High temperature oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons

Mechanism and kinetics of the oxidation of 1,3-butadien-1-yl (n-C4H5): a theoretical study

Ab initio CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-f12//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) calculations of the C4H5O2 potential energy surface have been combined with Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus Master Equation (RRKM-ME) calculations of temperature- and pressure-dependent rate constants and product branching ratios to unravel the mechanism and kinetics of the n-C4H5 + O2 reaction. The results indicate that the reaction is fast, with the total rate constant being in the range of 3.4-5.6 × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. The main products include 1-oxo-n-butadienyl + O and acrolein + HCO, with their cumulative yield exceeding 90% at temperatures above 1500 K. Two conformers of 1-oxo-n-butadienyl + O are formed via a simple mechanism of O2 addition to the radical site of n-C4H5 followed by the cleavage of the O-O bond proceeding via a van der Waals C4H5OO complex. Alternatively, the pathways leading to acrolein + HCO involve significant reorganization of the heavy-atom skeleton either via formal migration of one O atom to the opposite end of the molecule or its insertion into the C1-C2 bond. Not counting thermal stabilization of the initial peroxy adducts, which prevails at low temperatures and high pressures, all other products share a minor yield of under 5%. Rate constants for the significant reaction channels have been fitted to modified Arrhenius expressions and are proposed for kinetic modeling of the oxidation of aromatic molecules and 1,3-butadiene. As a secondary reaction, n-C4H5 + O2 can be a source for the formation of acrolein observed experimentally in oxidation of the phenyl radical at low combustion temperatures, whereas another significant (secondary) product of the C6H5 + O2 reaction, furan, could be formed through unimolecular decomposition of 1-oxo-n-butadienyl. Both the n-C4H5 + O2 reaction and unimolecular decomposition of its 1-oxo-n-butadienyl primary product are shown not to be a substantial source of ketene.

Theoretical Study of the Extent of Intersystem Crossing in the O(3P) + C6H6 Reaction with Experimental Validation

The extent of intersystem crossing in the O(³P) + C₆H₆ reaction, a prototypical system for spin-forbidden reactions in oxygenated aromatic molecules, is theoretically evaluated for the first time. Calculations are performed using nonadiabatic transition-state theory coupled with stochastic master equation simulations and Landau-Zener theory. It is found that the dominant intersystem crossing pathways connect the T2 and S0 potential energy surfaces through at least two distinct minimum-energy crossing points. The calculated channel-specific rate constants and intersystem crossing branching fractions differ from previous literature estimates and provide valuable kinetic data for the investigation of benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons oxidation in interstellar, atmospheric, and combustion conditions. The theoretical results are supported by crossed molecular beam experiments with electron ionization mass-spectrometric detection and time-of-flight analysis at 8.2 kcal/mol collision energy. This system is a suitable benchmark for theoretical and experimental studies of intersystem crossing in aromatic species.

Global ab initio exploration of potential energy surfaces for radical generation in the initial stage of benzene oxidation

The potential energy surfaces (PESs) of benzene oxidation by molecular oxygen were explored using the anharmonic downward distortion following (ADDF) and artificial force induced reaction (AFIR) methods of the global reaction route mapping (GRRM) strategy. The reaction mechanism of benzene activation by initial molecular oxygen depends on the combustion temperature. At high temperature, the benzene molecule could be oxidized by abstracting hydrogen atoms and form the radical fragments, C₆H₅ and OOH. However, before reaching its auto-ignition point, the formation of a singlet bridging peroxide molecule C₆H₆O₂ from the triplet reactants via electronic non-adiabatic transition will play a critical role in the increase of the combustion temperature by the generation of initial free radicals. Bridging peroxide C₆H₆O₂ could isomerize to other stable isomers by a consecutive series of oxygen and hydrogen atom transfers. Importantly, these C₆H₆O₂ isomers are vital sources of free radical generation in the initial stage of benzene oxidation. Free radicals, such as OOH, O, and OH, could be generated during the further oxidation of these oxygenated hydrocarbon species C₆H₆O₂ due to the presence of active groups or sp³-C-H bonds.

Formation and stability of gas-phase o-benzoquinone from oxidation of ortho-hydroxyphenyl: a combined neutral and distonic radical study

The o-hydroxyphenyl radical reacts with O₂ to form o-benzoquinone + OH and cyclopentadienone is assigned as a secondary product.

VOC destruction by water diluted hydrogen mild combustion

This study represents a preliminary numerical evaluation of the effect of steam dilution and hydrogen addition on the oxidation of formaldehyde and benzene, chosen as representative of the volatile organic compounds (VOC), in mild condition by evaluating the autoignition time and the steady state attainment. These parameters are important in the design of thermal VOC destruction plants since they influence the abatement efficiency and, therefore, the plant dimension. It has come out that, in comparison with the system diluted in nitrogen, steam induces lower autoignition times and, on the other hand, longer times for the attainment of the steady state. In contrast, for very high water content the autoignition time slightly increases. In particular results have shown that is possible to identify an optimum value of steam content that allows for the attainment of the steady state condition by the lowest residence time. Hydrogen addition to systems diluted in nitrogen promotes the oxidation reactions and anticipates the steady state condition. In steam diluted systems hydrogen delays the autoignition of the mixtures even though anticipates the attainment of the complete destruction of the VOC. The rate of production analysis has showed that the H(2)/O(2) reactions, that promote the ignition and the destruction of VOC, are sensibly modified by the presence of water and hydrogen.

Experimental Study and Detailed Modeling of Toluene Degradation in a Low-Pressure Stoichiometric Premixed CH4/O2/N2 Flame

Temperature and mole fraction profiles have been measured in laminar stoichiometric premixed CH4/O2/N2 and CH4/1.5%C6H5CH3/O2/N2 flames at low pressure (0.0519 bar) by using thermocouple, molecular beam/mass spectrometry (MB/MS), and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) techniques. The present study completes our previous work performed on the thermal degradation of benzene in CH4/O2/N2 operating at similar conditions. Mole fraction profiles of reactants, final products, and reactive and stable intermediate species have been analyzed. The main intermediate aromatic species analyzed in the methane-toluene flame were benzene, phenol, ethylbenzene, benzylalcohol, styrene, and benzaldehyde. These new experimental results have been modeled with our previous model including submechanisms for aromatics (benzene up to p-xylene) and aliphatic (C1 up to C7) oxidation. Good agreement has been observed for the main species analyzed. The main reaction paths governing the degradation of toluene in the methane flame were identified, and it occurs mainly via the formation of benzene (C6H5CH3 + H = C6H6 + CH3) and benzyl radical (C6H5CH3 + H = C6H5CH2 + H2). Due to the abundance of methyl radicals, it was observed that recombination of benzyl and methyl is responsible for main monosubstitute aromatic species analyzed in the methane-toluene flame. The oxidation of these substitute species led to cyclopentadienyl radical as observed in a methane-benzene flame.

An experimental and numerical study of the thermal oxidation of chlorobenzene

A combustion-driven flow reactor was used to examine the formation of chlorinated and non-chlorinated species from the thermal oxidation of chlorobenzene under post-flame conditions. Temperature varied from 725 to 1000 K, while the equivalence ratio was held constant at 0.5. Significant quantities of chlorinated intermediates, vinyl chloride and chlorophenol, were measured. A dominant C-Cl scission destruction pathway seen in pyrolytic studies was not observed. Instead, hydrogen-abstraction reactions prevailed, leading to high concentrations of chlorinated byproducts. The thermal oxidation of benzene was also investigated for comparison. Chemical kinetic modeling of benzene and chlorobenzene was used to explore reaction pathways. Two chlorobenzene models were developed to test the hypothesis that chlorobenzene oxidation follows a CO-expulsion breakdown pathway similar to that of benzene. For the temperatures and equivalence ratio studied, hydrogen abstraction by hydroxyl radicals dominates the initial destruction of both benzene and chlorobenzene. Chlorinated byproducts (i.e., chlorophenol and vinyl chloride) were formed from chlorobenzene oxidation in similar quantities and at similar temperatures to their respective analogue formed during benzene oxidation (i.e., phenol and ethylene).

Formation and decomposition of chloroaromatic compounds in chlorine-containing benzene/oxygen flames

Premixed chlorine-containing, fuel-rich, low-pressure benzene/oxygen flames were analysed for the formation of (oxygenated) chloroaromatic compounds and their radicals by means of the condensation/radical-scavenging method (Hausmann, M., Homann, K.-H., 1995. Ber. Busenges. Phys. Chem. 99, 853-862). Several chlorinated organic compounds (methyl chloride, t-butyl chloride, chlorobenzene, chloroform) were used as additives within a maximum concentration of 10% of total fuel. Product identification and quantification were performed by GC/MS. The extent of formation of chloroaromatic compounds in these flames was largest in the cases of chlorobenzene and chloroform as additives. For chlorobenzene, 12 different chloroaromatics could be analysed in between C7H7Cl and C12H9Cl. Their formation is mainly due to conversion of initial chlorobenzene into substituted or oxidised derivatives, or growth products. Additional chlorination of aromatics is shown to be of minor importance in chlorobenzene-containing flames. Three isomeric (o/m/p) scavenging products could be identified for the chlorophenyl radical. In the chloroform case, 15 chloroaromatics could be analysed in between C6H5Cl and C14H9Cl. The weak C-Cl bond in chloroform is responsible for the high extent of chloroaromatics formation, either by Cl abstraction from the additive or by chlorination reactions via Cl radicals. Additionally, specific pathways to (di)chloroaromatics and chlorinated fulvene-type structures are outlined via CHCl2 and CCl2 radicals.

Thermal destruction of benzene

The thermal destruction of benzene in methane/air flue gas is studied experimentally using an atmospheric laminar flow reactor in laboratory scale. The reactor is operated at four different fuel equivalent ratios (phi = 0.06, 0.1,0.5, 3.7), and temperatures in the range from 850 to 973 K and realises a residence time of 5 s. Stable-species concentrations are measured by gas chromatography (GC) and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), where phenol, acetylene, formaldehyde, acrolein, methane and acetaldehyde are the major hydrocarbon products besides CO and CO2. The augmentation of the temperature from 850 to 973 K increases the benzene conversion rate from 55% to 99%. The experimental results for one fuel equivalent ratio (phi = 0.5) are compared to the benzene model proposed by Emdee et al. (J. Phys. Chem. 92 (1992) 2151-2161). A fair agreement is observed for the benzene consumption and the CO production throughout the temperature range considered here. The small hydrocarbons are not very well matched, which requires further research on the sub-models. Our experimental results on laboratory scale provide a database for the modelling of benzene oxidation in waste incinerators.

Characterization of emissions during the heating of tyre contaminated scrap

In order to characterize the compounds (type and quantities) emitted during melting of organic contaminated scrap and to investigate the mechanism of their formation, an experimental set-up has been designed and built to study precisely the influence of temperature and gas atmosphere in the conditions of an electric arc furnace. These experiments lead to the determination of mass balances (C, H, O, S) and to the quantification of unburnt compounds (tars, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX), polyaromatic compounds (PAHs)). Degradation conditions (gas atmosphere and temperature) corresponding to different areas in the electric furnace have also been investigated. Such experiments lead to a better understanding of degradation mechanisms; this interpretation is not possible from investigations performed in an industrial furnace since there are many uncontrolled parameters (large dispersion of the results).