Patent ID: 7048831

Claim:
In a batch process for the thermal decomposition of a hydrocarbon containing material in a sealed reactor interior, said reactor being provided with a gas evacuation component, said process comprising the steps of: a) loading the hydrocarbon containing material into and sealing the reactor; b) purging oxygen from said reactor; and c) heating said reactor to a predetermined temperature so as to obtain decomposition products, the improvement wherein the purging step includes loading the reactor with an oxyphilic solution prior to sealing the reactor and heating the interior of the sealed reactor to a first predetermined temperature to induce the oxyphilic solution to drive oxygen out of the interior of the container through said gas evacuation component, said oxyphilic solution comprising a proportion of 10 moles of water (H 2 O) and 4 moles of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, and isobutanol, and mixtures thereof for each 4 moles of gaseous oxygen (O 2 ) present in said reactor.