System and process for removing total organic carbons from a brine waste stream
AssigneeTrinity Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsR. Keith Warbington, Jason Yarborough
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for removing organic compounds from a brine solution permits processing of that solution in a chlor-alkali electrochemical cell. A brine solution containing a mixture of nonvolatile organic compounds is introduced into a tank with a selected volume of acid and is heated to boiling. Nonvolatile organic compounds in the solution are decomposed such that they become volatile compounds, which are removed by distillation from the tank or by additional subsequent steam distillation. The resulting brine solution has a final total organic compound (TOC) level sufficiently low to render its suitable for use in a membrane, diaphragm or other type of chlor-alkali electrochemical cell.
Claims19
A method for removing total organic compounds from a brine solution containing nonvolatile organic compounds to permit further processing of the brine solution by an electromechanical filter, said method consisting of:
- introducing a brine solution to a tank;
- introducing an acid to said tank to adjust and maintain the pH of the brine solution in the tank such that the pH does not exceed 2;
- boiling the brine solution in the tank at a temperature of 220° F.-225° F. in the presence of the acid to concentrate the brine solution in said tank and cause said brine solution to react with said acid such that a portion of the nonvolatile organic compounds in the brine solution thermally decompose, oxidize and convert to volatile organic compounds;
- recovering converted volatile organic compounds from the brine solution in the tank to reduce the amount of total organic compounds in the brine solution;
- removing the brine solution from the tank after the total organic compounds in the brine solution have been reduced;
- distilling the brine solution removed from the tank with steam to convert at least some of the nonvolatile organic compounds remaining in the brine solution to additional volatile organic compounds;
- recovering the additional volatile organic compounds from the brine solution after the brine solution has been distilled to further reduce the amount of total organic compounds in the brine solution;
- and
- processing the distilled brine solution with the electromechanical filter after the additional volatile organic compounds are recovered from the brine solution.
A method for removing total organic compounds from a brine solution containing nonvolatile organic compounds to permit further processing of the brine solution by an electromechanical filter, said method consisting of:
- introducing a brine solution to a tank;
- introducing an acid to said tank to adjust and maintain the pH of the brine solution in the tank such that the pH does not exceed a predetermined level;
- boiling the brine solution in the tank in the presence of the acid to concentrate the brine solution in the tank and cause the brine solution to react with the acid such that a portion of the nonvolatile organic compounds in the brine solution thermally decompose, oxidize and convert to volatile organic compounds;
- recovering converted volatile organic compounds from the brine solution in the tank to reduce the amount of total organic compounds in the brine solution;
- discharging from the tank an output stream consisting of the brine solution containing the reduced amount of total organic compounds in the form of nonvolatile organic compounds remaining in the brine solution;
- delivering the output stream from the tank to a distillation device and distilling the output stream removed from the tank with steam to convert at least some of the nonvolatile organic compounds remaining in the brine solution of the output stream to additional volatile organic compounds;
- recovering the additional volatile organic compounds from the brine solution in the output stream after the output stream has been distilled to further reduce the amount of total organic compounds remaining in the brine solution;
- and
- processing the distilled brine solution with the electromechanical filter after the additional volatile organic compounds are recovered from the brine solution.
A method for removing total organic compounds from a brine solution containing nonvolatile organic compounds to prevent further processing of the brine solution by an electromechanical filter, said method consisting of:
- introducing a brine solution to a tank;
- introducing an acid to said tank to adjust and maintain the pH of the brine solution in the tank such that the pH does not exceed 2;
- boiling the brine solution in the tank at a temperature of 220° F.-225° F. in the presence of the acid and recirculating the boiled brine solution through the tank to concentrate the brine solution in the tank and cause the brine solution to react with the acid such that a portion of the nonvolatile organic compounds in the brine solution thermally decompose, oxidize and convert to volatile organic compounds;
- recovering converted volatile organic compounds from the brine solution in the tank to reduce the amount of total organic compounds in the brine solution;
- removing the brine solution from the tank after the total organic compounds in the brine solution have been reduced;
- distilling the brine solution removed from the tank with steam to convert at least some of the nonvolatile organic compounds remaining in the brine solution to additional organic compounds;
- recovering the additional volatile organic compounds from the brine solution after the brine solution has been distilled to further reduce the amount of total organic compounds in the brine solution;
- and
- processing the distilled brine solution with the electromechanical filter after the additional volatile organic compounds are recovered from the brine solution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.