Conclusion

Since the first developments in 1980, the treatment of organic waste by hydrothermal oxidation in supercritical water has remained a promising technology, thanks to its performance, versatility, compactness, continuous operation, and the quality of the gaseous and aqueous effluents produced in relation to criteria for direct discharge into the environment.

Industrial developments remain relatively marginal, however, and are positioned in fairly specific segments. Although pressure-temperature process technologies are relatively well known in the industrial sector, notably in the petrochemicals industry, industrial waste producers and waste handlers are reluctant to invest in hydrothermal oxidation, notably due to the absence of significant industrial feedback and a lack of a priori guarantees on the investment and operating costs of these processes.