JP2012005998A - Apparatus and method for refining solution - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily, reliably and inexpensively refine vegetative material or waste which are available in large quantity and at low cost.SOLUTION: A refining apparatus 10 includes: a solution accommodation pan 12 for accommodating a solution; a hollow drum 14 whose lower part is immersed in the solution; a rotation driving unit 16 for rotating the drum 14; a heater 18 for heating the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14 from the inside of the drum 14; a take-out device 20 for taking out evaporant evaporating from the outer peripheral surface 14A; a scraper 22 configured to contact the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14 to scrape off the solution adhering to the drum 14 along with the rotation of the drum 14; and a storage 24 where the solution scraped off by the scraper 22 is stored after the residue in the solution is removed through a filter 34.

Description

  The present invention uses a spatula to change the temperature and rotational speed of grease traps, waste cooking oils discharged as waste, ethanol solutions made by saccharification and fermentation of organic matter, unpurified vegetable oils, etc. The present invention relates to a technique for removing foreign substances, setting an optimal distillation / vaporization state, processing as biofuel, and drying / concentrating.

In recent years, global warming due to carbon dioxide gas generated with the use of fossil fuels has become a problem on a global scale, and a solution for this is strongly desired. As one of such solutions, gasoline / light oil substitutes using corn as a raw material have been developed and are being used worldwide. Most of the methods of use are mixed with fossil fuels such as gasoline only 1.5 to 3% and used as fuel oil for automobiles, etc., but this has raised the price of raw materials such as corn. Yes. Corn is used as a staple food in many countries such as South America, Africa, and South Asia, and its use as an alternative fuel has the major negative effect of deteriorating the food situation on a global scale, both in terms of price and supply. Has brought.
On the other hand, various methods have been proposed for producing biofuel (ethanol) by saccharification, fermentation and distillation of food waste, or for using waste cooking oil or the like as biofuel (see Patent Document 1).
In these methods, a solid material, which is a residue generated during the production of biofuel, is processed using a centrifuge.

JP 2009-106932 A

For this reason, not only equipment cost is required but also maintenance work of the equipment is required. Therefore, improvement is desired in order to reduce production costs of ethanol and oil.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method capable of easily and reliably purifying various solutions at low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, the purifying apparatus of the present invention comprises a solution storage pan for storing a solution and a hollow shape in which a shaft is disposed in a horizontal direction and a lower part is immersed in the stored solution. A drum, a rotation driving means for rotating the drum, a heating means for heating the outer peripheral surface of the drum from the inside of the drum, and a taking-out means for taking out the evaporated material from the outer peripheral surface. .
The method for purifying an ethanol solution obtained by saccharifying and fermenting an organic substance of the present invention supplies the ethanol solution to a solution-containing pan, and the lower part of a hollow drum with the axis oriented in the horizontal direction is placed in the ethanol solution. The drum is rotated while the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum is set to 70 ° C. to 90 ° C., and the ethanol in the ethanol solution is moved on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the liquid surface of the ethanol solution. It is characterized in that it is boiled with water and the boiled ethanol and water are taken out.
Further, the method for purifying an unpurified vegetable oil according to the present invention comprises supplying the vegetable oil to a solution-containing pan, immersing the lower part of a hollow drum with the axis oriented in the horizontal direction in the vegetable oil, The surface temperature is set to 100 ° C. to 110 ° C. and the drum is rotated to evaporate water in the vegetable oil on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the liquid level of the vegetable oil. The vegetable oil adhered to the outer peripheral surface is scraped by contacting the outer peripheral surface and rotating the drum, and the foreign matter is removed by a filter and stored in the storage unit. Next, the spatula is separated from the drum, and the storage is performed. The vegetable oil stored in the section is supplied to the solution storage pan, the drum is rotated by setting the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum to 200 ° C. to 400 ° C., and the dough rising from the liquid level of the vegetable oil. Arm the vegetable oil on the outer peripheral surface and vaporized by thermal decomposition of, characterized in that they were taken out of the vaporizing vegetable oils.
The seawater purification method for refining seawater of the present invention to obtain pure water supplies seawater to a solution-containing pan, and immerses the lower part of a hollow drum with its axis oriented horizontally in the seawater. The temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum was set to 100 ° C. to 110 ° C., the drum was rotated, and the water in the seawater was evaporated on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the liquid level of the seawater, and evaporated. Water is taken out, cooled, and stored in a tank as pure water. At the same time, the spatula is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and by rotation of the drum, seawater and foreign matter adhering to the outer peripheral surface and crystallized salt are removed. The foreign matter and salt are removed by scraping and stored in a storage unit, and the seawater stored in the storage unit is stored again in the solution storage pan, and the water in the seawater is evaporated by rotation of the drum. Let me Ri except, and performs repeatedly the above steps.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain biofuel in high yield from vegetable oils such as palm oil, which can be obtained in a low price and in large quantities, and grease traps / waste cooking oils that are discharged as waste. The significance is extremely high. In particular, fruit such as palm palm, which is a raw material for palm oil, grows in large quantities in Southeast Asia, etc. and can be harvested more than three times a year, but its use is limited to only a small part such as cosmetics and soap. In addition, there is no need for diversion of raw materials from existing uses, as seen in corn gasoline and diesel oil recycling.
In the present invention, the boiling point of bio vegetable oil is about 300 ° C. from the waste edible oil discharged from the saccharified / fermented ethanol solution of organic matter and waste oil, vegetable oil palm oil, and the heating temperature on the outer peripheral surface of the drum is 200 to 400 ° C, particularly 250 to 350 ° C is preferred. Also, gradually heat from around normal temperature, for example, remove moisture that may be present in the palm oil at 100-110 ° C. on the outer peripheral surface of the drum, then further raise the temperature to gasify the palm oil with pyrolysis It is desirable. The method of the present invention can be applied to other vegetable oils.
The refining device of the present invention changes the temperature while rotating, can produce biofuel from plant oils and fats, grease traps, waste cooking oils, ethanol solutions and the like containing water and impurities with high efficiency. Can also be purified.

It is a front view of a refiner | purifier. It is a side view of a refiner | purifier.

First, the purification apparatus of the present invention will be described.
The purification apparatus 10 includes a solution storage pan 12, a hollow drum 14, a rotation drive unit 16, a heating unit 18, a takeout unit 20, a spatula 22, and a storage unit 24.
The upper part of the solution containing pan 12 is open.
The hollow drum 14 is made of, for example, a metal made of stainless steel, and includes an outer peripheral surface 14A and end surfaces on both sides, and a rotating shaft 1402 projects from the center of both end surfaces. The drum 14 is rotatably supported by a bearing roller 1404 with the axis centered in the horizontal direction, and the lower portion of the drum 14 is accommodated in the solution containing pan 12.
In the present embodiment, the drum 14 has a diameter of 1.5 m and a length of 2 m.
The rotation drive unit 16 includes an output shaft 1602 of a motor with a reduction gear, and a chain sprocket mechanism 1604 that connects the output shaft 1602 and the rotation shaft 1402.
Note that at least one of the solution storage pan 12 and the drum 14 may be provided so as to be adjustable up and down. If comprised in this way, the immersion amount of the drum 14 can be adjusted according to the height of the liquid level in the solution storage pan 12, and it becomes convenient.

The heating means 18 heats the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A of the drum 14 from the inside of the drum 14.
In the present embodiment, the heating means 18 supplies the heating medium from one end surface to the inside of the drum 14 through the inside of the pipe line 1804 and the rotating shaft 1402 by the heating medium supply device 1802, After the inner side is heated, it is discharged from the other end face to the inside of the rotary shaft 1402 and the outside of the drum 14 via the pipe line 1804, returned to the heating medium supply device 1802, and the heating medium is circulated.
The heating medium supply device 1802 brings the outer peripheral surface 14A into a desired temperature range based on the temperature detected by the liquid surface temperature sensor 1810 that detects the temperature of the solution liquid surface corresponding to the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A. Adjust the temperature of the heating medium.
As the heating medium supply device 1802, various conventionally known devices using water vapor or gas can be used. Further, instead of water vapor or gas, the heating means 18 may be configured by attaching a heating element such as a nichrome wire inside the outer peripheral surface 14A.

In the present embodiment, the following configuration is further provided.
A conduit for supplying the heating medium from the heating medium supply device 1802 to the inside of the drum 14 is provided with a conduit for sucking outside air, and an intake adjustment valve 1812 for adjusting the intake amount of the outside air by opening and closing the valve is provided in this conduit. Is provided.
Further, a pipe line for discharging a part of the heating medium inside the drum 14 is provided, and an exhaust gas adjusting valve 1814 for adjusting the exhaust amount of the exhaust gas by opening and closing the valve is provided in this pipe line.
An exhaust temperature sensor 1816 for detecting the temperature of the exhaust discharged from the inside of the drum 14 is provided.
Based on detection signals supplied from the liquid surface temperature sensor 1810 and the exhaust temperature sensor 1816, the opening / closing of the intake adjustment valve 1812 and the exhaust adjustment valve 1814 is controlled so that the outer peripheral surface 14A falls within a desired temperature range. A first controller 1818 for adjusting the temperature of the heating medium is provided.
A second controller that adjusts the temperature of the heating medium so that the outer peripheral surface 14A falls within a desired temperature range by controlling the rotational speed of the rotation driving means 16 based on the detection signal supplied from the exhaust temperature sensor 1816. 1820 is provided.
As the motor of the rotation driving means 16, a conventionally known motor capable of adjusting various rotational speeds such as a motor using variable voltage variable frequency control (VVVF control) can be used.
That is, when the first controller 1818 determines that the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A has become higher than a desired temperature based on detection signals from the liquid surface temperature sensor 1810 and the exhaust gas temperature sensor 1816, the intake air adjustment valve 1812 and the exhaust gas adjustment valve 1814. Both are opened, outside air is introduced into the drum 14, and the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A is controlled to decrease.
Further, when the first controller 1818 determines that the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A is within the desired temperature range based on the detection signals of the liquid surface temperature sensor 1810 and the exhaust gas temperature sensor 18166, the intake controller 1818 and Both the exhaust adjustment valves 1814 are closed to control the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A within a desired temperature range.
The second controller 1820 also controls the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A by controlling the rotational speed of the rotation driving means 16 based on the detection signal of the exhaust temperature sensor 1816.
Thus, by sucking outside air or controlling the rotational speed of the drum 14, it is advantageous to more accurately control the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A.

The take-out means 20 is for taking out the evaporated material from the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14, and includes a cover 2001 provided so as to cover the top of the drum 14, and a take-out port (suction port) provided in the center of the cover 2001. ) 2002. In addition, when installing the solution storage pan 12 and the drum 14 in the partitioned space, the location where the take-out port 2002 is provided is not limited to the upper side and may be a side.
The take-out port 2002 is connected to the combustion chamber of the dual diesel engine via the pipe line 2002, or connected to the tank 32 via the pipe line 2002, the pump 28, and the cooling device 30, and in any case, the present embodiment Then, negative pressure acts on the take-out port 2002.

The spatula 22 is provided so that its upper end can be contacted and separated from the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14, and the upper end contacts the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14 so that liquid and foreign matter adhering to the drum 14 can be removed along with the rotation of the drum 14. Scrape off. Therefore, the width of the upper end of the spatula 22 is formed with a size corresponding to the width of the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14, and the lower end is formed with a width smaller than the upper end so that it can be inserted into a storage portion (storage tank) 24 described later. ing. A plurality of spatulas 22 may be provided along the longitudinal direction of the drum 14.
The spatula 22 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin, and an elastic member made of synthetic rubber or the like is attached to the upper end in contact with the drum 14 so that the liquid and foreign matter can be efficiently scraped.
The storage unit 24 stores the liquid and residue (foreign matter) scraped by the spatula 22 through the filter 34.

Next, the usage method of the refiner | purifier 10 is demonstrated.
(Purification of ethanol solution)
First, purification of an ethanol solution produced by saccharifying and fermenting an organic substance will be described.
In this case, the organic matter is, for example, waste discharged from a confectionery factory, and is conventionally incinerated for a fee.
The ethanol solution is obtained by mixing this waste with an enzyme and yeast and fermenting, and the solution is about 90% water and 10% ethanol.

This ethanol solution is supplied to the solution storage pan 12 through the valve 36 and the tube 38. Thereby, the lower part of the drum 14 is immersed in an ethanol solution.
Since the boiling point of ethanol is 70 ° C. and the boiling point of water is 100 ° C., the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14 is set to 100 ° C. to 110 ° C. by the heating means 18, and the upper end of the spatula 22 is set to the drum. 14, the drum 14 is rotated by the rotation driving means 16.

As the drum 14 rotates, the ethanol solution adheres to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A of the drum 14, and is displaced upward as the drum 14 rotates.
On the outer peripheral surface 14A rising from the liquid level of the ethanol solution, the ethanol in the ethanol solution is boiled with water.
Then, the boiled ethanol vapor and water vapor are taken out (sucked) from the take-out port 2002.
Then, the ethanol vapor and water vapor taken out from the take-out port 2002 are supplied directly to the combustion chamber of the dual diesel engine through the pipe line 2002, burned, and used as fuel, or from the pipe line 2002 It reaches the cooling device 30, is cooled and turned into a liquid, and is stored in the tank 32.
The liquid stored in the tank 32 is about 10% of water and 90% of ethanol, and the ethanol solution is purified and concentrated, so that it can be used as biofuel.
That is, the vapor of ethanol and the vapor of water taken out from the take-out port 2002 may be directly supplied to the combustion chamber of the dual diesel engine as described above and used as biofuel, or liquefied and stored in the tank 32. May be housed, transported and used as biofuel elsewhere.

On the other hand, the ethanol solution adhered to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A until reaching the spatula 22 is scraped off by the spatula 22 and stored in the storage unit 24 through the filter 34.
The moromi and foreign matters in the ethanol solution are removed by the filter 34, and the ethanol solution from which the moromi and foreign matters are removed is accommodated in the accommodating portion 24.
The ethanol solution stored in the storage unit 24 is supplied to the solution storage pan 12 again. When only the ethanol solution from which the crumbs and foreign matters are removed is stored in the solution storage pan 12, the spatula 22 is not necessary, so the spatula 22 is separated from the outer peripheral surface 14A and only the drum 14 is rotated. It will be.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to purify and concentrate an ethanol solution by a simple movement with an apparatus having a simple configuration.
Therefore, biofuel can be produced at low cost from waste discharged from a confectionery factory that has been conventionally incinerated for a fee.

(Purification of unrefined vegetable oil)
Next, purification of palm oil will be described.
Fruits such as palm coconut, the raw material for palm oil, grow in large quantities in Southeast Asia, and can be harvested more than three times a year, but their use is limited to only a small part such as cosmetics and soap. Is.
The boiling point of unrefined vegetable oils such as jatropha and grease wrap including palm oil is about 300 ° C.

In the first step, the following is performed.
Palm oil is supplied to the solution containing pan 12 through the valve 36 and the tube 38. Thereby, the lower part of the drum 14 is immersed in palm oil.
Then, the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14 is set to 100 ° C. to 110 ° C. by the heating means 18, the upper end of the spatula 22 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14, and the drum 14 is rotated by the rotation driving means 16.

Due to the rotation of the drum 14, the palm oil adheres to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A of the drum 14 and is displaced upward as the drum 14 rotates.
Since the boiling point of palm oil is 300 ° C. and the boiling point of water is 100 ° C., the water in the palm oil attached to the outer peripheral surface 14A evaporates on the outer peripheral surface 14A rising from the liquid level of the palm oil. That is, moisture is vaporized and removed.

On the other hand, the palm oil that has been attached to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A until reaching the spatula 22 is scraped off by the spatula 22 and stored in the storage unit 24 via the filter 34.
Foreign matter in the palm oil is removed by the filter 34, and the palm oil from which the foreign matter has been removed is accommodated in the accommodating portion 24.
The palm oil from which water and foreign matter have been removed in this way is stored in the storage unit 24, and the palm oil remaining in the solution storage pan 12 is stored outside the solution storage pan 12 by opening the drain valve 40.

Next, the following is performed in the second step.
This time, the palm stored in the storage unit 24 from which water and foreign matter have been removed is supplied to the solution storage pan 12, and the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A of the drum 14 is set to 300 ° C. to 350 ° C. by the heating means 18. 22 is separated from the drum 14, and the drum 14 is rotated by the rotation driving means 16.
Due to the rotation of the drum 14, the palm oil adheres to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A of the drum 14, is displaced upward with the rotation of the drum 14, and rises from the liquid level of the palm oil.
Since the boiling point of palm oil is 300 ° C., the palm oil attached to the outer peripheral surface 14A is thermally decomposed and vaporized (gasified).
The vaporized palm oil is taken out from the take-out port 2002.
The vaporized palm oil taken out from the take-out port 2002 is directly supplied to the combustion chamber of the dual diesel engine through the pipe line 2002, burned and used as fuel, or reaches the cooling device 30 from the pipe line 2002. It is cooled and made into a liquid and stored in the tank 32 as biofuel.
That is, the vaporized palm oil taken out from the take-out port 2002 may be directly supplied to the combustion chamber of the dual diesel engine as described above and used as biofuel, or liquefied and stored in the tank 32. It may be transported and used as biofuel elsewhere.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to purify and concentrate palm oil by simply moving the apparatus with a simple configuration.
Therefore, biofuel can be produced at low cost from palm oil that has been conventionally grown in large quantities and used only for some applications such as cosmetics and soap.
In addition, the method of producing biofuel from this palm oil, that is, the method consisting of the above-described two steps, the first step and the second step, is a grease trap that is oil collected in a drain outlet of a restaurant or the like, It can be widely applied to the purification of unrefined vegetable oils such as edible oils.
That is, according to the present invention, there is virtually no negative effect seen in the recycling of food materials such as corn to fuel, using plant materials and wastes that are available in large quantities and at low prices worldwide, An apparatus and a method for producing an environmentally friendly biofuel is obtained.

(Purification of seawater)
Next, the case where pure water is obtained by refining seawater with the purifier 10 will be described.
Seawater is supplied to the solution containing pan 12 through the valve 36 and the pipe body 38. Thereby, the lower part of the drum 14 is immersed in seawater.
Then, the temperature of the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14 is set to 100 ° C. to 110 ° C. by the heating means 18, the upper end of the spatula 22 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 14A of the drum 14, and the drum 14 is rotated by the rotation driving means 16.

By the rotation of the drum 14, the seawater adheres to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A of the drum 14, is displaced upward with the rotation of the drum 14, and rises from the seawater level.
Since the boiling point of water is 100 ° C., the water in the seawater adhering to the outer peripheral surface 14A evaporates.
Then, the water vapor passes from the outlet port 2002 through the pipe line to the cooling device 30, is cooled and turned into water, and is stored in the tank 32.

On the other hand, the seawater that has been attached to the outer peripheral surface 14 </ b> A until reaching the spatula 22 is scraped off by the spatula 22 and is accommodated in the accommodating portion 24 via the filter 34.
Foreign matter and crystallized salt in the seawater are removed by the filter 34, and the seawater from which they have been removed is accommodated in the accommodating portion 24.
The seawater stored in the storage unit 24 is supplied to the solution storage pan 12 again, and the same process is repeated.

According to the present embodiment, pure water can be obtained by purifying seawater by a simple movement with an apparatus having a simple configuration.
Therefore, it is possible to obtain pure water from seawater at a very low cost.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Purification apparatus, 12 ... Solution storage pan, 14 ... Drum, 16 ... Rotation drive means, 18 ... Heating means, 20 ... Extraction means, 22 ... Spatula, 24 ... Storage part, 32 ... …tank.

Claims (8)

A solution storage pan in which the solution is stored;
A hollow drum that is disposed with its axis oriented horizontally and in which the lower part is immersed in the stored solution;
Rotation driving means for rotating the drum;
Heating means for heating the outer peripheral surface of the drum from the inside of the drum;
Taking-out means for taking out the evaporate evaporating from the outer peripheral surface;
A purification apparatus comprising: A spatula provided so as to be able to contact and be separated from the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and scraping off the solution adhering to the drum by contacting the outer peripheral surface of the drum as the drum rotates.
An accommodating portion for accommodating the solution scraped off by the spatula by removing a residue in the solution with a filter;
The purification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A method for purifying an ethanol solution obtained by saccharifying and fermenting organic matter,
Supplying the ethanol solution to a solution containing pan;
Immerse the lower part of the hollow drum with the axis oriented horizontally in the ethanol solution,
Set the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum to 70 to 90 ° C., rotate the drum,
The ethanol in the ethanol solution is boiled together with water on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the liquid level of the ethanol solution,
I took out ethanol and water that had been boiled,
A method for purifying an ethanol solution.   4. The method for purifying an ethanol solution according to claim 3, wherein the ethanol and water taken out by boiling are used as fuel for a dual diesel engine or are cooled and stored in a tank as a liquid.   The spatula is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum, the ethanol solution adhered to the outer peripheral surface is scraped off by rotation of the drum, and the residue in the solution is removed by a filter and stored in the storage unit. Item 5. A method for purifying an ethanol solution according to Item 3 or 4. A method for refining unrefined vegetable oil,
Supplying the vegetable oil to a solution containing pan;
Immerse the lower part of the hollow drum with the axis oriented horizontally in the vegetable oil,
Set the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum to 100 to 110 ° C., rotate the drum,
Evaporating water in the vegetable oil on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the liquid level of the vegetable oil;
At the same time, the spatula is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and by rotating the drum, the vegetable oil attached to the outer peripheral surface is scraped off, and the foreign matter is removed by a filter and stored in the storage unit,
Next, the spatula is separated from the drum, and the vegetable oil stored in the storage unit is supplied to the solution storage pan,
Set the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum to 200 to 400 ° C., rotate the drum,
The vegetable oil is thermally decomposed and vaporized on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the liquid level of the vegetable oil,
The vaporized vegetable oil was taken out,
A method for refining an unrefined vegetable oil characterized by the above.   7. The method for refining an unpurified vegetable oil according to claim 6, wherein the vaporized and extracted vegetable oil is used as a fuel for a dual diesel engine or is cooled and stored in a tank as a liquid. A method for refining seawater to obtain pure water by refining seawater,
Supply seawater to the solution pan,
Immerse the lower part of the hollow drum with the axis oriented horizontally in the seawater,
Set the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of the drum to 100 to 110 ° C., rotate the drum,
Evaporate the water in the seawater on the outer peripheral surface of the drum rising from the seawater level,
Remove the evaporated water, cool it and store it in the tank as pure water,
At the same time, the spatula is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum, and by rotating the drum, the seawater, foreign matter and crystallized salt adhering to the outer peripheral surface are scraped off. Contain,
The seawater stored in the storage unit is again stored in the solution storage pan, and the water in the seawater is evaporated and removed by rotation of the drum.
A method for purifying seawater characterized by repeating the above steps.

Images