EP1390301A1

EP1390301A1 - Nitrate reduction using so2

Info

Publication number: EP1390301A1
Application number: EP02737876A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jürgen HEUSER; Werner Verhoeven; Domien Sluyts; Gabriel Denecker
Original assignee: Bayer AG
Current assignee: Bayer AG
Priority date: 2001-03-16
Filing date: 2002-03-05
Publication date: 2004-02-25
Also published as: PL362760A1; US6761828B2; DE10113113A1; WO2002074700A1; US20020131924A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method in which nitrate-containing (unpurified) solutions are reduced using SO2 gas in the presence of at least equimolar amount of NH4+.

Description

Nitrate reduction through SO *.

The invention relates to a method in which nitrate-containing (contaminated) solutions with Sθ ₂ gas are reduced in the presence of at least equimolar amounts of Nϊ_ ₄ ⁺ .

Nitrates such as ammonium nitrate are fertilizers that are used in agriculture. Nitrates also arise in chemical processes. Nitrates sometimes get into rivers and cause over-fertilization there. For this reason, the authorities now prohibit the discharge of nitrate-containing wastewater. Usually, nitrates, which arise in chemical processes in different processes, for example in nitrations or in the production of hydroxylamine according to Raschig, are converted into nitrogen in biological sewage treatment plants by adapting the driving style. To reduce the nitrate oxygen, organic substances have to be added. The consequence of the biological activity, however, is that the activated sludge grows and has to be removed with thickeners, centrifuges, flocculants and dryers. The destruction of nitrate in this way is not only complex, but also often difficult to handle because small amounts of toxins can destroy biological activity. Relatively small fluctuations in the Nile load are also problematic for full implementation. Other methods for removing the nitrate amounts are, for example, distillation and extraction (Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (1991) A 17 page 324-325; EP-A 0 396 790). In this case, the nitrate can be removed from a specific production stream, but contaminated by-products are formed as extraction residues (in the case of extraction) or as distillation residues (in the case of distillation), which have to be treated again in a complex manner. The task now was to find an alternative, technically simple method that allows nitrates as well as organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds to be removed as far as possible, preferably completely.

The task was solved by a ner driving, which converts nitrates to nitrogen by chemical means. In this way, e.g. With caprolactam plants that use hydroxylamine as raw material according to the Raschig process, nitrate-containing waste water is no longer present, since an ammonium sulfate solution remains which can be processed into fertilizer.

The subject of the application is a, preferably continuous, operation, in which solutions which come into a reactor and which contain nitrates and / or organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds with SO ₂ gas in the presence of at least equimolar amounts of NE ^ salt are preferably completely (up to a residual content of <10 ppm) in the presence of sulfuric acid, the temperature being kept above 65 ° C., preferably above 70 ° C. and lower than the boiling temperature, and the concentration of sulfuric acid (based on H ₂ O) in the resulting reactor mixture is in the range 40 to 75% by weight, preferably 55 to 70% by weight.

It has long been known from literature (eg lead chamber process Gmelins Handbuch, Vol. 9, p. 426) that SO ₂ can be converted to sulfuric acid in the gas phase by nitrogen oxides. Ullmann's Encyclopedia, Nol. A25, pp. 676 ff. Describes, for example, a ner process in which SO _{2 is} oxidized to H ₂ SO ₄ in the gas phase using nitrous gases in the production of H ₂ SO ₄ . According to the invention, however, ΝO ₃ "and other nitrogen compounds are reduced by oxidation of SO ₂ in solution, which takes place completely and in terms of process technology under the conditions according to the invention.

According to the invention, a reactor is preferably introduced into a solution containing matrate, which preferably contains 0.1 to 20% by weight nitrate, most preferably 2 to 15% by weight Ammonium salt, preferably ammonium sulfate, is added in a quantity of substance which is equal to or greater than, preferably 1.5 to 2 times as large as, the quantity of nitrate.

This incoming solution is acidified with an acid, preferably sulfuric acid, so that the acid concentration is 40 to 75% by weight, preferably 55 to 70% by weight, based on the water content of the reactor solution.

The solution temperature is brought to at least 65 ° C., preferably> 70 ° C.

An SO ₂ stream is preferably metered in in finely divided form in the reactor, preferably through the bottom. The SO ₂ stream preferably contains 1 to 100% by weight, most preferably 5 to 20% by weight SO ₂ . The nitrate-cleaned reactor mixture is pumped out batchwise or continuously from the bottom of the reactor.

In order to ensure good contact and to ensure a good SO ₂ gas yield, it is preferred to place a column, preferably Rieselkoloime, with packing on the reactor. By pumping the contents of the reactor through the column, the escaping gases can be kept in contact with the liquid for a relatively long time.

A heat exchanger and an acid metering can preferably be installed in the pumping circuit in order to optimally control the reaction.

Another subject of the application are those cleaned according to the invention

Waste water and the resulting ammonium sulfate. example 1

When ammonia is burned to produce ammonium nitrite, small amounts of nitric acid are formed as condensate. This acid is neutralized with ammonia so that a 15% ammonium nitrate solution is formed. A lot of ammonium sulfate is metered into this solution stream, so that a solution of 15% ammonium nitrate and 35% ammonium sulfate is formed. 91.5 g of concentrated sulfuric acid are added to 200 g of this solution. The temperature is set to 85 ° C. Then 100% SO ₂ gas is blown through. At first, nitrous gases are formed, the temperature rising to 98 ° C. After 1 hour and 10

Minutes, the solution contains only 0.23% by weight of nitrate.

Comparative Example 2

In a solution like Example 1, only 36 g is added instead of 91.5 g of concentrated sulfuric acid. The temperature is raised to 85 ° C. and SO _{2 is} blown through. This did not lead to nitrate degradation. Likewise, there are no nitrous gases and there is no rise in temperature.

Comparative Example 3

The same experiment as shown in Comparative Example 2 was repeated, but the temperature was set to 55 ° C instead of 85 ° C. After one hour the nitrate content was unchanged. A preferred embodiment is to have the process run in a pre-reactor. In this way, the effects of interfering substances that negatively influence the reaction rate (causing jolts, oscillating reactions occur, reactions are inhibited) can be avoided, since the substances interfering with the process (such as sulfamic acid, carbamic acid, urea etc.) are already caused by nitrous gases react in the upper column.

The nitrous gases generated in the reaction can be removed from the exhaust gas by conventional methods, e.g. be removed by washing.

Another preferred object of this invention is that a prereactor is placed on the actual reactor, which can be of any design, and so much sulfamic acid and / or carbamate and / or urea is metered into the already acidified solution to be purified, so that the reactor mixture 0 , 01 - 5 wt .-%, preferably 0.01 - 3 wt .-%, sulfamic acid and / or carbamic acid and / or urea in total. The nitrous gases are then destroyed quantitatively. The added substances are completely reacted away in the lower area.

According to the invention, sulfamic acid means: sulfamic acid or its salts or its amides. According to the invention, carbamic acid is understood to mean that

Acid, its salts or its amides.

Another subject is a process in which the exhaust gases from the reactor in a prereactor are brought into contact with the incoming solution in countercurrent and the incoming solution is dosed with sufficient sulfamic acid, carbamate or urea so that the reactor mixture contains 0.01 to 5% by weight contains these substances in total.

The reactor and pre-reactor can be of any design and represent the usual reactors used, for example stirred tanks, columns, pump-around reactor, preferably a pump-around reactor with a column attached. This column is preferably one filled column. Both fillers or structured packings can be used as the filling.

This prereactor has the further advantage that the reduction in the actual reactor proceeds much more uniformly. In this way, all substances that react with the nitrite formed are eliminated in advance. Amines, azides, amides, hydroxylamine, hydrazine, carbamates, urea, sulfamic acid can occur in waste streams containing nitrate. For all these substances, this variant with a double column is expedient in order to ensure an easily controllable, continuous reaction.

Example 4

In a continuous system 3000 g / h of a ammonium sulfate solution saturated at 90 ° C., the 9.04% nitrate, 2.7% sulfamic acid and 146 mg / 1 TOC

(Total Organic Carbon) contains introduced. 600 g of sulfuric acid are added beforehand. This mixture is first introduced in the pre-reactor, in this example a trickle column. The column (pre-reactor) is constructed in such a way that the liquid is preferably pumped in and a partial stream is fed to the actual reactor, which consists of a container with an upstanding column, preferably a trickle column.

The nitrous gases react completely after passing through the two trickle columns. The sulfamic acid at the beginning of the second column is reduced to 1.6% by weight. A further 898 g of 96% sulfuric acid are metered in per hour in the reactor.

The reactor temperature is 100 ° C. A 17% SO ₂ gas is finely dispersed in the solution in the reactor below the liquid level using frits. The reduction starts immediately and brown nitrous gases and nitrogen formed from the ammonium nitrite cleavage pass through the aforementioned columns. The amount S0 ₂ that is metered in is 271 g / h. The excess SO ₂ is converted into ammonium bisulfite in a gas scrubber. This product can be recycled as a resource. The Reak tion solution is pumped out of the reactor and neutralized with ammonia water. This solution can be evaporated and used to produce ammonium sulfate. This cleaned solution still contains 0.5% nitrate, <30 ppm sulfamic acid and 93 mg / 1 TOC (Total Organic Carbon).

Comparative Example 5

The same experiment as previously described is carried out with only one column. The ammonium sulfate solution contained 10.6% nitrate, 2.15% sulfamic acid and 245 mg / 1 TOC. No reaction occurs. After one hour of SO ₂ injection, the reaction starts very vigorously and partially presses the liquid present into the column. After a few minutes, the reaction rate slows down and then increases again. This oscillating movement is prevented by the preferred embodiment of a pre-reactor with a reactor.

Advantages of the method according to the invention are:

1. Removal of various nitrogen compounds, as well as nitrites, hydroxylamine and organic and inorganic N compounds.

2. The reaction conditions destroy organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds at the same time. Other organic contaminants have no negative impact on the reaction. The highly oxidative medium creates nitrogen oxides, which help to destroy the inhibitory components.

3. The cleaned solution can be neutralized with ammonia to ammonium sulfate, which can be used as a fertilizer.

Claims

claims

1. A process in which solutions arriving in a reactor which contain nitrates and / or organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds are reacted with SO ₂ gas in the presence of at least equimolar amounts of NH ₄ salt (based on nitrate) in the presence of sulfuric acid , the temperature being kept above 65 ° C. and lower than the boiling temperature and the concentration of sulfuric acid (based on H ₂ O) in the reactor mixture being in the range from 40 to 75% by weight.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reactor mixture contains 0.1 to 20 wt .-% nitrate.

3. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the method is carried out continuously.

4. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the Sθ ₂ ~ gas is blown through the reactor.

5. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the Sθ ₂ gas is blown through the bottom of the reactor.

6. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the exhaust gases from the reactor in a pre-reactor are brought into contact in countercurrent with the incoming solution and the incoming

Solution so much sulfamic acid and / or carbamic acid and / or urea is metered in that the reactor mixture contains 0.01 to 5 wt .-% of these substances in total.

7. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, for

Purification of nitrate-containing wastewater.

8. The method according to one or more of the preceding claims, for the purification of waste water which are obtained in the production of caprolactam.

9. Waste water, treated according to claims 1 to 8.

10. ammonium sulfate, prepared according to one or more of the preceding claims.