KR101844783B1 - Equipment for the production of bio-heavy fuel oil using microalgae and sewage sludge And method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to equipment and a method for producing bio-heavy fuel oil containing microalgae and sewage sludge as raw materials, and specifically, to the equipment and the method for producing the bio-heavy fuel oil using the microalgae and sewage sludge for producing the bio-heavy fuel oil by mixing the microalgae and sewage sludge well and by using a continuous alcohol supercritical process.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing bio-heavy oil which regulates the moisture content in sewage sludge by microalgae,

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for producing bio-heavy oil using fine algae and sewage sludge as raw materials, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for producing bio-heavy oil using fine algae and sewage sludge, And controlling the water content in the micro-algae.

In accordance with the London Convention, Korea has banned the discharge of sewage sludge and livestock manure from the sea in 2012. Since 2013, the discharge of marine wastewater is prohibited and land reclamation for less than 1 ton / day is banned. It is urgently necessary to develop the technology.

Conventional sewage sludge treatment technology has produced biohydrolysis in drying and digestion tanks, but the technology is low and high energy is required.

Recently, in order to fulfill the obligatory supply of energy through the implementation of the RPS (Mandatory Renewable Energy System), various generations of bio-energy are being promoted. The pilot project for bio-fuel oil for power generation is being carried out by four domestic power generation companies and the Korea District Heating Corporation, and is being manufactured and delivered under the management of the Korea Petroleum Management Authority at the factory of bio-diesel supplier and maintenance company .

Bio-fuel oil for domestic power generation is mainly produced by refining and mixing low-cost raw materials such as palm oil, high-value-added palm by-product, biodiesel process by-product and animal oil to meet quality standards.

Currently, domestic and overseas industrial fuel oil production technologies are mostly producing industrial fuel oil using ion purification, reduced pressure distillation or pyrolysis process.

- Ion refining method is a method of producing products by removing water and sediment from animal and vegetable oil and removing heavy metals etc. through chemical treatment. The produced product can be used only bunker C oil alternative fuel oil, , A technique rarely used with classical technology.

- The decompression distillation process is a simple physical purification process. The yield of the distillation is about 70%, and a high temperature operation temperature is required to increase the yield. In addition, there is a drawback that the plant design cost is very high.

- The high-temperature pyrolysis process is a method of producing bio-heavy oil by decomposing and condensing at a low molecular weight by applying heat at a temperature of 400 ° C or more and high pressure by blocking contact with air. There is a disadvantage in that odor is generated at the time of operation, the structure of the process is complicated, the continuous process is difficult, and the yield is relatively low.

In addition, a device using a membrane separation system is being developed.

The process of producing fuel for power generation and transportation using deoxygenation and liquefaction from sewage sludge is an early stage of technology development around the world, and various processes such as rapid pyrolysis, gasification, catalytic cracking, near critical (or sublimation) Is being developed, but it is difficult to scale-up and commercialize it due to the inherent limitations of each process.

Therefore, the technology of the present invention for producing biofuel from microalgae and sewage sludge is expected to have a large ripple effect.

(KR) Registration No. 10-1626733 (Registered on May 26, 2016)

The present invention aims to provide a sewage sludge which can not easily be treated due to environmental pollution, and a technique for producing biofuel, which is used closely in everyday life, from an increasing microalgae.

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for producing bio-heavy oil using microalgae and sewage sludge so as to solve the problems in the past.

The present invention also provides a treatment method of sewage sludge which is difficult to treat, and an apparatus and a method for producing bio-heavy oil using microalgae and sewage sludge that can solve the increasingly serious microalgae.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an apparatus for producing bio-heavy oil, which regulates the moisture content in sewage sludge using microalgae, comprising: an agitator for regulating and stirring the moisture content in sewage sludge using microalgae; A mixture pump for applying pressure to a mixture of agitated microalgae and sewage sludge; An auxiliary solvent pump for supplying a high-pressure solvent to the mixture of the agitated microalgae and the sewage sludge; A supercritical reactor in which a mixture of high-pressure microalgae and sewage sludge and a solvent are heated to supercritical fluid; A solid-liquid separator for separating solids from the supercritical fluid passing through the supercritical reactor by gravity; An oil-water separator for separating the bio-heavy oil from the supercritical fluid having passed through the solid-liquid separator and removing solid matter; And a water / solvent separator for separating the fluid from which the biofuel is removed in the oil water separator into water and a solvent,
Wherein the supercritical reactor comprises a plurality of supercritical reactors such that a plurality of supercritical reactions take place,
Wherein the plurality of supercritical reactors are formed by arranging a plurality of reactor units of a straight tubular type and connecting them in series, wherein the reactor units are arranged such that the lengths of the inlet and the outlet are different from each other .

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for producing bio-heavy oil using microalgae and sewage sludge, comprising the steps of: pre-treating micro-algae and sewage sludge by mixing and controlling moisture content; Applying pressure to a mixture of the pretreated microalgae and sewage sludge; Supplying a solvent to the mixture of the high-pressure microalgae and the sewage sludge; Heating the mixture at high pressure to supersaturation; Removing solids in the supercritical fluid; Separating and collecting the bio fuel oil from the supercritical fluid; And recovering the solvent by classifying the bio-heavy oil-removed fluid into water and a solvent, wherein the recovered solvent is re-supplied to the step of supplying the solvent.

The apparatus and method for producing bio-heavy oil using the micro-algae and sewage sludge according to the present invention having the above-described structure, the sewage sludge that can be usually collected and abandoned in the vicinity, and the micro-algae, The production of heavy oil facilitates the supply and demand of raw materials, reduces the production cost of biofuel, and improves environmental pollution.

In addition, since the supercritical reaction process is used, the continuous process is possible and the productivity of biofuel is improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a bio-
Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for producing bio-oil according to the present invention
3 is a schematic view of a supercritical reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to a conventional or dictionary sense and that the configurations shown in the embodiments and drawings described herein are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that various equivalents and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for producing bio-fuel oil according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, a pretreatment step (S10) of forming a mixture of microalgae and sewage sludge by using the first agitator 11 and the second agitator 12 is performed.

Sewage sludge contains many organic substances as well as inorganic matters. In order to generate high pressure and increase the efficiency of the process, it is necessary to remove the inorganic substances and mix the organic materials as much as possible, so that the powder generated after the reaction at the end of the supercritical process blocks the high- The preprocessing process is performed.

Microalgae are usually composed of phytoplankton. Typical examples are diatoms and phytoplankton. In recent years, efforts have been made to acquire biofuels using microalgae. These microalgae are used to control the water content of sewage sludge.

More specifically, the first agitator 11 is used to mix the sewage sludge to separate the inorganic particles having large particles, and the organic substances are mixed. Next, by using a second agitator (12) made of an inline mixer having a good transitional range, the efficiency of separating the inorganic matters of the sewage sludge is increased, the particles in the sewage sludge are dispersed small and uniformly and the water content in the sewage sludge .

This pretreatment step makes it possible to increase the pressurization efficiency of the mixture of microalgae and sewage sludge.

(S20) of forming a mixture of a microalgae and sewage sludge at a high pressure is carried out by using the mixture pump (20). The pre-treated mixture (sludge) is made into a supercritical reactor at a high pressure of 300 bar or more using a mixture pump. Since the supercritical process can not be performed only with the aqueous solution contained in the mixture of the microalgae and the sewage sludge, the alcohol is supplied using the auxiliary solvent pump 30 that supplies the alcohol used as the solvent. The mixture in the high-pressure aqueous solution state and the high-pressure alcohol meet and move to the supercritical reactor 40.

Next, the supercritical reaction (40) is used to heat the mixture to perform a supercritical reaction step (S30). The mixture of microalgae and sewage sludge mixed with alcohol is transferred to the supercritical reactor 40 and heated to induce a supercritical reaction.

The supercritical reactor 40 comprises a plurality of supercritical reactors such that a number of supercritical reactions take place. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the supercritical reaction is performed in two stages in the first supercritical reactor 41 and the second supercritical reactor 42 in a multi-stage manner.

The first supercritical reactor (41) is used to heat an alcohol mixed with a mixture of microalgae and sewage sludge to induce a supercritical reaction and a supercritical reaction,

In the second supercritical reactor 42, supercritical reaction is performed by supplying supercritical fluid (mixture of microalgae and sewage sludge) subjected to the first supercritical reaction so that supercritical reaction can be maximally uniformly performed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the supercritical reactors 41 and 42 have a plurality of reactor units, each of which is made of a tube type and are elongated in length, and are connected in series to maximize uniform energy transfer. In order to prevent clogging due to particles, viscosity, or non-separable inorganic substances through the reactor unit, the reactor unit is configured such that its longitudinal direction is inclined at a certain angle upward from the ground surface. The above angle is preferably 15 degrees or more.

More specifically, in the case of sewage sludge, which is one of the raw materials, various inorganic substances and foreign substances are contained. After the alcohol, the microalgae and the sewage sludge are transferred to the reactor, the reaction continues with the supercritical state, so that the inorganic matters, the foreign substances and the viscosity may be precipitated in the inside of the bending part or the reactor. In particular, the clogging caused by the erosion action adversely affects the long - term operation and the conversion rate to the bio - heavy oil, so that the reaction airflow is secured by giving a taper so that the reactants do not become plugged during the continuous reaction operation.

Alternatively, the supercritical reactors 41 and 42 may be used in a vertical form in which the taper of the tube is formed vertically.

 Although the supercritical reactor 40 is shown as being composed of a plurality of reactor units as one column, it may be composed of a plurality of columns.

Through the supercritical reaction of sewage sludge mixture as above, deoxidation reaction, esterification reaction and dissolution reaction of low molecular organic material are converted into biofuel having high calorific value and organic content.

Next, a step (S40) of separating and removing the solid matter (waste, inorganic matter) in the fluid subjected to the supercritical reaction using the solid-liquid separator 50 is performed.

In the supercritical reactor (40), solids (waste, inorganic matter) are separated and removed by a precipitation method by gravity in a supercritical fluid.

A step of cooling the supercritical fluid using a cooler (not shown) may be added before separating and removing the solid matter (waste, inorganic matter) in the supercritical fluid using the solid-liquid separator 50 (S40).

The cooler sequentially passes through the first cooler and the second cooler, thereby reducing the impact due to the thermal change of the fluid. Usually the fluid is cooled to 70-90 degrees Celsius through the first cooler and the fluid is cooled to 50 degrees Celsius through the second cooler.

Next, a step (S50) of collecting (recovering) bio-heavy oil in a supercritical fluid from which solid matters (waste, inorganic matter) have been removed is performed using an oil water separator (60). In the oil water separator (60), the fluid from which bio-heavy oil is recovered is transferred to the water / solvent separator (70).

The water supplied to the oil water separator 60 and the fluid consisting of the solvent (alcohol) are left for a long time to be separated into water and a solvent (alcohol). The separated solvent (alcohol) is recycled to the auxiliary solvent pump 30 by using a valve and a pump or the like to be reused.

(Not shown) for removing the gas contained in the fluid discharged from the solid-liquid separator 50 may be further provided at the upstream of the oil-water separator 60.

In addition, in the case of the supercritical process, a large amount of steam gas generated when accompanied by a sudden phase change due to abnormal operation due to reverse flow, clogging, etc., threatens the safety of the apparatus. For this reason, the establishment of safety devices in supercritical processes is one of the most important process design factors.

Therefore, in order to ensure safety in the flow of the fluid, an AOV (Air-Operated Valve) as an emergency shutoff valve and a needle valve as a manual valve are connected to the front end of each supercritical reactor 40 and the front end of the solid- It is installed at the front end to ensure safety by abnormal behavior of fluid.

10, 11, 12: stirrer
20: Mixture pump
30: auxiliary solvent pump
40, 41, 42: supercritical reactor
50: solid-liquid separator
60: Oil separator
70: water / solvent separator

Claims (6)

A stirrer for adjusting and stirring the moisture content in sewage sludge using microalgae;
A mixture pump for applying pressure to a mixture of agitated microalgae and sewage sludge;
An auxiliary solvent pump for supplying a high-pressure solvent to the mixture of the agitated microalgae and the sewage sludge;
A supercritical reactor in which a mixture of high-pressure microalgae and sewage sludge and a solvent are heated to supercritical fluid;
A solid-liquid separator for separating solids from the supercritical fluid passing through the supercritical reactor by gravity; And
And an oil-water separator for separating the bio-heavy oil from the supercritical fluid having passed through the solid-
Wherein the supercritical reactor comprises a plurality of supercritical reactors such that a plurality of supercritical reactions take place,
Wherein the plurality of supercritical reactors comprise:
A plurality of straight tube type reactor units are arranged and connected in series for uniform energy transfer,
Wherein the reactor unit is configured such that the longitudinal direction thereof is inclined at a predetermined angle upward from the ground surface so that the heights of the inlet and the outlet are different from each other, and the water content in the sewage sludge is controlled by the microalgae. The method according to claim 1,
The manufacturing apparatus includes:
A water / solvent separator for separating the fluid from which the biofuel is removed in the oil water separator into water and a solvent; Further comprising:
Wherein the separated solvent is regenerated by the auxiliary solvent pump and regulates the moisture content in the sewage sludge by microalgae. The method according to claim 1,
The stirrer may include:
A first stirrer for mixing the organic material in the sewage sludge; And
A second agitator for small and uniformly dispersing the particles in the sewage sludge and regulating the moisture content in the sewage sludge using microalgae;
Wherein the water content in the sewage sludge is controlled by microalgae. A method for producing bio-heavy oil using the apparatus for producing bio-fuel according to claim 1,
A pretreatment step of mixing the microalgae and the sewage sludge to adjust the moisture content and stir the microalgae;
Applying pressure to a mixture of the pretreated microalgae and sewage sludge;
Supplying a solvent to a mixture of high-pressure microalgae and sewage sludge;
Heating the mixture at high pressure to supersaturation;
Removing solids in the supercritical fluid;
Separating and collecting the bio fuel oil from the supercritical fluid;
Recovering the solvent by classifying the fluid from which the bio-heavy oil is removed into water and a solvent;
Wherein the water content in the sewage sludge is controlled by microalgae. delete delete

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