2. Reaction mechanisms of hydrothermal oxidation

Under the operating conditions of supercritical water oxidation, water behaves like a dense, apolar gas with a low dielectric constant. As supercritical water cannot contain charged species, the reactions between the reactants are radical rather than ionic, as in the ambient state. The elementary reactions are similar to those that would take place in combustion, under the pressure and temperature conditions of hydrothermal oxidation . Water not only acts as a reaction medium, but also participates in the oxidation process...