Abstract:
Fatty oil and acids, glycerol, glycols, lactic acid, urea, fertilizer, carbohydrates, ethanol are recovered or produced from sewer sludge by the process of concentrating and filtering out the solid sewer sludge, hydrolysis of the cellulose in the sewer sludge by an alkali or acid catalyst to carbohydrates, fermentation of the carbohydrates to produce ethanol, then recover the ethanol by distillation or membrane technology. The glycerol, glycols and lactic acids are recovered by membrane technology. The polysacchride carbohydrates are hydrolyzed to monosacchrides then fermented to alcohol. The unsoluble sewer sludge and the salts such as ammonium sulfate, nitrogen containing compounds and urea from the aqueous solution left after the ethanol is distilled off are mixed, dried and utilized as fertilizer.
Abstract:
An object of the present invention is to provide a process and an apparatus for treating an aqueous medium at low running costs with a decreased electricity required for hydrothermal electrolytic reaction. The present invention proposes a two-step process comprising a first step of performing a conventional hydrothermal reaction or a conventional electrolytic reaction prior to hydrothermal electrolytic reaction to degrade readily degradable substances or ammonia or various electrolytically degradable organics and then a second step of performing hydrothermal electrolytic reaction to degrade the remaining organics, whereby the electricity consumed by hydrothermal electrolytic reaction in the second step can be greatly reduced.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a process for converting chemical structures, that is to say a process for the conducting of chemical reactions in a fluid under pressure and at temperature in a supercritical fluid in particular, containing a solvent and at least one electrolyte such as a salt, in which reactive species are generated in situ by electrolysis. According to the invention, the fluid flows upwards in a reservoir reactor crossing through a first lower electrolysis zone with high salt solubility and a second upper zone in which the salts precipitate, then the fluid free of salt is evacuated at the upper part of said reservoir reactor and directed into a second tubular reactor to reach the desired stage of advancement of the conversion.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for simultaneously performing hydrothermal reaction and electrolysis in the presence of a strongly acidic ion such as halide ions. A reactor internally has a pair of electrodes. An oxidizing agent such as an oxygen gas may be added. Even low-molecular weight compounds such as acetic acid and ammonia can be readily decomposed.
Abstract:
A hydrolysis reactor for removal of urea, ammonia and carbon dioxide from a liquid phase comprising urea in aqueous solution advantageously comprises a dividing baffle extending horizontally at a preset height in the reactor in which it defines a first and a second respectively lower and upper reaction space, means of collection and extraction from the reactor of a first portion of a gaseous phase comprising high pressure and temperature steam, previously fed into the first reaction space and means for feeding a second portion of the gaseous phase comprising high pressure and temperature steam to the second reaction space.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a process of aqueous phase oxidation of effluents, consisting of subjecting said effluents to oxidation in the presence of at least one catalyst and of at least one oxidising agent, at a temperature of between approximately 20.degree. C. and approximately 350.degree. C., under a total pressure of between approximately 1 and approximately 160 bars, in such manner as to mineralise part of the organic matter and total ammoniated nitrogen contained in said effluents, said oxidation being carried out inside a reactor in which a gaseous phase is set up above the liquid phase consisting of said effluents.characterized in that said catalyst is a heterogeneous catalyst placed inside said reactor above the interface between said gaseous phase and said liquid phase.
Abstract:
Oxidation reactions occurring in a plug flow reactor under conditions approximating supercritical water conditions are controlled by injecting a process stream of water and two reactants in non-stoichiometric proportions into the reactor and causing the process stream to flow through the reactor. Water is injected at one or more points downstream from the inlet to lower the temperature of the process stream and additional reactant injected to re-start the reaction. The quench and re-start process is repeated until substantially all oxidizable material in the process stream has be oxidized.
Abstract:
The present invention is to provide a method for treating sludge as a by-product of a process of tin electroplating a steel plate by means of a plating bath containing haloid ions, together with an equipment therefor. More specifically, by immersing the sludge in water prior to filtration, the residual sludge is subjected to alkali hydrolysis in the presence or absence of the ions of an alkali earth metal within a temperature range of 100.degree. to 400.degree. C., whereby cyanide compounds and fluoride compounds contained therein under environmental regulations are prepared into environmentally non-hazardous matters. By adjusting the filtrate to pH 7.5 to 10, the precipitate with the principal component of tin hydroxide is deposited to recover the tin components contained in the sludge. Furthermore, the recovered tin is refined into the metal tin, for recycling and use as the electrode by the plating.
Abstract:
A method is provided for the treatment of contaminated materials such as impounded sludges and contaminated soils by thermal desorption wherein a solid matrix is subjected to the action of superheated steam in a closed vessel, a gas stream comprising superheated steam is recirculated to the vessel and recirculation of the superheated steam is continued until organic constituents are separated therefrom to predetermined concentrations that are environmentally insignificant and within the limits prescribed by governmental regulations.
Abstract:
A process for treating wastewaters containing carbonaceous COD and at least one nitrogen-containing compound is disclosed comprising wet oxidizing the wastewater with an oxidizing agent at a temperature less than 373.degree. C. and a pressure sufficient to maintain a liquid water phase, to produce an oxidized wastewater containing a reduced concentration of COD. The nitrogen of the nitrogen-containing compound is substantially converted to ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. Sufficient inorganic nitrogen-containing compound is added to the oxidized wastewater to produce essentially equal concentrations of ammonia-nitrogen and nitrite-nitrogen plus nitrate-nitrogen. Mineral acid is added to the oxidized wastewater to produce a pH between 4 and 7, and optionally, a transition metal salt is added, to catalyze a thermal denitrification step. The wastewater is heated at temperatures between about 100.degree. C. and 300.degree. C. to decompose the nitrogen compounds, producing a purified wastewater.