The hose is used in automotive and other applications. ICI's Hydecat Process ICI's Synetix business have developed Hydecat, a unique process for treating sodium hypochlorite produced from waste chlorine streams. ICI won the Queen's Award for Environmental Achievement for the Hydecat Process. For further details see Green Chemistry , issue 4, G93, August 1999. This is the first time supercrtical water has been used to recycle plastic intermediates on a commercial basis.
Supercritical water is friendly to the environment as water serves as the solvent.
No acids or alkalis are used, so waste water treatment is unnecessary. The new process involves the same raw materials - acetic acid, ethylene and oxygen as the current process. However, the benefits derive from advanced reactor design and process engineering. The new system relies on a fluidised bed reactor incorporating new reactor and catalyst design, and allows substantial downsizing of the plant. The new plant will be situated at the company's site in Hull, UK and will be commissioned at the end of 2000.