Liquid purification or separation – Processes – Making an insoluble substance or accreting suspended...
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-19
2001-01-30
Hruskoci, Peter A. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Processes
Making an insoluble substance or accreting suspended...
C210S718000, C210S724000, C210S726000, C210S738000, C423S429000, C423S471000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180012
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Water for communities, agriculture and industry is more and more needed, and not available in many areas of the world. Sea water can not be used because it contains salt, and existing methods for removing salt are slow, difficult and costly, and require much energy.
Energy consumption is increasing world wide and most of it is produced by combustion of oil, gas, coal, wood and other organic material, which are polluting the environment. Environmental scientist from all over the world, are now recommending that carbon dioxide (CO
2
) now being produced and discharged to the sky be reduced, to protect the environment from the bad greenhouse effect CO
2
gases have. Many nations have therefore now committed themselves to reduce their CO
2
emission, as a legal requirement.
The present invention is therefore of great importance indeed, providing a practical process, at low cost, for producing large quantities of desalted Sea water, using CO
2
for the process from combustion exhaust, which other wise would be contaminating the environment. No existing economical process provides simultaneously these results, although other processes are using similar chemicals. Particularly the ammonia-soda ash process, which Ernest Solvay improved in 1865, by saturating concentrated solution of sodium chloride with ammonia and passing carbon dioxide through it to obtain soda ash.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages are obtained in accordance with the present invention comprising a chemical process for desalination of Sea water, and removal of CO
2
from exhaust. Salt molecules (NaCl) have a strong internal bond between the Na and the Cl atoms, which will be broken in two steps.
In the first step of the present invention a catalyst being Ammonia(NH
3
) will be carefully metered and mixed with the Sea water which has about 3% of salt to be removed. The Ammonia mixes readily with water and forms (NH
4
OH), which contains very aggressive reactant molecules. They have strong attraction and are pulling on the Cl atom of the salt molecules in the Sea water. This reduces the internal bond, and makes the salt more vulnerable.
The second step of said process is performed in an enclosed process chamber, located above a clarifier. Combustion exhaust gas, rich in carbon dioxide (CO
2
) and normally discharged to the sky, harming the environment, is being used for the process. The gas enters through inlet on one side and remains in the chamber for the process. The remaining gas leaves at outlet on the other side. The Sea water mixture is pumped into the process chamber to numerous outlets near the top and is dispersed as non-clogging mist.
The CO
2
gas molecules are attracted to the Na atom of the salt and further weaken and break the salt molecules apart in the mist of Sea water.
Two heavy solids are formed, they settle in the clarifier and are removed in under flow outlet.
The desalted Sea water over flows from the clarifier in large quantities per ton of salt, since salt is only present in about three percent in Sea water. The desalted sea water can then be used for communities, industry and agriculture. It still contains some dissolved ammonia and plankton and other microorganisms, which in the ocean are nutrients for other sea life. These nutrients can also be used to fertilize soil for farms. Alternatively, where needed they can be removed from the water by intense aeration and biological process or by non-clogging filters. The colloidal material flocculate and is recovered as sludge or filter cake.
The two solids from the breakup of the salt, and removal of the CO
2
gas, are:
Sodium carbonate (Na
2
CO
3
) with specific gravity 2.53, and
Ammonium chloride (NH
4
Cl) with specific gravity 1.53.
The two solids can be separated by hydro cyclone separator, air conveyor and spray or other means.
There are growing markets and good prices for sodium carbonate. It may pay for the total process and more, rendering the desalted Sea water free of charge.
The Ammonium in the NH
4
Cl can be recycled by thermal treatment with calcium oxide, or converted to NH
3
and Cl.
The chemical formula for the salt break up with Sea water as carrier and 3 percent salt and 1 Ton salt being removed, is:
32.3
T
1.0
T
0.45
T
0.38
T
0.91
T
0.91
T
32.3
T
194
H
2
O
+
2
N
a
C
l
+
2
N
H
3
+
C
O
2
=
N
a
C
O
3
+
2
N
H
4
C
l
+
194
H
2
O
18
116
52
44
106
106
18
REFERENCES:
patent: 1491672 (1924-04-01), Claude
patent: 1570299 (1926-01-01), Galt
patent: 2003378 (1935-06-01), MacMullin
patent: 2843454 (1958-07-01), Devaux et al.
patent: 3014782 (1961-12-01), Arita et al.
patent: 3203894 (1965-08-01), Ikuno
patent: 3332767 (1967-07-01), Heins
patent: 5683587 (1997-11-01), Ferrara et al.
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