilot system has to be equipped with high-volume handling pumps. While the exact specifications will be determined in tasks 1A-c, we will investigate the commercially available technologies in this task. One of the best candidates is the SCCO2 extraction pump system used for botanical extraction and food processing industries. Several COTS solutions may be appropriate for pilot-scale AH systems. For example, high-pressure equipment company provides an E710 supercritical CO2 extraction pump system, which features an electric CO2 extraction pump specifically designed for CO2 circulation to recov