Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology – Apparatus – Bioreactor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-09
2001-01-30
Beisner, William H. (Department: 1744)
Chemistry: molecular biology and microbiology
Apparatus
Bioreactor
C435S300100, C422S150000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180396
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of environmental control concerning sewage treatment, stack gas desulfurization, garbage treatment and livestock waste disposal as well as the fields of carbon black production, methanol production, dimethyl ether production and gasoline production.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to estimated data related to the carbon cycle by the intergovernmental panel on climatic change (IPCC), artificially discharged carbon dioxide (CO
2
) amounts to about 71 hundred million tons a year in terms of carbon. It is considered that about half remains in the atmosphere while the other half is absorbed by the sea and others. Carbon dioxide, known as greenhouse effect gas, is regarded as a cause for global warming.
In order to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it is indispensable to suppress the discharge thereof itself. Various methods are studied for reducing the discharge of carbon dioxide.
A method of reducing carbon dioxide under a hydrogen (H
2
) atmosphere and converting the same to pulverized carbon has been devised in order to fix carbon dioxide contained in the atmosphere or discharged in great volume from power plants, steelworks, or heavy and chemical plants on the discharge source, and recycle the same. The conversion system therefore is formed by a carbon dioxide separator for separating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or exhaust gas, a carbon dioxide concentrator for concentrating the separated carbon dioxide, a CO
2
/H
2
reactor for forming pulverized carbon by reacting the carbon dioxide with hydrogen under the presence of a catalyst and the like.
While electrolysis of water, solar battery power generation, utilization of hydrogen absorbing alloys or the like has been proposed as a method of obtaining hydrogen necessary for converting carbon dioxide to pulverized carbon and fixing the same, a carbon dioxide fixing apparatus has not yet been put into practice since hydrogen is extremely costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which can fix carbon dioxide at a low cost
An apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention comprises an anaerobic fermentation part for anaerobically fermenting biomass and generating methane and carbon dioxide, a methane.carbon dioxide separation part for separating methane and carbon dioxide from mixed gas containing methane and carbon dioxide generated in the anaerobic fermentation part, hydrogen forming means for forming hydrogen from the methane separated in the methane.carbon dioxide separation part, and a carbon dioxide fixing part for forming carbon by reducing the carbon dioxide separated in the methane.carbon dioxide separation part under the presence of a catalyst with the hydrogen formed in the hydrogen forming means.
An example of the hydrogen forming means is a methane reforming part for decomposing methane into carbon and hydrogen under the presence of a catalyst, and another example is a methane steam reforming part for forming carbon dioxide and hydrogen by reacting methane with steam under the presence of a catalyst
An apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention comprises the anaerobic fermentation part and a carbon dioxide fixing part receiving mixed gas containing methane and carbon dioxide formed in the anaerobic fermentation part and reacting the same under the presence of a catalyst for forming carbon.
The carbon dioxide fixing part reduces the carbon dioxide with hydrogen under the presence of the catalyst for forming crystalline pulverized carbon. The hydrogen results from methane obtained by anaerobically fermenting biomass.
The apparatus according to the present invention comprises the anaerobic fermentation part for forming methane and carbon dioxide by anaerobically fermenting biomass and decomposes the methane formed in the anaerobic fermentation part into carbon and hydrogen with the catalyst or forms carbon dioxide and hydrogen by reacting the methane formed in the anaerobic fermentation part with steam under the presence of the catalyst, thereby obtaining hydrogen occupying at least 90% of the energy for fixing the carbon dioxide, whereby hydrogen can be obtained at a low cost for reducing the cost of fixing the carbon dioxide.
The anaerobic fermentation part must be heated to a prescribed temperature. Energy is necessary for the remaining part having endothermic reaction. If at least part of the necessary energy can be ensured in the system, the cost can be reduced. Therefore, it is preferable to utilize combustion heat generated by combusting methane by providing a methane combustion part for combusting part of the methane generated in the anaerobic fermentation part, or generated by combusting hydrogen by providing a hydrogen combustion part for combusting part of the hydrogen formed in the system. If any part other than the methane combustion part or the hydrogen combustion part generates heat, this heat can also be utilized. Thus, it is possible to contribute to reduction of the operation cost if the necessary heat can be generated in the system.
If the combustion heat generated by combusting methane or hydrogen is still left after being utilized for heating the remaining part, the residual heat can be utilized for a part of electric power for operating the apparatus by providing a reaction heat utilizing power generation part for converting the heat to electric power, thereby contributing to reduction of the operation cost also at this point
When providing the methane combustion part, it is preferable to lead carbon dioxide generated by combusting methane to the carbon dioxide fixing part for fixing the same as carbon. Mixed gas containing steam and carbon dioxide generated from the methane combustion part may be directly led to the carbon dioxide fixing part, or carbon dioxide separated by a vapor-liquid separator may be supplied to the carbon dioxide fixing part through an intra-system carbon dioxide supply part formed by a steam condenser and the vapor-liquid separator.
When providing the methane combustion part, it is preferable to adjust the ratio of the gas generated in the anaerobic fermentation part fed to the carbon dioxide fixing part, to that fed to the methane combustion part so that the sum of the mole numbers of the carbon dioxide fed from the methane combustion part to the carbon dioxide fixing part, and that fed from the anaerobic fermentation part to the carbon dioxide fixing part is equal to the mole number of the methane fed to the carbon dioxide fixing part. Thus, all carbon dioxide formed in the system of the apparatus can be fixed.
The carbon dioxide fixing part can also be supplied with carbon dioxide from outside the system.
The foregoing along with other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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KREIS. CAPLUS Abstract No. 1980:25423 of USEPA, Office of Res. Dev. EPA (1979), EPA-600/2-79-142, 59pp.
Chemical Abstracts, vol. 88, No. 5, Jan. 30, 1978 ;Columbus, Ohio, U.S.; abstract No. 34362, Bekes, J. et al: “Decomposition of methanol under the conditions of anaerobic fermentation” XP002106179.
Database WPI; Section Ch, Week 9431; Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; XP002106180 & RU 2 005 789 C (Argri
Kato Saburo
Ono Shigeki
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Beisner William H.
Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth
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