Synthetic fuel production method

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for producing synthetic fuels such as alkanes, alkenes, and ethanol from organic waste such as wood and PET. [Solution] Water, raw materials such as wood or waste plastics, and complexes are simultaneously fed into a high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis unit supplied with hydrogen gas or H₂HO gas. The raw materials are hydrothermally decomposed and carbonized, becoming gaseous fuel, liquid fuel, and water vapor. This mixture is then sent to a separation unit via a heat exchanger (pressure-reducing tank), where it is separated into water, gaseous fuel (room-temperature vaporized fuel), and liquid fuel (room-temperature liquefied fuel) and used as fuel.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing synthetic fuels such as alkanes, alkenes, ethanol, etc. from organic waste such as wood and PET. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, carbon bonds have been separated and constructed using FT synthesis (a catalytic reaction that synthesizes petroleum-alternative fuels such as diesel and chemical products from a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen using a catalyst such as cobalt) and the Sabatier reaction (a chemical reaction that produces methane and water by placing hydrogen and carbon dioxide under high temperature and pressure conditions using catalysts such as nickel and ruthenium). In addition, in wood processing, rotary kiln methods and gasification power generation through methane fermentation are being used in some areas.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that waste containing organic matter such as paper chips, wood chips and / or plastics and inorganic matter such as metal, glass and ceramics is treated with a hydrothermal reaction that proceeds at a temperature of 150°C to 250°C and a pressure of 1.5 MPa to 2.5 MPa (15 kgf / cm2 to 25 kgf / cm2) while being stirred. This prevents the plastics from fusing together by stirring the solid matter, and modifies the organic matter into fine particles or powder, making the organic matter in the waste in a form that is easy to separate.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing light oil by catalytically liquefying waste plastics in a hydrogen atmosphere at high temperature and pressure. Specifically, it describes high-temperature, high-pressure treatment under the following conditions: reaction temperature: 450°C, reaction pressure: 170 atm, supply amounts: waste plastic = 1.0 kg / hr, catalyst (FeS2 catalyst) = 0.012 kg / hr, hydrogen = 500 liters / hr.

[0005] Patent Document 3 describes a process in which organic waste is placed in a pressure vessel for high-temperature, high-pressure treatment, saturated steam and superheated steam are introduced into the vessel, and the waste is stirred in steam whose moisture content has been adjusted with the superheated steam under conditions of a temperature of 100 to 300°C and a pressure of 0.1 to 4.0 MPa in a sealed state, and organic acids including fulvic acid are extracted from the organic waste into a mixed steam of the saturated steam and superheated steam, which is then cooled and recovered.

[0006] Patent Document 4 discloses a synthetic fuel production apparatus and method that determine the type of synthetic fuel to be produced depending on the state of hydrocarbon production by the FT synthesis reaction and that can efficiently operate a fractionator at a fractional distillation temperature suitable for the fractional distillation of the hydrocarbons used for the synthetic fuel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-223914 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 05-186632 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7240552 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-171380 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The synthesis of hydrocarbons by FT synthesis and the Sabatier reaction is extremely inefficient. Power generation from gasification of wood materials using a rotary kiln and power generation from methane gas using microorganisms also have low energy conversion efficiency.

[0009] The disclosure of Patent Document 1 aims to obtain granular or powdered oil-producing raw materials, and does not aim to obtain alkanes, alkenes, benzene, or alcohols that can be used in various power engines as is or after slight processing, as in the present application.

[0010] The reaction conditions disclosed in Patent Document 2 are for carrying out the reaction in a hydrogen atmosphere, but these are not hydrothermal reaction conditions in which water separates into hydrogen (protons) and hydroxyl groups (hydroxyl groups), the hydrogen bonds to carbon, and alkanes, alkenes, and the like are produced.

[0011] Patent Document 3 discloses a hydrothermal reaction, but it is directed to producing fulvic acid (organic acid), not to obtaining alkanes, alkenes, benzene, or alcohols.

[0012] In the FT synthesis method disclosed in Patent Document 4, hydrogen and carbon dioxide are supplied, but the reaction is not carried out under conditions that allow water to separate into hydrogen (protons) and hydroxyl groups (hydroxyl groups), and therefore the efficiency is low. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The inventors investigated the process by which the benzene nucleus decomposes to form methanol during PET decomposition in the FT synthesis and Sabatier reaction. Data showed that when nothing was added, i.e., when water, PET, and a complex (catalyst) were used, there was a lack of hydrogen. However, the addition of hydrogen or H₂O₂ gas during the production of alcohol-based substances increased the yield. Furthermore, the inventors discovered that tetrahydropyrrolo, dioxolane, oxazin, pentene, etc. were obtained during the decomposition of the benzene nucleus. Furthermore, we discovered that by adding hydrogen or H₂O₂ gas during the hydrothermal decomposition of wood, it is possible to efficiently produce methanol, ethanol, pentene, propane, and other compounds.

[0014] The present invention was made based on the above findings, and involves placing raw materials obtained by cutting up waste plastics such as PET, PP, PE, and PS, and wood, into a pressure vessel for high-temperature, high-pressure treatment. Saturated steam and hydrogen or H₂₄₆₀₆H₂O gas are supplied into the vessel, where treatment is carried out at a temperature of 180 to 300°C, a pressure of 1.0 to 8.6 MPa, and a treatment time of 30 minutes to 2 hours. Liquid synthetic fuel is then separated from the resulting water and gas-liquid mixed fuel.

[0015] The synthetic fuel may be an alkane, an alkene, or an alcohol, and the wood may be early maturing paulownia. The input raw material may be a mixture of waste plastics, wood, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, carbohydrates, etc. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, when wood and waste plastics are decomposed by a hydrothermal reaction, the hydrogen ions are artificially increased, so that decomposition can be carried out quickly and synthetic fuel can be obtained efficiently.

[0017] The substances produced during the methanol production process from waste plastics such as PET have chemical formulas similar to those of the cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and amylose found in wood. By extracting these compounds according to the number of carbon bonds in series and combining them with hydrogen, alkanes are formed. Therefore, wood and waste plastics can be decomposed and processed simultaneously.

[0018] In particular, 60-70% of wood is used as a building material, and the rest is only used in small amounts as fuel, and is currently discarded wastefully. However, by using wood as a raw material for synthetic fuel, resources can be used more effectively and a carbon-neutral carbon circulation system can be created. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] Overall configuration diagram of a system incorporating the synthetic fuel production method of the present invention and performing power generation. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the raw materials and decomposition products fed into a high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis device used in the implementation of the synthetic fuel production method according to the present invention. [Figure 3] A diagram explaining the structure of the high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis device [Figure 4] A diagram showing the chemical formulas of the substances obtained by decomposing each raw material DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Figure 1 shows an example of a system that performs everything from hydrothermal decomposition of raw materials to power generation. A high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis equipment equipped with a pressure reactor for the hydrothermal reaction is used to feed raw materials, including a mixture of chipped wood (early maturing paulownia), rice husks, and finely shredded waste plastic such as PET, or one of these materials, together with water.

[0021] In addition to water (saturated steam), the high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis unit is supplied with hydrogen gas from a hydrogen generator or H⋅HO gas from an H⋅HO gas generator, and as shown in Figure 2, a complex (e.g., a catalyst such as silicon dioxide) is also added along with the raw materials. The input raw materials are hydrothermally decomposed under high temperature and pressure. The hydrothermally decomposed raw materials become gas-phase fuel, liquid-phase fuel, and steam. This mixture of gas-phase fuel, liquid-phase fuel, and steam is sent to a heat exchanger (decompression tank).

[0022] In the heat exchanger, the steam condenses into water, and some of the heat generated in this process is returned to the high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis unit to prevent energy loss, while the remaining heat is used to warm the pre-feed hopper before feeding, and then, while further increasing thermal efficiency, is sent to a binary generator (such as a Stirling engine) to generate electricity.

[0023] In addition, the mixture of gaseous fuel, liquid phase fuel and water from the heat exchanger is sent to a separator, where it is separated into water, gaseous fuel (room temperature vaporized fuel) and liquid fuel (room temperature liquefied fuel). The water is returned to the high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis unit, and the gaseous fuel and liquid fuel are used in an engine generator to generate electricity. Separation devices include PV, ultrasonic, distillation, coagulation, and solvent extraction methods, but by measuring the total amount of water and carbon and converting all of the carbon and water into fuel, the separation and extraction process can be eliminated, significantly reducing costs. From wood, a series-bonded carbon body with seven or fewer carbon atoms can be produced, and engines designed for either vaporized or liquefied substances, or for a mixture, are used.

[0024] The power generated by the binary generator and engine generator is stored in the power controller's battery and used when needed. A solar panel may also be connected to the power controller. While the gaseous and liquid fuels obtained in the illustrated example are used for power generation, their use is not limited to power generation.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the high-temperature, high-pressure hydrolysis apparatus is equipped with a pressure reactor. When water is not being added, saturated steam or superheated steam from a steam boiler is supplied to the pressure reactor, causing electron ions and protons to move at high speed, while simultaneously increasing the ion product. The pressure reactor has a double structure, with the outer space supplied with high-temperature heat transfer medium from a heat transfer medium boiler, and the heat extracted by heat exchange is used to heat the pressure reactor.

[0026] A raw material input hopper is attached to the top of the pressure reactor and is heated by waste heat. Also attached to the top is a gas supply pipe from a hydrogen generator and / or a H₂HO gas generator. Examples of hydrogen and H₂HO gas generators include, but are not limited to, water electrolysis devices.

[0027] Although the combustion energy of hydrogen alone is low, by combining it with carbon, it is possible to obtain high-octane and high-output energy.In addition, the energy required to change the structure of wood, which is a difficult-to-decompose substance, into a readily decomposable substance is hydrogen bonding, so less energy is required to produce it.

[0028] The raw materials in the pressure reactor are stirred vertically by an agitator, and a discharge rotor is provided below the agitator. The discharge rotor discharges the reaction residue to the outside through a discharge port provided at the bottom of the pressure reactor.

[0029] Pressure reactor (volume: 2m 3 The reaction conditions were: temperature: 180°C to 300°C, pressure: 1 MPa to 8.6 MPa, stirring speed: 10 to 150 rpm, and treatment time: 30 minutes to 3 hours. Stirring conditions were such that high-speed rotation was used when the complex was heavy, and low-speed rotation was used when the complex was light, to promote stirring.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, inside the pressure reactor, cellulose, hemicellulose, and other materials that make up the wood-based raw materials are decomposed into alkanes, alkenes, and alcohols. In the case of waste plastic, which makes up the raw material, one carbon atom in the six-membered benzene ring is removed and oxygen is inserted, forming tetrahydropyrrolo. Next, from the point where this oxygen atom has entered, the carbon atom and oxygen are either swapped while maintaining the ring structure, or the carbon atoms are bonded in a chain-like manner, ultimately producing alkanes, alkenes, and alcohols.

[0031] The portion of the reactants containing a large amount of gas phase is recovered from a pipe installed at the top of the pressure reactor, and the portion containing a large amount of liquid phase is recovered from a pipe installed on the side of the pressure reactor.The reactants then pass through a separator, where water is separated from the gas phase fuel and liquid phase fuel.The gas phase fuel and liquid phase fuel are then stored or used as fuel in the gas phase, liquid phase, or mixed state, depending on the application.

[0032] The separated water is returned to the pressure reactor, where it contains non-volatile carbon bonds and hydronium, which can be recycled back to the reactor to further increase the yield.

Claims

1. A method for producing synthetic fuel, comprising: placing raw materials obtained by cutting wood and waste plastic into a pressure vessel for high-temperature, high-pressure treatment; supplying water or saturated steam and hydrogen or H₂O₂ gas into the pressure vessel; treating the raw materials in the pressure vessel at a temperature of 180 to 300°C, a pressure of 1.0 to 8.6 MPa, and a treatment time of 30 minutes to 3 hours; and separating gaseous and liquid synthetic fuel from the resulting water and gas-liquid mixed fuel.

2. 2. The method for producing a synthetic fuel according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic fuel is any one of an alkane, an alkene, and an alcohol.

3. 2. The method for producing synthetic fuel according to claim 1, wherein the wood is early-ripening paulownia.

4. 2. The method for producing synthetic fuel according to claim 1, wherein the raw materials are charged into a pressure vessel together with silicon dioxide (silica) as a catalyst made of a complex.

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