Treatment of waste water contg. water-sol. organic wastes - with heat and non-catalytic oxidation to oxidise the organic material to carbon dioxide and water

Treatment of used water contg. water-sol. organic waste material, comprises passing the water continuously into at least one hot contact zone and injecting a gas contg. O2 into the stream. The stream is then oxidised, non-catalytically with air, in the zone, at 204-371 degrees C/21-218 kg/cm2 press. under conditions of turbulent flow where the Reynolds no. is >2000, for 0.1 min. - 2 hrs., to obtain an effluent stream in which all the organic waste has been oxidised to CO2 and water. Treatment of water from refineries, evacuation wells, etc., so as to reduce the chemical demand for O2 such that the water may be returned to natural waters without any further treatment. The Reynolds no. is pref. >4000 and the tubular reactor has, advantageously, an internal diameter of 12.7 - 102 mm. The effluent stream leaving the reactor comes into heat-exchange with the incoming stream to be treated.