TURBO OXIDATION SYSTEM (TOS) FOR "WET COMBUSTION" OF COD-CONTAINING LIQUIDS AND FOR COD-REDUCTION BY ENZYMES

Abstract: The patent claims concern a method for a more efficient "wet combustion" of COD-containing effluents from industrial processes and municipal plants and for a more efficient COD-reduction by enzymes in aerobic and anaerobic biological cleaning processes and for same sorts of effluents. The method implies a strong increase of the reaction speed between added oxygen and the elements in the liquid to be oxidized through so-called "Turbo Oxidation", which implies that the liquid is submitted to strong movements and turbulence during several circulations within one or more liquid circuits during continuous addition of oxygen. By the same method, COD reduction by enzymes can also be made more effective. The single circuit is placed in connection to and communicates liquid-wise with a pressurized reaction tank, from where the developed reaction gases are continuously let out. Into the circuits and the attached reaction tank is continuously fed controlled quantities of the liquid to be oxidized together with proportionate quantities of oxygen or enzymes. Concurrently, the outlets of respectively oxidized liquid and evolved gases are controlled automatically. Out-going, oxidized liquid can be heat exchanged against in-going liquid, and the hot gases from the reaction tank can be used for external, heating purposes.

Description: Title: "Turbo Oxidation • System", - TOS, for "wet combustion" of COD- containing liquids and for COD-reduction by enzymes. 1. FIELD OF INVENTION. The invention concerns a method for a better wet oxidation of COD- containing effluents from industry and other activities containing chemical compounds which can be oxidized. This invention is especially suitable in combination with 2 previous patent applications from the same inventor, namely - Norwegian Patent Application No. 884546, with title: "Method for production of pulp from plant and/or wood fibres ' and/or delignification of secondary fibres", and - Norwegian Patent Application No. 882815, titled: "Method for production of pulp and delignification, bleaching, de-inking and washing of cellulose fibres and apparatus for carrying out the method". Both patent appications deal partly with oxidation of lignin containing celluiosic materials in fibre suspensions. This invention concerns especially oxidation of dissolved hydrocarbons, and is based on production experiences from the two abovementioned inventions. The method is however also applicable for wet oxidation of other, COD- containing liquids in other connections, hereunder also biological, aerobic COD-reduction with activated sludge. The method is also applicable for anaerobic, biological COD-reduction with activated sludge, but then with shut off supply of oxygen and/or air. 2. STATE OF TECHNOLOGY. Wet αidation of oxidable compounds inaqueous solutions is well known as chemical reaction. Already in 1960, descriptions of fullscale , technical plants for process industry and municipal installations were published. During the last 20-30 years more such plants have also been built, especially in USA and Europe. The experience however from these plants is that they are expensive, both in buying and operation. The wet oxidation process has therefore not found a widespread application appropriate to the demand, especially after the escalated environmental demands of the latter years. This fact is based on the following 4 conditions: 1. The effluents to be oxidized are frequently very deluted, having a low COD-content, substantially below 20 g COD/1. A very deluted effluent requires large heat quantities for heating to the required reaction temperature, in most cases exceeding 150 C. A prerequisite for an economical wet oxidation is that the liquid preferably contains from 20 to 50 g COD/1 liquid. 2. Wet oxidation of industrial and municipal effluents requires fre¬ quently large quantities of oxygen, a fact which implies relatively high operational costs, regardless if the oxygen is added in a pure form or in form of compressed air. In order to become economically acceptable, the process must be able to maintain itself by its own heat generation, and preferably be able to deliver excess heat for other applications. 3. When using compressed air, the oxygen constitues only ca 20% of the added air. Today's wet oxidation plants operate with long reaction times, usually between 30 and 60 minutes. Such long retention time for a liquid-air-mixture in the system requires large volum na within a big and closed reaction system. Such a system becomes especially expensive due to the high pressures applied in order to "get into place" all the oxygen or the air, which quantity-wise must be adjusted to the COD-content to be oxidized. The traditional plants of today frequently applies pressures in the order of 200 and 300 bars, a fact which besides making the plants expensive due to the pressure dimensioning also implies operational problems of technical and mechanical kind. 4. Today's plants for socalled biological COD-reduction with aerob or anaerob enzymatic processes operate very slowly with long reaction times which require voli-mrinous and expensive plants. 3. SCOPE OF THE DJVENTIQ-N. The invention aims at a strong escalation of the reaction speed in order to achieve a strong shortening of the liquids retention time within the system. The described method also reduces the necessity for the high reaction pressures applied by wet oxidation today, and the plant gets as described a more moderate pressure dimensioning. Both these facts reduce the plant's size and capital requirement accordingly. The aim of the invention is obtained by a strong increase in the accessability between the different chemical compounds which are going to react with each other, hereunder lignin, sugar rests and other compounds in woods, oxygen and enzymes. By putting the liquid into strong, internal , turbulent movements within a circulating liquid cirquit, with a concurrent and continuous addition of oxygen in pure form or as compressed air in the same circuit, and /or enzymes in biological proceses. The fast reaction speeds thus achieved implies that the reaction gases evolved together with possibly air or nitrogen excesses can be continuously -let out of the system. In this manner, wet oxidation can be carried out at a lower system pressure, a fact which makes possible a corresponding reduced pressure dimensioning of the plant. The hot excess gases from a wet combustion plant as described may be used for other production of energy, f.ex. in a boiler house. 4. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION. The patent method applied for appears from Fig.l, which shows in a simplified form the pressurized reaction system for liquid-gas mixture by wet oxidation. The liquid to be oxidized is conducted into the pressurized system through inlet pipe 1 and valve 2 which is controlled by quantity con¬ troller 3. The liquid is pressed into the system by a pumping pressure which is higher than the pressure in the reaction system, brought about by a pump not shown in the drawing. The liquid passes a check valve 4 before it streams into a circuit 5. In the circuit the liquid streams through a "sparger" 6 of known con¬ struction, through which the circuit is continuously fed with finely distributed oxygen from the supply pipe 7 and check valve 8. The circuit is driven by a pump of special design 9, and by the valve 10 is regulated the average number of ciculations in the circuit before the liquid streams -into the reaction tank 11 through a pipe 12 which creates a liquid-wise communication between circulating loop 5 and the reaction tank 11. Another pipe, 13, opens inlet to the circuit from the reaction tank. The special pump 9 brings about a circulating pumping within circuit 5 and is equipped with a pumping impeller which preferably is of a spe¬ cial design which creates a strongest possible liquid turbulence and inner mixing of the liquid and the oxygen which is being injected into the circuit. The liquid level i -the reaction tank 15 is kept constant by a level controlled regulator 16 which controls the outlet valve 17 for the gases which opens up for a continuous outlet of gases from the reaction tank through the outlet pipe 18. Liquid outlet from the reaction tank is carried out through pipe 19, whic can be connected to a heat exchanger 20 before the liquid leaves the pressurized reaction system through regulating valve 21, which is activated by a pressure controlled regulator 22. Heating of the system is brought about by steam through pipe 23, which after a check valve 24 is added to the circulating liquid through a separate "sparger" 25. Fig.l shows two circuits for liquid attached to the reaction tank. The method, can also apply only one or also more circuits. Likewise, the reaction tank can be mounted in a lying position, as shown in Fig.l, possibly with partition walls 14 as shown, or also in a standing position, as shown in Fig.2, for the rest containing the same system elements as shown in Fig.l. For COD-reduction by enzymes the same method is applied, with the difference that the enzymes are conducted in through the pipe , without air by anaerob process, and with air by aerob process. The method of the invention functions as follows: Within circuit 5 the special pump 9 brings about both circulation pumping and inner liquid turbulence. This initiates a substantially increased accessability between the components in the liquid to be oxi¬ dized and the oxygen or the enzymes which are added. The reaction speed increases and the reaction time is correspondingly reduced. On its way through the reaction system towards the outlet of the system the liquid is on an average circulated several times within one and the same circuit under continuous influence of oxygen or enzymes. The liquid has to move through one or more circuits, which all are liquid-wise communicating with the reaction tank. The COD reduction in the liquid will bring about gas accumulations in the upper part of the reaction tank from where the gases are let out continuously through valve 17. Concurrently, finished, oxidized liquid is let out of the system conti¬ nuously from the bottom of the reaction tank through valve 21. Actual liquid velocities within the respective circuits are in the order of 3-30 m/sec. For the "spargers" 6.and 25 a material is chosen with orifice diameters preferably in the range of 0,5-25 microns. The choice of the temperature in the reaction system is dependant upon the compounds to be oxidized, however, as a rule, temperatures below 150 c are not applied by wet oxidation by oxygen or air. By aerob or anaerob biological COD reduction with activated sludge lower temperatures are applied, respectively ca. 30 and ca. 60 C. As example may be mentioned that easily dissolved sugar compounds in the process liquid ' from the pulp and paper industry are oxidized by 150 C and upwards, and the system pressure must be so set that the liquid does not start boiling within the plant. The steam pressure for water at this temperature is approximately 4,8 bars. With a required safety margin of 25 % the system's pressure in this case must be set at minimum 6-7 bars. The not easily dissolved sugar compounds and also dissolved lignin require higher temperatures and corresponding pressures. By 200 C is f.ex. the saturated steam pressure 16 bars, and a corre¬ sponding system pressure will therefore be minimum in the order of 20 bars, which however is a pressure considerably lower than the pressures applied today (200-300 bars) . In order to be economically optimized the described method should be applied for liquids with a COD-content in the range of 20 to 50 grams per liter liquid. A wet oxidation of process liquid from the pulp and paper industry with a COD content in the order of 40 grams per liter will, by complete oxi¬ dation, release an internal heat content in the order of 120-150 kcal per liter, corresponding in principle to a temperature increase within the liquid to 120-150 c. Within a system equipped with heat exchanging such heat development does not only make the reaction self sufficient with heat, but will also be capable of delivering usable heating energy, especially if the in-going liquid's temperature is high and the oxygen is added as compressed air, directly from compressor without preceding cooling, thus containing all compression heat which in whole is added to the oxidation process. The heated gas mixture which is let out of the reaction tank can deliver its heat to external, heating purposes, f.ex. as added "burnt gases" inaboiler house, as a heated gas mixture, containing CO , nitro¬ gen and excess air, or, by biological, anaerob COD reduction with enzymes and activated sludge, also combustible methane gas. The main part of the heat excess can however be delivered in the heat exchanger 20, as hot water or steam.

Claims: 5. PATENT CLAIMS. 1) A method for a more efficient wet oxidation of COD-containing industrial and municipal effluents and a more efficient COD- reduction by enzymes in aerobic and anaerobic plants by increasing the reaction speed and reducing the reaction- and retention time within a closed and pressurized reaction plant, which with shorter reaction- and retention timescan be correspondingly diminished, and which operates with lower system pressures because oxygen and/or air continuously flows through the plant, characterized in that the liquid to be oxidized is submitted to a "Turbo Oxidation" which consists in putting the liquid into strong, rotating streaming and turbulent movements within the pressurized system, whereby the accessability between the compounds to react chemically with each other is substantially increased, 2) A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the liquid is circulated several times with great velocity and turbulence within one or more liquid circuits ( 5), 3) A method as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterized in that a pressurized reaction tank (11) is provided with one or more circuits (5) which liquid-wise communicate with the tank, and whereby each circuit has continuous afflux and discharge of the liquid to be oxidized, 4) A method as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that the circuits by pressurized wet oxidation are continuously supplied with oxygen (7) either in pure form or as com¬ pressed air directly from compressor without intermediate cooling, 5) A method as claimed in claimed in claims 1-3, characterized in that the circuits by anaerobic COD-reduction is supplied with enzymes (7) and by aerobic COD-reduction with enzymes and air (7), 6. A method as claimed in claims 1-5, characterized in that the gases developed within the single circuit and in the reaction tank and the air- or nitrogen excess is auto¬ matically accumulated in the upper part of the reaction tank, from where the gases are automatically discharged (17), controlled by a liquid-level-controller in the reaction tang (16), 7. A method as claimed in claims 1-6, characterized in that the gases from the reaction tank can be used for external heating purposes and the liquid discharge from the reaction tank can be heat exchanged against the in-going quantity of liquid to be oxidized.

Inventors: FONGEN SIGURD, FONGEN, SIGURD
Applicants: FONGEN SIGURD, FONGEN, SIGURD
Application year: 1992
Main classification: C02F11
IPC codes: C02F3, C02F11, D21C11