JP5254462B2 - Plastic processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plastic processing apparatus that processes plastic waste and converts it into a substance such as activated carbon.

  Triacetylcellulose (cellulose triacetate), which is known as a material for films for photography and cinematography, as well as films used in liquid crystal display panels, is used for the above applications because of its excellent physical and optical properties. It is manufactured in large quantities as a standard product. In such a film manufacturing process, it is indispensable to cut the film in line with the final product shape. Therefore, a certain percentage of the film material supplied as a raw material is discarded as cutting waste. .

  The amount of triacetyl cellulose waste material discarded in this way has been increasing year by year with the expansion of film use in recent years, but other waste materials such as paper waste and PET have not been established, Processing was a problem. However, unlike other synthetic resins, triacetyl cellulose has the property that it is difficult to take out pure triacetyl cellulose from film waste materials or to reshape it by applying heat. Had.

On the other hand, in consideration of the environmental impact of disposal such as incineration and landfilling, carbon waste is carbonized and activated to make activated carbon and used in order to reduce the amount of waste discarded by effectively using waste. In recent years, methods for producing the activated carbon have been proposed, and examples of such conventional activated carbon production methods include those described in JP-A-2008-201664 and JP-A-2009-132559.
The cellulose in the present invention includes those produced by plants and those produced by microorganisms (so-called bacterial cellulose).

JP 2008-201664 A JP 2009-132559 A

  The conventional activated carbon production method, as shown in the above-mentioned patent document, produces activated carbon by carbonizing waste materials of cellulose acylate including triacetyl cellulose to generate carbide, and further activating this carbide. However, among the waste materials such as triacetyl cellulose, the components other than carbon constituting the activated carbon are not collected for reuse, and there are still problems in terms of effective use of the waste materials. Was.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and components other than carbon in plastic waste materials mainly composed of cellulose ester are also appropriately collected and processed to be useful substances, which can be effectively used in various applications. An object is to provide a plastic processing apparatus.

  The plastic processing apparatus according to the present invention is a hydrolyzing unit that hydrolyzes a cellulose ester in a predetermined time in a high-temperature and high-pressure environment with a plastic mainly composed of cellulose ester and water, and is decomposed by the hydrolyzing unit. A separation unit that divides a mixture of various components into a solid material containing cellulose and an acid solution of a component that has been ester-bonded to cellulose.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the cellulose ester forming the plastic is hydrolyzed in the hydrolyzing part, and further, the decomposed components are separated in the separating part, and the solids containing cellulose and the ester bond with the cellulose are combined. By obtaining a solution of the acid of the component that has been used and making it usable for reuse, production of other substances, etc., solids containing cellulose can be used by converting into other products such as activated carbon, fuel, and fillers. In addition, acid solutions of components that have been ester-bonded to cellulose can be reused directly as raw materials for plastics and other products, making it possible to use useful components contained in plastic waste materials without wasting them. To reduce environmental impact.

  Moreover, the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is equipped with the activated carbon manufacturing part which carbonizes part or all of the solid substance containing the said cellulose as needed, and also activates a carbide | carbonized_material and makes it activated carbon.

  Thus, according to the present invention, carbonized solids containing cellulose in the activated carbon production part, further activated the obtained carbides, produced activated carbon for use, and decomposed or reshaped in nature. It is possible to effectively use solid matter containing cellulose, which is difficult to process, as activated carbon, greatly reducing the amount of cellulose components discarded in plastics, and from the material properties of cellulose, the obtained activated carbon should be of high quality with a large effective surface area. It can be used in various applications as an activated carbon having excellent characteristics.

  In addition, the plastic processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a saccharification unit that is charged with the solid matter containing cellulose as necessary and saccharifies cellulose to produce a sugar solution and a solid residue.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a saccharification part saccharifies a solid containing cellulose to obtain a saccharide solution and a residual solid, and each of them is used for use. It can be effectively used by converting it to sugar that is easy to use chemically, and the amount of solids that remain as a residue can be greatly reduced as the cellulose turns into sugar. It can be greatly reduced and it can be easily handled as waste.

  Further, the plastic processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a saccharification part that is charged with the solid matter containing cellulose as necessary and saccharifies cellulose to produce a saccharide solution and a residual solid matter. Only the solid matter taken out from the plant is used as the activated carbon in the activated carbon production department.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a saccharification part saccharifies a solid containing cellulose to obtain a saccharide solution and a residual solid, followed by carbonization of the residual solid in an activated carbon production part. By activating the generated carbides, producing activated carbon and using it, cellulose that is difficult to be decomposed and reshaped can be converted to chemically accessible sugar and effectively utilized, and cellulose can be saccharified. The remaining solid matter that is difficult to reuse directly can be effectively used as activated carbon, and the waste that cannot be used in plastic can be hardly generated.

  Moreover, the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on this invention is equipped with the ethanol generation part which ferments the sugar solution taken out from the said saccharification part with microorganisms as needed, and obtains ethanol.

  As described above, according to the present invention, ethanol is produced by subjecting a sugar solution derived from cellulose to alcohol fermentation in an ethanol generator, and the obtained ethanol is used for use only as a material for chemical substance synthesis. In addition, ethanol that can be used as a fuel can be effectively used for various purposes, and the range of use of materials derived from waste materials can be expanded and used without omission, and the processing of plastic waste materials can function smoothly as a cycle.

  Further, in the plastic processing apparatus according to the present invention, the cellulose ester is cellulose acetate ester as necessary, and the cellulose-containing solid matter and acetic acid aqueous solution are produced through hydrolysis in the hydrolysis section. is there.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the cellulose acetate ester forming the plastic is hydrolyzed in the hydrolyzing unit to obtain a solid matter containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid. As a result, the acetic acid solution obtained can be directly reused for various purposes such as raw materials for plastics and other products and additives for chemical synthesis. Can be effectively used without wasting the ingredients.

  In addition, the plastic processing apparatus according to the present invention heats and carbonizes a plastic mainly composed of cellulose ester, further activates the carbide to obtain activated carbon, and extracts vinegar produced by dry distillation during carbonization. Is.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the plastic containing cellulose ester is carbonized, the obtained carbide is activated, activated carbon is produced and used, and the vinegar produced by dry distillation during carbonization is also extracted. By using it, waste materials containing cellulose that is difficult to decompose or reshape can be effectively used as activated carbon, and from the material characteristics of cellulose, the obtained activated carbon has high effective surface area and high quality. It can be used for various purposes as an activated carbon having excellent characteristics. In addition, the vinegar produced by dry distillation can be used for reuse, production of other substances, etc., especially by taking out the acid of the component that has been ester-bonded with cellulose, as a raw material for plastics and other products Since it can be reused directly, it can be used without wasting useful components contained in plastic waste, and the amount of waste can be reduced to reduce the impact on the environment.

  Moreover, the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on this invention takes out the acetic acid aqueous solution through the process which isolate | separates the component insoluble in water from the said extracted vinegar if the said cellulose ester is a cellulose acetate ester as needed. It is.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the acetic acid contained in the solution is obtained by subjecting the vinegar extracted when carbonizing the plastic containing cellulose acetate to further separate components insoluble in water. The resulting acetic acid solution can be directly reused for various purposes such as plastics and other products, chemical synthesis additives, etc. Thus, it is possible to effectively use the extremely useful acetic acid component contained in the plastic waste material without wasting it. In addition, the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on this invention can also use the bioester derived from the cellulose from bamboo, wood (for example, wood waste material), grass (for example, firewood), etc.

It is a schematic block diagram of the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the plastic processing apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, an example of a plastic processing apparatus for a plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate will be described.

  In FIG. 1, the plastic processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a hydrolysis unit that hydrolyzes cellulose acetate ester in a predetermined time in a high-temperature and high-pressure environment with plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate ester and water. 10 and a separation unit 11 that divides the mixture of various components decomposed by the hydrolysis unit 10 into a solid matter containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid, and the solid matter containing the cellulose are added to saccharify the cellulose. Then, a saccharification part 12 for producing a saccharide solution and a residual solid, an activated carbon production part 13 for carbonizing the residual solid and further activating the carbide to obtain activated carbon, and a saccharide solution extracted from the saccharification part Ethanol generation unit 14 for fermenting the microorganisms with microorganisms to obtain ethanol, and water is heated to generate high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor. The hydrolysis unit 10 and saccharification unit 12 And configured to include a boiler 15 for supplying water vapor to ethanol generation unit 14.

The hydrolyzing unit 10 includes a sealed container that contains a predetermined amount of plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate ester, particularly triacetyl cellulose, and water, and is supplied with high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor from the boiler 15. The cellulose acetate is hydrolyzed by heating the inside of the sealed container to a high temperature and high pressure, thereby producing a solid containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid as an acid of the component ester-bonded to cellulose. Is.
Along with the hydrolysis unit 10, an acetic acid condenser 10 a that condenses gaseous acetic acid generated in a sealed container of the hydrolysis unit 10 and an acetic acid tank 10 b that stores liquid acetic acid are disposed.

  The separation unit 11 separates the solid matter containing cellulose produced in the hydrolysis unit 10 and the acetic acid solution by a method such as centrifugation, and the separated acetic acid is collected in the acetic acid tank 10b. Will be. On the other hand, the solid containing cellulose is sent to the saccharification part 12.

  The saccharification part 12 has a sealed container that contains a predetermined amount of solid matter containing water and water, is supplied with high-temperature and high-pressure steam from the boiler 15 to heat the sealed container, and the solid matter containing cellulose is contained in the container. In a container in which substances, water, and microorganisms are charged and the temperature is suitable for saccharification by steam from the boiler, the reaction of saccharifying cellulose by the action of microorganisms, that is, changing cellulose to glucose, is performed for a predetermined time. To produce a sugar solution and a solid residue. In this saccharification part 12, the progress of saccharification of cellulose can be changed according to the amount of residue solids for the production of activated carbon. It is possible to reduce and increase the residual solid containing unsaccharified cellulose as activated carbon.

  The activated carbon production unit 13 has a furnace internal space that can accommodate a predetermined amount of solid residue taken out from the saccharification unit 12 and can be sealed, and a heating source such as an electric heater, and is a sealed furnace. In the inner space, the solid residue is heated to about 300 to 400 ° C. and carbonized, and the obtained carbide is activated by heating to about 700 to 950 ° C. in a carbon dioxide atmosphere to obtain activated carbon. is there. In this activated carbon production unit, carbonization of the solid can be promoted by performing carbonization in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen in a furnace space for heating the solid, as in a known activated carbon production apparatus.

  The ethanol generation unit 14 includes a sealed container that stores a predetermined amount of the sugar (glucose) solution generated and taken out by the saccharification unit 12 and water. The sugar solution, water, and microorganisms are charged into the container, and the fermentation is advanced by the action of the microorganisms in the container that is set to a temperature condition suitable for fermentation by steam from the boiler 15 to obtain ethanol from glucose. Is.

  Along with this ethanol generator 14, the content of the ethanol generator 14 is heated by steam from the boiler 15 to vaporize ethanol and separate it from other substances, and a condensing for ethanol that condenses the vaporized ethanol. A container 14b and an ethanol tank 14c for storing condensed liquid ethanol are disposed.

  The boiler 15 heats water to generate high-temperature and high-pressure water vapor, supplies the water to the hydrolysis unit 10, the saccharification unit 12, and the ethanol generation unit 14, and the internal space has a predetermined temperature suitable for the reaction. It is something to raise. The water that has been used and liquefied due to a decrease in temperature is returned to the boiler 15 via the pump 15a and used to generate new water vapor.

  The acetic acid condenser 10a communicates with the hydrolysis unit 10 and allows gas-phase acetic acid to flow in, while a predetermined working fluid as a low-temperature heat source is also circulated, and heat exchange between the acetic acid and the working fluid is performed. This is a known heat exchanger for condensing acetic acid, and detailed description thereof is omitted. An acetic acid tank 10b for storing condensed liquid phase acetic acid is disposed on the rear side of the acetic acid condenser 10a.

  Further, the ethanol condenser 14b communicates with the ethanol generator 14 and allows gas-phase ethanol to flow in, while the working fluid serving as a low-temperature heat source also circulates, and exchanges heat between the ethanol and the working fluid. This is a known heat exchanger for condensing ethanol, and detailed description thereof is omitted. An ethanol tank 14c for storing the condensed liquid phase ethanol is disposed on the rear side of the ethanol condenser 14b.

  On the other hand, a cooler 16 that is used for heat exchange in each of these condensers, exchanges heat with the outside air, etc. to release heat and returns to a low temperature is also provided. After being introduced into the cooler 16 through 16a and previously lowered to a predetermined temperature, it is sent to each condenser, and each process of heat exchange with acetic acid and ethanol to condense them is repeated.

  Next, the waste material processing step of the plastic processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. As a premise, it is assumed that high-temperature and high-pressure steam is generated in the boiler 15, and this steam is introduced into the hydrolysis section 10, the saccharification section 12, and the ethanol generation section 14 at a sufficient flow rate as a heat source.

  In the hydrolyzing unit 10, the sealed container is heated with high-temperature and high-pressure steam supplied from the boiler 15 in a state where a predetermined amount of plastic waste material and water are put into the sealed container. As described above, a high temperature and high pressure state with a pressure of about 0.5 MPa is maintained. By continuing this state for a predetermined time (1-2 days), the cellulose acetate ester is hydrolyzed, and a solid matter containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid are obtained. Arise. A part of the acetic acid generated in the sealed container evaporates to become a gas. The acetic acid in the gas is taken out from the container and reaches the condenser 10a for acetic acid, and exchanges heat with a low-temperature working fluid in the condenser 10a. Then, the acetic acid condensed into a liquid flows into the acetic acid tank 10b.

  Since the solution containing solid matter containing cellulose and acetic acid generated in the thermal decomposition unit 10 is a mixture, the solution is taken out from the sealed container after the predetermined time has elapsed when one treatment in the hydrolysis unit 10 ends. It puts into the separation part 11, and is separated into a solid substance containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid. The acetic acid separated here is directed to the acetic acid tank 10 b, while the solid matter containing cellulose is sent to the saccharification unit 12.

  In the saccharification part 12, the container is heated with water vapor supplied from the boiler 15 in a state where a predetermined amount of solid matter containing water, water, and microorganisms are charged into the container, and maintained in a predetermined temperature range suitable for saccharification for a predetermined time. In this way, cellulose is saccharified by the action of microorganisms to produce a sugar solution. At this time, the solid matter that remains as a residue without being fully saccharified is taken out of the container and supplied to the activated carbon production unit 13. On the other hand, the sugar solution is put into the ethanol generator 14.

In the activated carbon production unit 13, the solid matter of the residue taken out from the saccharification unit 12 is put into the furnace space, and after being sealed, the solid matter is kept in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen for a predetermined time (about 1 hour). After carbonizing by heating to about 300 to 400 ° C. to obtain a carbide, activation is performed by heating the obtained carbide to about 700 to 950 ° C. for a predetermined time (about 3 hours) in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. And activated carbon. The specific surface area of the activated carbon thus produced is an excellent value of about 2400 m ² / g.

  Further, in the ethanol generation unit 14, the container is heated by steam supplied from the boiler 15 in a state where a predetermined amount of sugar solution, water, and microorganisms (yeast) are put into the container, and the predetermined temperature range suitable for fermentation is set. By maintaining the time, the sugar solution is alcohol-fermented by the action of microorganisms to generate ethanol. Since the ethanol obtained in the ethanol generation unit 14 is mixed with water or the like, the ethanol is once gasified by heating the content liquid of the ethanol generation unit 14 with the heating unit 14a, and other substances such as water. After being separated, it is condensed by exchanging heat with a low-temperature working fluid in the ethanol condenser 14b, returned to the liquid again, and reaches the ethanol tank 14c for storage.

  The working fluid that has been used for heat exchange in each of the condensers 10a and 14b and whose temperature has been raised is heat-exchanged with the outside air or the like in the cooler 16 to release heat, returned to a low temperature, and then again each condenser 10a. 14b and heat exchange with acetic acid or ethanol to condense them.

  In addition, steam that has been supplied from the boiler 15 to the hydrolysis unit 10, the saccharification unit 12, the ethanol generation unit 14, and the heating unit 14 a and used to lower the temperature and / or water that has been liquefied by the temperature reduction is returned to the boiler 15. Then, it is reheated by the boiler 15 and goes to each part of the apparatus as new high-temperature and high-pressure steam.

  As described above, in the plastic processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the cellulose acetate ester that forms the plastic is hydrolyzed by the hydrolyzing unit 10, and each decomposed component is separated by the separating unit 11 to contain cellulose. In addition to obtaining a solid and acetic acid solution, the saccharification unit 12 saccharifies the solid containing cellulose to obtain a saccharide solution and a residual solid, and the ethanol generation unit 14 converts the saccharide solution to alcohol. While the ethanol is produced by fermentation, the activated carbon production unit 13 carbonizes the residual solid, activates the obtained carbide to produce activated carbon, reuses acetic acid, ethanol, activated carbon, and generates other substances, respectively. Can be effectively used by converting cellulose, which is difficult to decompose and reshape, into sugar and further ethanol. It turned into and remaining, can be effectively used as the activated carbon also direct reuse difficult solids, so that the state does not occur almost unusable waste in plastics. In addition, the acetic acid solution obtained can be directly reused for various purposes such as plastics and other products, chemical synthesis additives, etc., and wastes extremely useful acetic acid components contained in plastic waste. It can be used effectively without any problems, and the amount of waste can be reduced to reduce the environmental impact.

  In the plastic processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, the solids containing cellulose are saccharified, and the residual solids are carbonized and activated to obtain activated carbon, and the sugar solution is fermented to obtain ethanol. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as a reaction condition in which ethanol is not generated and more solid matter remains by saccharification, the amount of activated carbon obtained by carbonizing and activating the solid can be maximized. . On the other hand, as a reaction condition in which activated carbon is not produced and solid matter is hardly left by saccharification, the amount of ethanol obtained by fermentation of the sugar solution can be increased to the maximum, and a small amount of fixed matter can be discarded. it can.

  Further, in the plastic processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment, the cellulose acetate forming the plastic waste material is configured to perform the processing of cellulose acetate ester. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other cellulose esters such as propionate ester are used. Or a butyric acid ester or the like, and after the hydrolysis in the hydrolyzing part, as described above, a solid solution containing cellulose and an acid solution of a component that has been ester-bonded to cellulose (for example, , Propionic acid and butyric acid). In the plastic processing apparatus according to the embodiment, bioester derived from cellulose from bamboo, wood (for example, wood waste), grass (for example, straw), or the like can also be used.

  In the plastic processing apparatus according to the embodiment, the saccharification unit 12 is used to saccharify cellulose by the action of microorganisms. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sealing is performed in parallel with the hydrolysis in the hydrolysis unit. A structure in which saccharification of cellulose proceeds by contact with high-temperature and high-pressure water in a container, or microorganisms are introduced into a closed container of a hydrolysis section, and saccharification by the action of microorganisms is sequentially performed on cellulose generated by hydrolysis. The saccharification can be performed with a simple system that does not use the saccharification part. In this case, it is more preferable that acetic acid generated by hydrolysis is sequentially taken out from the container and removed. Furthermore, the saccharification part can be configured to saccharify the cellulose by contacting the cellulose with high-temperature and high-pressure water or a strong acid without depending on microorganisms, and saccharification can proceed without being affected by acetic acid.

  In the plastic processing apparatus according to the embodiment, high-temperature and high-pressure steam is supplied from the boiler 15 to the hydrolysis unit 10, the saccharification unit 12, the ethanol generation unit 14, and the heating unit 14a, and is used for heating each unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and high-temperature and high-pressure steam is obtained using waste heat from other industrial plants and supplied to each part, or a working fluid holding waste heat at a predetermined temperature is directly introduced into each part. And it does not matter as a structure which heats each part.

  Furthermore, in the plastic processing apparatus according to the embodiment, each component hydrolyzed by the hydrolysis unit 10 is separated by the separation unit 11 to obtain a solid matter containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid, and then the saccharification unit. 12 saccharifies the solid containing cellulose to obtain a sugar solution and a solid residue, and the ethanol generator 14 ferments the sugar solution with alcohol to produce ethanol. Although it is set as the structure which performs the process in each part sequentially, such as carbonizing a solid substance and activating the obtained carbide | carbonized_material and manufacturing activated carbon, not only this but parallel with the hydrolysis in the hydrolysis part 10 The saccharification unit 12 saccharifies a solid substance containing a predetermined amount of cellulose accumulated in advance, or in parallel with the saccharification in the saccharification unit 12, a predetermined amount of sugar solution accumulated in advance It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the processing of each part proceeds simultaneously in parallel, such as alcohol fermentation in the ethanol generation unit 14 and carbonization and activation of a predetermined amount of residual solids accumulated in advance in the activated carbon production unit 13. It is possible to reduce the work waiting time of each part of the apparatus and to operate effectively, to shorten the time required for the entire apparatus related to the processing of the amount of waste material that requires a plurality of times of processing, and to reduce the steam from the boiler 15 It can be reliably supplied to each part of the operating apparatus and used for heating, and wasteful consumption of supplied heat can be eliminated.

(Second embodiment of the present invention)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Also in this embodiment, an example of a plastic processing apparatus that targets a plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate will be described.

  In FIG. 2, the plastic processing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment includes a hydrolysis unit 20, a separation unit 21, an activated carbon production unit 22, and a boiler 23, as in the first embodiment. The solids containing cellulose are not saccharified and ethanol is produced, and the solids containing cellulose are introduced into the activated carbon production unit 22 as they are to produce activated carbon.

  As in the first embodiment, the hydrolyzing unit 20 includes a sealed container that contains a plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate ester, particularly triacetyl cellulose, and water. The cellulose acetate is hydrolyzed by heating the sealed container and the sealed container is heated to a high temperature and high pressure, and acetic acid as the acid of the solid substance containing cellulose and the ester-bonded component with cellulose. To give a solution of

  Along with the hydrolysis unit 20, an acetic acid condenser 20 a that condenses gaseous acetic acid generated in a sealed container of the hydrolysis unit 20 and an acetic acid tank 20 b that stores liquid acetic acid are disposed. As in the first embodiment, the acetic acid condenser 20a allows gas-phase acetic acid to flow in, but also distributes a predetermined working fluid as a low-temperature heat source. This is a known heat exchanger that condenses the water, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The cooler 24 for exchanging heat from the working fluid used for heat exchange in the acetic acid condenser 20a with the outside air or the like to release heat is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

  The separation unit 21 separates the solid matter containing cellulose produced in the hydrolysis unit 20 from the acetic acid solution. The separated acetic acid is collected in the acetic acid tank 20b, while the solid matter containing cellulose is It will be sent to the activated carbon production unit 22 as it is.

  The activated carbon production unit 22 has a furnace internal space that can store a predetermined amount of solid matter containing cellulose separated by the separation unit 21 and can be sealed, and a heating source such as an electric heater, and is sealed. In the furnace space, the solid matter containing cellulose is heated to about 300 to 400 ° C. and carbonized, and the obtained carbide is heated to about 700 to 950 ° C. in a carbon dioxide atmosphere to activate the activated carbon, To do. In this activated carbon production unit, carbonization of the solid can be promoted by performing carbonization in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen in a furnace space for heating the solid, as in a known activated carbon production apparatus.

  The boiler 23 heats water to generate high-temperature and high-pressure steam and supplies the steam to the hydrolysis unit 20 to raise the internal space to a predetermined temperature suitable for the reaction. The water that has been used and liquefied due to a decrease in temperature is returned to the boiler 23 via the pump 23a and used to generate new water vapor.

  Next, the waste material processing step of the plastic processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. As a premise, it is assumed that high-temperature and high-pressure steam is generated in the boiler 23 and this steam is introduced into the hydrolysis unit 20 at a sufficient flow rate as a heat source.

  In the hydrolysis unit 20, the inside of the sealed container is heated to 150 ° C. by heating the sealed container with high-temperature and high-pressure steam supplied from the boiler 23 in a state where a predetermined amount of plastic waste material and water are put into the sealed container. As described above, a high temperature and high pressure state with a pressure of about 0.5 MPa is maintained. By continuing this state for a predetermined time (1-2 days), the cellulose acetate ester is hydrolyzed, and a solid matter containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid are obtained. Arise. A portion of the acetic acid generated in the sealed container evaporates into a gas. The acetic acid in the gas exits from the container and reaches the acetic acid condenser 20a, which exchanges heat with a low-temperature working fluid. Then, the acetic acid condensed into a liquid flows into the acetic acid tank 20b.

  The working fluid that has been used for heat exchange in the acetic acid condenser 20a and raised in temperature passes through the pump 24a, is then heat-exchanged with the outside air or the like in the cooler 24, releases heat, and is returned to a low temperature. It is again introduced into the acetic acid condenser 20a and exchanges heat with acetic acid to condense it.

  Since the solution containing solid matter containing cellulose and acetic acid generated in the thermal decomposition unit 20 is a mixture, the solution is taken out from the sealed container after the predetermined time has elapsed when one treatment in the hydrolysis unit 20 is completed. It puts into the separation part 21 and is separated into a solid substance containing cellulose and a solution of acetic acid by the separation part 21. The acetic acid separated here is directed to the acetic acid tank 20 b, while the solid matter containing cellulose is sent to the activated carbon production unit 22.

In the activated carbon manufacturing unit 22, the solid matter containing cellulose taken out from the separation unit 21 is put into the furnace space, and after being sealed, the solid matter is kept in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen for a predetermined time (about 1 hour). By heating to about 300 to 400 ° C. for carbonization to obtain a carbide, and further heating the obtained carbide to about 700 to 950 ° C. for a predetermined time (about 3 hours) in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. Activate and use activated carbon. The specific surface area of the activated carbon thus produced is an excellent value of about 2400 m ² / g.

  In addition to this, the steam that has been supplied from the boiler 23 to the hydrolysis unit 20 and used to lower the temperature and / or the water that has been liquefied due to the temperature reduction is recirculated to the boiler 23 and reheated in the boiler 23 to be reheated. It will go to each part of the device as water vapor.

  As described above, in the plastic processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the cellulose acetate ester forming the plastic is hydrolyzed by the hydrolyzing unit 20, and each decomposed component is separated by the separating unit 21, so that a solid containing cellulose is obtained. In addition to obtaining a product and a solution of acetic acid, the activated carbon production unit 22 carbonizes a solid containing cellulose, further activates the obtained carbide, produces activated carbon, and each of the obtained acetic acid and activated carbon is obtained. Since it can be used for reuse, production of other substances, etc., in particular, solids containing cellulose that is difficult to decompose or reshape can be effectively used as activated carbon, and the amount of cellulose components discarded in plastics can be reduced. It can be greatly reduced, and from the material properties of cellulose, the obtained activated carbon can be made high quality with a large effective surface area. Available in a variety of applications as having excellent characteristics.

(Third embodiment of the present invention)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Also in this embodiment, an example of a plastic processing apparatus that targets a plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate will be described.

  In FIG. 3, the plastic processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment carbonizes a plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate ester, and further activates the carbide to make activated carbon, and in the activated carbon manufacturing unit 30. It is the structure provided with the vinegar processing part 31 which processes the vinegar which arises in the case of carbonization and is extracted outside, and obtains the solution of an acetic acid.

  The activated carbon production unit 30 has a furnace internal space that can contain a predetermined amount of plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate ester and can be sealed, and a heating source such as an electric heater, and is sealed. In the furnace space, the solid residue is heated to about 300 to 400 ° C. and carbonized, and the obtained carbide is heated to about 700 to 950 ° C. in a carbon dioxide atmosphere to be activated to obtain activated carbon. It is. In addition, in the case of carbonization, it is the mechanism which can extract the vinegar liquid component produced by dry distillation outside from the furnace space. In this activated carbon production unit, carbonization of the solid can be promoted by performing carbonization in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen in a furnace space for heating the solid, as in a known activated carbon production apparatus.

  The vinegar solution processing unit 31 extracts an aqueous acetic acid solution from the extracted vinegar solution through a process of separating components insoluble in water such as tar. For separation of insoluble components, fractional distillation of acetic acid by one or more distillations, a method of adsorbing and filtering insoluble components with activated carbon, and the like can be used.

  Next, the waste material processing step of the plastic processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. First, in the activated carbon production unit 30, a predetermined amount of plastic waste material mainly composed of cellulose acetate is put into the furnace space and sealed, and then solids are left in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen for a predetermined time (approximately It is heated to about 300 to 400 ° C. for about 1 hour and carbonized to obtain a carbide. At this time, since the vinegar liquid (substance other than carbon) produced by carbonization accompanying carbonization is extracted as a gas outside the furnace, it is liquefied and made into a state that can be treated separately from the carbide.

Furthermore, the obtained carbide is activated by heating to about 700 to 950 ° C. for a predetermined time (about 3 hours) in a carbon dioxide atmosphere to obtain activated carbon. The resulting activated carbon has an excellent specific surface area of about 2400 m ² / g.

On the other hand, the vinegar is introduced into the vinegar processing section 31 and the components insoluble in water are removed and taken out as a solution of acetic acid.
As described above, in the plastic processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the plastic containing cellulose acetate ester is carbonized, the obtained carbide is activated, activated carbon is manufactured and used, and carbonization is performed during carbonization. Extract the vinegar solution produced in the process, and then separate the water-insoluble components from the extracted vinegar solution, take out the acetic acid contained in the solution, reuse it, and generate other substances. Because of its properties, it is possible to effectively use waste materials containing cellulose that are difficult to decompose and reshape as activated carbon, and from the material properties of cellulose, the obtained activated carbon has a high effective surface area and high quality. It can be used in various applications as having an excellent characteristic as activated carbon. In addition, acetic acid solution obtained from vinegar produced by dry distillation can be directly reused for various purposes such as raw materials for plastics and other products and additives for chemical synthesis. The acetic acid component can be effectively used without wasting it, and the amount of waste can be reduced to reduce environmental impact.

1, 2, 3 Plastic processing apparatus 10, 20 Hydrolysis unit 10a, 20a Acetic acid condenser 10b, 20b Acetic acid tank 11, 21 Separation unit 12 Saccharification unit 13, 22, 30 Activated carbon production unit 14 Ethanol generation unit 14a Heating unit 14b Ethanol condenser 14c Ethanol tank 15, 23 Boiler 16, 24 Cooler 31 Vinegar processing section

Claims (8)

A hydrolysis part that hydrolyzes the cellulose ester in a predetermined time in a high temperature and high pressure environment with a plastic mainly composed of cellulose ester and water;
A plastic processing apparatus comprising: a separation unit that divides a mixture of various components decomposed in the hydrolysis unit into a solid matter containing cellulose and an acid solution of a component that has been ester-bonded to cellulose. The plastic processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A plastic processing apparatus comprising: an activated carbon production unit that carbonizes a part or all of the solid matter containing cellulose and further activates the carbide to obtain activated carbon. The plastic processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A plastic processing apparatus comprising: a saccharification unit that is charged with a solid containing cellulose and saccharifies cellulose to produce a sugar solution and a residual solid. The plastic processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
The saccharification part which is charged with the solid matter containing the cellulose and saccharifies the cellulose to produce a saccharide solution and a residual solid matter,
Only the solid substance taken out from the saccharification part is used as activated carbon in the activated carbon production part. In the plastic processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4,
A plastic processing apparatus, comprising: an ethanol generation unit for fermenting a sugar solution extracted from the saccharification unit with a microorganism to obtain ethanol. The plastic processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The plastic processing apparatus, wherein the cellulose ester is cellulose acetate and undergoes hydrolysis in the hydrolysis section to produce a solid containing the cellulose and an aqueous acetic acid solution. A plastic processing apparatus characterized by heating and carbonizing a plastic containing cellulose ester as a main component, further activating a carbide to obtain activated carbon, and extracting a vinegar solution produced by dry distillation during carbonization. The plastic processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein
A plastic processing apparatus, wherein the cellulose ester is an acetate of cellulose, and an aqueous acetic acid solution is taken out from the extracted vinegar through a process of separating components insoluble in water.

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