Objective
For the companies in the Fine Chemical sector which use a variety of organic solvents in their processes, it is of vital importance to incorporate a conditioning stage for the bitterns proceeding from the recovery of the aforementioned solvents into the productive process. In our own case, because of the financial non-viability of a large number of specific stages for each process, the solution remain at a non-selective conditioning stage, and particularly an oxidation one.
Otherwise, the conditioning conventional processes by means of oxidation, they do not achieve the necessary efficiency or its energy cost is very difficult to be assumed for the company.
This project involves the development of an innovative process of the conditioning of this extract by means of MIXED OXIDATION technology which minimizes the energy consumption, the project achieves better environmental management at the same time as allowing the ELIMINATION of the emissions of CO2 from the incinerator plant.
The D.Q.O. of the various effluents is between 5000 and 40000 mg O2/L according to the production which is being carried out.
The average D.Q.O. after homogenising the residual water is 14000 mg O2/L.
The average hourly flow is 4700 lit/hour which means 25380 m³/y and 355320 D.Q.O./y.
The oxidising treatment which has been implanted involves a reduction in D.Q.O. not a desalination, which means that most of the organic molecules, throughout the successive oxidisation processes undergone in the treatment, are converted into CO2 and some very short chain-type molecules (1 or 2 C) which are always biodegradable.
The average D.Q.O. after the treatment which is carried out, is 1500 mg/l, which is the value required by the competent regulations.
As far as toxicity is concerned, the treatment makes it possible to break the molecules' aromatic rings and to reduce the contaminant load from 100 to 10 Equitox.
Energy consumption is strictly proportional to the reduction in the D.Q.O. with the rest of the parameters (pH, temperature, voltage, etc.) remaining constant : D.Q.O. = f(i).
The electrical energy produced in the 740 kW generator is consumed entirely in the oxidising plant.
The plant's overall energy consumption is :
- eliminated D.Q.O. : 317250 kg D.Q.O./y
- overall consumption : 5710500 kWh/y
- consumption /m³ : 225 kWh/m³
The generator group is automatically connected to the oxidisation plant's consumption, which absorbs 90% of its capacity.
The gases produced in the generator group are introduced, as we have said, into a small waste heat boiler in which we obtain 350 kg/h of steam at 6 bar, which means 270 kW recovered for the process, reducing the consumption of the existing boilers.
On the premise that MENADIONA INDUSTRIAL SA takes on, as a stage in its production process of the conditioning of the bitterns derived from the recovery of solvents, the R&D department of the company has carried out a series of studies/tests, both in the laboratory and at the pilot plant, upon the application of some alternative techniques for achieving greater efficiency in the aforementioned conditioning, understanding that its technical-financial viability required that :
- It should be non selective. ("IMPACT" process), which should take to an oxidation.
- It should not involve an excessive energy consumption.
The result of this process is the development of a MIXED OXIDATION PLANT which combines various techniques for the conditioning of the organic material : ozone, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, temperature, and others.
The result of this proposal is technically viable and involves an authentic technological innovation, including, in turn, a novel energy management of the plant. Its principal characteristics are summarized in the following way :
- Application of MIXED OXIDATION techniques which minimize the energy demand which are compatible with the efficiency of the conditioning of the bitterns mixture.
- Integration into the plant of a system of selfproduction of energy that allows the integral and exclusive exploitation of the electrical energy in the oxydant plant itself, with the aim to achieve an extract conditioning with a "consumption zero" in general point of view.
- Elimination of the current atmospheric emissions of CO2 in the incinerator plant. By means of the application of the new oxidation techniques in the degradation of high charge extracts, the carbon dioxide appears, together with carbonates, at an intermediate stage in the setting of a bacterial culture, being eliminated in the subsequent biological treatment, without there being any emission.
As well as this series of innovations, the plant will give rise to a series of environmental advantages, amongst which we should like to highlight the optimization of the management of the liquid effluents of the plant, in such a way that the resultant waste waters from the mixed oxidation process will be able to be treated subsequently, whether physically-chemically or biologically, and both on the level of the station which is properly of MENADIONA INDUSTRIAL SL or the plant in the Association of l'Alt maresme, guaranteeing that these will be sufficient as the action is carried out upon an effluent split up into lower charge fragments, each one with a minimum level of degradation in order to let the aforementioned treatment.
The mixed oxidation plant which has been developed is, at this time, the only alternative which makes the following compatible :
- The incorporation, which is furthermore essential, into the productive process of a stage of conditioning of the bitterns which contain solvents proceeding from filtering.
- And, an energy cost which may be assumed bythe company.
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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DEM - Demonstration contractsCoordinator
08018 Barcelona
Spain