Apparatus and method for continuously producing vaterite crystalline calcium carbonate using greenhouse gas

The continuous production of vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate is achieved through a carbonation reaction of seawater and alkaline industrial by-products, addressing inefficiencies in existing methods and resulting in high-purity, high-yield production with improved economic and environmental outcomes.

WO2025110411A1PCT designated stage expired Publication Date: 2025-05-30BAEK KWANG MINERAL PRODS +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/KR2024/012186
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-11-21
Filing Date
2024-08-16
Publication Date
2025-05-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Current methods for producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals are inefficient due to indirect carbonation processes, slow reaction rates, environmental concerns, and difficulties in controlling particle size and uniformity.

Method used

A continuous production device and method utilizing the carbonation reaction of seawater and alkaline industrial by-products, where seawater is used to precipitate magnesium and elute calcium ions, followed by a carbonation reaction with CO2 microbubbles, and finally, dehydration and drying to produce vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate.

Benefits of technology

This method enables high-yield, continuous production of high-purity vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate, improving economic feasibility, resource conservation, and reducing environmental impact by utilizing seawater and industrial by-products.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for continuously producing vaterite crystalline calcium carbonate using a greenhouse gas and, more specifically, to a method for continuously producing vaterite crystalline calcium carbonate using a greenhouse gas, whereby it is possible to continuously produce high-quality vaterite crystalline calcium carbonate while utilizing carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, by using a carbonation reaction of seawater and alkaline industrial by-products.
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Description

Continuous production device and method for calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals utilizing greenhouse gases

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and method for continuously producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals utilizing greenhouse gases, and more specifically, to a device and method for continuously producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals utilizing greenhouse gases, which can continuously produce high-quality calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals while utilizing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, through a carbonation reaction of seawater and alkaline industrial by-products.

[0002] Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) refers to carbon dioxide capture technology and its utilization or storage. Recently, geographic and environmental constraints have highlighted the limitations of mass storage of captured carbon dioxide. Consequently, active research and development is underway on technologies that utilize captured carbon dioxide as an alternative to storage. Among these, mineral carbonation technology is attracting attention as a technology that can stably and permanently store large quantities of carbon dioxide generated in industrial settings.

[0003] Mineral carbonation involves three stages: raw material procurement, carbonation reaction, and product separation. Among inorganic carbonates, precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) has a domestic market of 150,000 tons annually and is used in a variety of fields, including paper, rubber, plastics, paints / coatings, and adhesives / sealants.

[0004] This calcium carbonate can crystallize into three crystal structures: calcite, vaterite, and aragonite from the amorphous calcium carbonate at the beginning of the reaction. Among them, the vaterite crystal phase is a hydrophilic material with a large specific surface area and porosity, and can be used in many expensive inkjet dyes, calcium supplements, and artificial bones compared to the other two crystal types of calcium carbonate. However, it is thermodynamically unstable, so as the reaction continues, it recrystallizes on its own and transforms into a stable calcite crystal phase. Therefore, mass production is currently impossible, and only small quantities are being produced.

[0005] Accordingly, Korean Patent Nos. 1490389 and 1551896 disclose a method for producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals by supplying carbon dioxide to an ammonia solution mixed with desulfurized gypsum to carbonate it and then filtering it.

[0006] However, these methods are indirect carbonation methods that manufacture calcium carbonate by reacting carbon dioxide in an ammonia solution containing desulfurized gypsum. Unlike direct carbonation, solvents or chelates must be used to dissolve calcium in the desulfurized gypsum. In addition, carbon dioxide has very limited solubility in an ammonia solution containing calcium ions, so the carbonation reaction progresses slowly, which inevitably lengthens the manufacturing time of calcium carbonate, making it difficult to secure economic feasibility. In addition, there were environmental problems in process operation due to the continuous vaporization of ammonia water, and it was difficult to control the size and particle shape of calcium carbonate produced in the continuous manufacturing process, and there was a problem of poor particle uniformity.

[0007] [Prior Art Literature]

[0008] [Patent Document]

[0009] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 1490389 (Publication Date: February 5, 2015)

[0010] (Patent Document 2) Korean Patent No. 1551896 (Published: April 3, 2015)

[0011] The main purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a continuous production device and method for vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate utilizing greenhouse gases, which can continuously produce vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate by utilizing the carbonation reaction of seawater and alkaline industrial by-products, and can effectively utilize carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by converting it into calcium carbonate.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a calcium elution unit for adding seawater to an alkaline industrial by-product to produce a calcium elution solution in which magnesium is precipitated in a solid state; a first separation unit for centrifuging the calcium elution solution produced in the calcium elution unit to separate a magnesium precipitate; a reaction unit for receiving the calcium elution solution from which the magnesium precipitate is separated from the first separation unit, and supplying a carbon dioxide-containing gas in the form of microbubbles having an average diameter of 1 mm to 2.5 mm to the supplied calcium elution solution from which the magnesium precipitate is separated, to obtain a reactant in which calcium carbonate is precipitated; a second separation unit for dehydrating the reactant obtained in the reaction unit to obtain a calcium carbonate cake; And a drying unit for producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals by simultaneously drying and crushing the calcium carbonate cake through particle collision by rotation while spraying hot air of 100°C to 550°C on the calcium carbonate cake obtained in the second separation unit; The present invention provides a continuous production device for calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals, characterized by including:

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seawater may be selected from the group consisting of normal seawater, seawater desalination concentrate, brine, bittern, and mixtures thereof.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the alkaline industrial by-product may be selected from the group consisting of paper sludge ash (PSA), cement kiln dust (CKD), quicklime kiln dust, fuel ash, bottom ash, fly ash, de-inking ash, steelmaking slag, waste concrete, and mixtures thereof.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the weight ratio of the alkaline industrial by-product and seawater may be 1:5 to 100.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microbubbles may be characterized by having an average diameter of 1 mm to 2.5 mm.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flow rate of the carbon dioxide-containing gas may be 0.71 L / min to 2.14 L / min per 1 L of the calcium effluent from which the magnesium precipitate is separated.

[0018] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for continuously producing vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate, comprising the steps of: (a) adding seawater to an alkaline industrial by-product to produce a calcium leached solution in which magnesium is precipitated in a solid state; (b) centrifuging the produced calcium leached solution to separate a magnesium precipitate from the calcium leached solution; (c) supplying a carbon dioxide-containing gas in the form of microbubbles having an average diameter of 1 mm to 2.5 mm to the calcium leached solution from which the magnesium precipitate has been separated to obtain a reactant in which calcium carbonate is precipitated; (d) dehydrating the obtained reactant to obtain a calcium carbonate cake; and (e) drying and simultaneously crushing the calcium carbonate cake through particle collision by rotation while spraying hot air of 100°C to 550°C to the obtained calcium carbonate cake to produce calcium carbonate in a vaterite crystal-phase.

[0019] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seawater in step (a) may be characterized by being selected from the group consisting of normal seawater, seawater desalination concentrate, brine, bittern, and mixtures thereof.

[0020] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the alkaline industrial by-product of step (a) may be selected from the group consisting of paper sludge ash (PSA), cement kiln dust (CKD), quicklime kiln dust, fuel ash, bottom ash, fly ash, de-inking ash, steelmaking slag, waste concrete, and mixtures thereof.

[0021] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the weight ratio of the alkaline industrial by-product and seawater in step (a) may be 1:5 to 100.

[0022] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microbubbles may be characterized by having an average diameter of 1 mm to 2.5 mm.

[0023] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flow rate of the carbon dioxide-containing gas may be characterized as being 0.71 L / min to 2.14 L / min per 1 L of the calcium effluent from which the magnesium precipitate is separated.

[0024] According to the present invention, since seawater and alkaline industrial by-products are used as starting materials, the amount of limestone, a natural resource, can be reduced, thereby enabling resource conservation, and the raw material for calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals can be economically supplied, and the magnesium contained in seawater can be used to efficiently extract calcium contained in alkaline industrial by-products, and at the same time, magnesium in seawater, which hinders the production of high-purity calcium carbonate using alkaline industrial by-products, is continuously separated and removed by a centrifugal method, thereby increasing the purity of calcium carbonate, and by utilizing seawater instead of an expensive solvent, it has the effect of improving the economic feasibility of storing carbon dioxide and producing calcium carbonate.

[0025] In addition, according to the present invention, by applying a centrifugal separation method and a rotary impact drying method using hot air to produce calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals, scale-up is easy, grinding and classification can be performed simultaneously with drying during drying, and there is an effect of being able to continuously produce calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals at a high yield.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a continuous production device for calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flow chart showing a continuous production method of calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a drying unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 shows the results of X-ray diffraction analysis of calcium carbonate manufactured in examples and comparative examples of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 shows the results of SEM analysis of calcium carbonate manufactured in Examples 1 to 7 of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6 shows the SEM analysis results of calcium carbonate in comparative examples 1 to 12 of the present invention.

[0032] [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 100: Calcium elution zone

[0034] 200: First Separation Section

[0035] 210: Centrifuge

[0036] 300: Reaction section

[0037] 310: Microbubble device

[0038] 400: Second Separation Unit

[0039] 410: Filter press

[0040] 500: Drying section

[0041] 510: Rotary impact dryer

[0042] 520: Hot air supply unit

[0043] 521, 540: Blower

[0044] 522: Heater

[0045] 530: Capture Unit

[0046] 550: Chimney

[0047] 1000: Continuous production device for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form

[0048] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In general, the nomenclature used herein is well known and commonly used in the art.

[0049] The terms “comprising,” “including,” or “having” used in this specification indicate the presence of features, values, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and do not exclude the possibility that other features, values, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof that are not mentioned may be present or added.

[0050] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, in describing the present invention, descriptions of functions or configurations already known will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

[0051] The chemical reactions described below can be carried out at room temperature unless otherwise specified, and can be performed under typical chemical reaction conditions without additional modifications. However, interpretations should not deviate from matters clearly understood by those skilled in the art.

[0052] In general, calcium carbonate in the vaterite crystal phase is thermodynamically unstable, so as reactions continue, it recrystallizes on its own and transforms into a stable calcite crystal phase. Therefore, continuous mass production is currently impossible, and only small quantities are being produced.

[0053] Accordingly, in the present invention, it was confirmed that high-quality vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate can be continuously produced while utilizing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, by utilizing the carbonation reaction of seawater and alkaline industrial by-products and applying a centrifugal separation method and a rotary impact drying method using hot air, thereby completing the present invention.

[0054] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a continuous production device for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a continuous production method for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form according to one embodiment of the present invention. With reference to these, the continuous production device and method for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form according to the present invention will be described.

[0055] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a continuous production device (1000) for calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals according to the present invention includes a calcium elution unit (100), a first separation unit (200), a reaction unit (300), a second separation unit (400), and a drying unit (500).

[0056] The above calcium elution unit (100) adds seawater to alkaline industrial by-products to precipitate magnesium present in seawater, and simultaneously elutes calcium ions present in the alkaline industrial by-products to produce a calcium elution solution.

[0057] At this time, the alkaline industrial by-product may be used without limitation as long as it is an alkaline industrial by-product containing calcium, and examples thereof may include paper sludge ash (PSA), cement kiln dust (CKD), quicklime kiln dust, fuel ash, bottom ash, fly ash, de-inking ash, steelmaking slag, waste concrete, and mixtures thereof, and preferably, it may be cement kiln dust having a CaO content of 40 wt% or more and a particle size of 10 ㎛ to 1,000 ㎛, which can be used directly as a raw material for a carbonation reaction without pretreatment such as grinding or crushing.

[0058] Meanwhile, seawater can be used without limitation as long as it is seawater capable of dissolving calcium from the alkaline industrial by-product, and examples thereof include general seawater, seawater desalination concentrate, brine, bittern, etc., and seawater filtered using a membrane filter, etc., can be used to filter out impurities present in the seawater.

[0059] The above seawater contains salts such as NaCl, MgCl2, MgSO4, CaSO4, and K2SO4, and when alkaline industrial by-products are added to the seawater containing these salts, the magnesium present in the seawater is precipitated and the calcium ions present in the alkaline industrial by-products are dissolved. The magnesium precipitation and calcium ion dissolution reaction can be expressed as shown in the following reaction scheme 1, and this is a reaction with a very strong equilibrium toward the forward reaction, which can be the driving force for the calcium ion dissolution reaction.

[0060] [Reaction Formula 1]

[0061] CaO(s) + Mg 2+ (aq) + H2O(l) → Mg(OH)2(s) + Ca 2+ (aq)

[0062] Meanwhile, magnesium contained in seawater acts as a factor that increases the efficiency of the reaction in the dissolution of calcium ions as shown in reaction formula 1, but acts as an interfering factor in the subsequent step of generating calcium carbonate by injecting carbon dioxide-containing gas. That is, magnesium ions (Mg 2+ ) reacts with carbon dioxide supplied to seawater to form magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), thereby forming calcium ions (Ca 2+) competitively inhibits the formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) through the reaction with carbon dioxide, and forms magnesium carbonate as an impurity, which is an obstacle in the production of high-purity vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate. Therefore, seawater containing magnesium has not been considered as a solvent in the reaction for producing high-purity calcium carbonate, even though it has a high calcium elution efficiency.

[0063] However, when calcium is extracted by reacting alkaline industrial by-products with seawater, the pH of the seawater increases as the calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide of the alkaline industrial by-products dissolves in the seawater, and at high pH, ​​magnesium in the seawater reacts with OH and precipitates in the form of Mg(OH)2. This precipitation reaction of Mg(OH)2 can be expressed as shown in the following reaction formula 2, and this is a reaction in which the equilibrium is dominant as a forward reaction (K ≒ 10 11 ), most of the magnesium ions present in seawater can be precipitated in the form of Mg(OH)2.

[0064] [Reaction Formula 2]

[0065] Mg 2+ + 2OH - → Mg(OH)2(s)

[0066] Therefore, according to the present invention, by adding seawater to an alkaline industrial by-product, magnesium present in the seawater can be precipitated and removed, so seawater can be used as a solvent in a reaction for producing high-purity calcium carbonate.

[0067] At this time, the weight ratio of the alkaline industrial by-product and seawater may vary depending on the available calcium content in the alkaline industrial by-product, but preferably, the weight ratio of the alkaline industrial by-product and seawater may be adjusted to 1:5 to 100, more preferably 1:10 to 80, and even more preferably 1:10 to 50. When the content of seawater to the alkaline industrial by-product satisfies the above ratio range, there is an advantage of increasing the efficiency of calcium ion elution, and when it goes beyond the above range, problems such as a decrease in the efficiency of calcium ion elution or inability to secure a sufficient amount of calcium elution may occur.

[0068] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seawater may be characterized in that the concentration of magnesium in the seawater is 1,000 mg / L to 5,000 mg / L. As described above, magnesium ions in the seawater act as a factor that dissolves available calcium present in the form of CaO in alkaline industrial by-products. Therefore, the higher the concentration of magnesium in the seawater, the more the efficiency of calcium ion dissolution can be improved. However, when the concentration of magnesium exceeds 5,000 mg / L, there is an advantage in that more calcium is dissolved as the magnesium concentration increases, and more carbon dioxide is utilized, but the time is longer than the optimal process time, so that calcium carbonate manufactured in the form of vaterite may recrystallize into calcium carbonate in the form of calcite, which is thermodynamically more stable.

[0069] Generally, seawater contains magnesium at a concentration of about 1,300 mg / L (about 0.05 M), so additional magnesium ions can be added to increase the magnesium concentration in seawater. The magnesium ions added at this time can be added in the form of magnesium salt, Mg 2+There is no particular limitation as long as it can be supplied. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the magnesium salt may be MgCl2ㆍ6H2O. In addition, a method of increasing the concentration of salts by using a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane may also be applied to increase the magnesium content in seawater.

[0070] The above calcium dissolution unit (100) may be made of stainless steel, a material resistant to salt corrosion, to prevent corrosion due to the salt content of seawater, and may be equipped with a double blade to ensure that alkaline byproducts do not accumulate on the bottom and that the reaction is performed uniformly. The double blade may be configured to be detachable and removable as needed, so that it can be maintained and replaced.

[0071] Afterwards, magnesium is precipitated in the calcium elution unit (100) and the calcium elution solution from which calcium is elution is supplied to the first separation unit (200). The first separation unit (200) receives the supplied calcium elution solution and performs solid-liquid separation to separate the magnesium precipitate from the calcium elution solution.

[0072] The first separation unit (200) may include a centrifuge (210), and magnesium precipitated in the calcium leached solution may be separated through the centrifuge. At this time, the centrifugation rotation speed may be performed at 3,000 rpm to 5,500 rpm. If the centrifugation rotation speed is less than 3,000 rpm, the precipitated Mg(OH)2 may be mixed with the calcium leached solution and discharged, which may cause a problem in that the purity of the vaterite-type calcium carbonate may be lowered. If it exceeds 5,500 rpm, the obtained calcium leached solution may be small, which may cause a problem in that the calcium carbonate yield may be low.

[0073] Conventionally, when separating magnesium precipitate from calcium leached solution, membrane filters or filter presses were used, but such separation methods required re-arrangement after use, and continuous operation was not possible due to the need for membrane or filter cloth fastening, separation and washing processes, etc. Therefore, in the present invention, by applying a centrifugal separation method when separating magnesium precipitate from calcium leached solution, continuous operation is possible without burden on the subsequent stage, and high-purity vaterite crystal calcium carbonate can be stably produced.

[0074] The magnesium precipitate separated from the first separation unit is in the form of Mg(OH)2, and the Mg(OH)2 separated in this way can be stored separately and used for other purposes.

[0075] The calcium leached liquid from which the magnesium precipitate is separated is transferred to a reaction unit (300), and in the reaction unit (300), carbon dioxide-containing gas is injected in the form of microbubbles into the calcium leached liquid from which the magnesium precipitate is separated, thereby generating a reactant in which calcium carbonate is formed through a carbonation reaction as shown in Reaction Formula 3.

[0076] [Reaction Formula 3]

[0077] CO2(aq) + H2O ↔ H2CO3(aq)

[0078] H2CO3(aq) ↔ H + + HCO3 -

[0079] HCO3 - ↔ H + + CO3 2-

[0080] Ca2 + + CO3 2- ↔ CaCO3

[0081] Referring to the above reaction formula 3, carbon dioxide (CO2) is dissolved in the calcium leached solution from which the magnesium precipitate is separated, and carbonate ions (CO3 2-) is formed, hydrogen ions are generated, and therefore, as carbon dioxide-containing gas is injected to form calcium carbonate, the pH of the calcium leached solution gradually decreases. At this time, NaOH is used as an additive to form Ca 2+ and CO3 2- It allows chemical reactions to occur and bonds to occur.

[0082] Accordingly, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the carbon dioxide-containing gas supplied in the form of microbubbles can be supplied until the pH of the calcium leached solution from which the magnesium precipitate is separated becomes 7 to 8.5 to perform a carbonation reaction.

[0083] If the pH of the calcium leached solution is less than 7 due to the continuous supply of carbon dioxide-containing gas supplied in the form of microbubbles, the carbonation reaction may proceed excessively, causing the formed vaterite-type crystal structure to recrystallize into calcite. The calcite-type calcium carbonate may be further carbonated into calcium bicarbonate due to the low pH, and as the calcium bicarbonate dissolves in the solvent, the solid content yield may decrease, resulting in a problem of reduced process efficiency. In addition, if the pH of the calcium leached solution exceeds 8.5, since sufficient carbon dioxide is not supplied, calcium ions effective for the reaction may not react sufficiently and remain, resulting in a problem of reduced carbonation reaction efficiency.

[0084] At this time, the carbonation reaction can be performed at 10°C to 40°C, and when the above reaction conditions are satisfied, calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals can be stably produced while preventing a decrease in the reaction rate.

[0085] The carbon dioxide-containing gas that can be used in the above carbonation reaction is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of pure carbon dioxide, FINEX off gas (FOG), FINEX tail gas (FTG), blast furnace gas (BFG), converter gas, coal-fired power plant exhaust gas, gas-fired power plant exhaust gas, incinerator exhaust gas, glass melting exhaust gas, thermal facility exhaust gas, petrochemical process exhaust gas, petrochemical process gas, post-combustion exhaust gas, and gasifier exhaust gas.

[0086] The above reaction unit (300) may include a microbubble device (310) that supplies carbon dioxide-containing gas in the form of microbubbles to the calcium effluent from which the magnesium precipitate has been separated. The microbubble device (310) may be applied without limitation to any device capable of supplying microbubbles of carbon dioxide-containing gas to the calcium effluent, and for example, the microbubble device may be a microbubble pump type, a pressurized dissolution type, or a microbubble device that induces gas particles to be broken down into small particles by passing through a micronozzle.

[0087] The above microbubble pump type microbubble device generates a vortex in an aqueous solution to suck in gas through a pressure difference, and when the vortex collapses, the rotational force of the released bubbles is converted into collision energy, which causes the bubbles to become micronized by the impact. This method generates microbubbles when the vortex of the liquid containing the bubbles collapses, and the calcium elution liquid from which the magnesium precipitate in the reaction section is separated is injected into the pump, thereby mixing the carbon dioxide gas and the aqueous solution by creating a vortex inside the pump.

[0088] In addition, the pressurized dissolution method microbubble device is installed at the bottom of the reaction section, and the amount of gas dissolved increases in proportion to the pressure according to Henry's law. The pressurized dissolution method can utilize this characteristic to dissolve carbon dioxide in an aqueous solution, then reduce the pressure to create a supersaturated condition, and can be designed to automatically shut off when a specific pH, such as pH 7 to 8.5, is reached through a pH meter. The time to reach a specific pH may vary depending on the flow conditions, and can be set so that a continuous process can be performed.

[0089] In addition, the micro-bubble device using the micro-nozzle method is installed at the bottom of the reaction section, so that the gas passing through it is evenly distributed within the reaction section, which can induce rapid dissolution. In particular, although carbon dioxide has a high solubility in water, dissolution occurs from the part that comes into contact with the liquid (water), so if the part that comes into contact with the liquid is maximized, the dissolution rate of carbon dioxide can be increased. In a process requiring a high content of carbon dioxide, such as the present invention, the carbon dioxide injected through the micro-bubble device using the micro-nozzle method can be utilized to the maximum extent, thereby increasing process efficiency and shortening the process time.

[0090] The microbubbles formed by the above microbubble device are microbubbles with an average diameter of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, have less buoyancy than general bubbles in a solution, and shrink and convert into nano-sized bubbles when dissolved in a solvent, and then completely dissolve as they disappear, so not only does the contact area of ​​the bubbles increase, but also the amount of dissolution increases, which can improve the carbonation reactivity with the calcium eluate.

[0091] Specifically, when carbonation is performed with microbubbles having an average diameter of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, the particle shape of the generated calcium carbonate can be formed in a vaterite crystal phase rather than a calcite or aragonite crystal phase.

[0092] Accordingly, if the average diameter of the microbubbles is less than 1.0 mm, the carbon dioxide causes a rapid reaction rate due to the high ionization rate into the calcium leached solution, making it difficult to control the end point of the reaction, and as a result, the vaterite-type calcium carbonate produced may recrystallize into calcite-type calcium carbonate, and the recrystallized calcite-type calcium carbonate may be re-dissolved into the calcium leached solution. In addition, if the average diameter of the microbubbles exceeds 2.5 mm, the interface where the carbon dioxide gas and the calcium leached solution come into contact is small, which reduces the dissolving power into the calcium leached solution and lowers the carbonation rate, which causes a delay in the reaction time, and as a result, the problem of vaterite-type calcium carbonate being recrystallized into calcite-type calcium carbonate may occur.

[0093] In addition, the flow rate of the carbon dioxide-containing gas supplied in the form of the microbubbles may be 0.71 L / min to 2.14 L / min, preferably 0.71 L / min to 1.29 L / min, based on 1 L of the calcium effluent. When the flow rate of the carbon dioxide-containing gas is less than 0.71 L / min, the carbon dioxide injection rate into the calcium effluent is slow, so that the dissolving power is reduced, resulting in a long reaction time, which may cause a problem in that the vaterite-type calcium carbonate produced during the reaction is recrystallized into calcite-type calcium carbonate, and when it exceeds 2.14 L / min, the reaction rate is fast, making it difficult to control the reaction end point, which may cause a problem in that the vaterite-type calcium carbonate produced during the reaction is recrystallized into calcite-type calcium carbonate, and the recrystallized calcite-type calcium carbonate is redissolved back into the calcium effluent.

[0094] The reactant in which calcium carbonate is precipitated, obtained from the reaction unit (300) described above, is supplied to the second separation unit (400), and in the second separation unit (400), the supplied reactant is dehydrated to separate the filtrate and the calcium carbonate cake, and the separated calcium carbonate cake is obtained.

[0095] At this time, the second separation unit (400) may be equipped with a filter press (410) in which, as an example, filtration and washing discharge are automatically performed, and the reactants can be continuously dehydrated in the equipped filter press to form a calcium carbonate cake. When a filter press is used in this manner, it is effective in continuously recovering a large amount of calcium carbonate cake with minimized moisture content.

[0096] The above dehydrated calcium carbonate cake is transferred to a drying unit (500), and in the drying unit (500), the transferred calcium carbonate cake is dried and crushed to produce calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals.

[0097] The drying unit (500) may include, as an example, a rotary impact dryer (510) that dries and crushes calcium carbonate cake supplied from a second separation unit by spraying hot air onto the cake and causing particle collisions by centrifugal force, as shown in FIG. 3; a hot air supply unit (520) that supplies hot air to the rotary impact dryer; and a collection unit (530) that collects dried and finely divided calcium carbonate from the rotary impact dryer.

[0098] The above rotary impact dryer (510) is a dryer that dries and crushes the supplied calcium carbonate cake by particle collision using high-speed centrifugal force while spraying hot air supplied from a hot air supply unit (520). The dryer has a crushing rotary blade formed on a wall surface and / or a rotating shaft, so that moisture contained in the calcium carbonate cake is separated and dried by strong rotational force and hot air, and at the same time, stable crushing and crushing are achieved by collision between the calcium carbonate cake particles and the dryer wall surface, the crushing rotary blade, and the calcium carbonate cake.

[0099] At this time, the rotation speed of the rotary impact dryer of the drying unit may be 5,000 rpm to 9,000 rpm.

[0100] The hot air supply unit (520) that supplies hot air to the above-mentioned rotary impact dryer (510) is composed of a blower (521) and a heater (522) and can supply hot air of a certain temperature to the above-mentioned rotary impact dryer. The temperature of the hot air supplied to the above-mentioned rotary impact dryer may be 100°C to 550°C, preferably 100°C to 400°C, and more preferably 100°C to 350°C.

[0101] If the hot air temperature is less than 100℃, the moisture present in the calcium carbonate cake is not sufficiently removed, causing recrystallization of calcium carbonate due to the moisture, which may result in a deterioration in the quality of the calcium carbonate product. If it exceeds 400℃, the calcium carbonate having the vaterite crystal phase formed undergoes a phase transition to the calcite crystal phase, and furthermore, CO3 forming the calcium carbonate structure 2- This may cause problems such as dissociation into CO2, which reduces the purity of calcium carbonate.

[0102] In addition, the collecting unit (530) of the drying unit collects dried and finely divided calcium carbonate from the rotary impact dryer. At this time, the calcium carbonate can be collected by classifying only the finely divided calcium carbonate that is separated from the dryer by hot air. The collecting unit can be applied without limitation as long as it is a device that can collect solid particles in an air stream, and for example, it can be a dust collector that collects calcium carbonate particles in an air stream using a bag-shaped filter cloth.

[0103] Meanwhile, the drying unit may be equipped with a blower (540) and a chimney (550) that can transport and discharge the air separated by the collecting unit to the outside.

[0104] Hereinafter, a method for continuously producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0105] The continuous production method of calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form according to the present invention comprises the steps of: adding seawater to an alkaline industrial by-product to produce a calcium effluent in which magnesium is precipitated in a solid state [step (a)]; centrifuging the produced calcium effluent to separate the magnesium precipitate from the calcium effluent [step (b)]; then supplying a carbon dioxide-containing gas in the form of microbubbles to the calcium effluent from which the magnesium precipitate has been separated to obtain a reactant in which calcium carbonate is precipitated [step (c)]; dehydrating the obtained reactant to form a calcium carbonate cake [step (d)]; then drying and pulverizing the calcium carbonate cake through particle collision by rotation while spraying hot air on the formed calcium carbonate cake to produce calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form [step (e)].

[0106] Calcium carbonate manufactured in this way may have a vaterite crystal phase of 80 wt% or more, preferably 85 wt% or more, a purity of 97% or more, preferably 98%, a whiteness of 99% or more, and an average particle size of 1 ㎛ to 5 ㎛, and thus may be used as an expensive inkjet dye, a functional additive for papermaking, a rubber additive, a plastic additive, a calcium supplement, or an artificial bone.

[0107] The continuous production method of vaterite crystal phase calcium carbonate according to the present invention uses seawater and alkaline industrial by-products as starting materials, so that the amount of limestone, a natural resource, can be reduced, thereby enabling resource conservation, and the raw material of vaterite crystal phase calcium carbonate can be economically supplied, and the magnesium contained in seawater can be used to efficiently extract calcium contained in alkaline industrial by-products, and at the same time, the magnesium in seawater, which hinders the production of high-purity calcium carbonate using alkaline industrial by-products, is separated and removed by a centrifugal method, thereby increasing the purity of calcium carbonate, and the economic feasibility of carbon dioxide storage and calcium carbonate production can be improved by utilizing seawater instead of an expensive solvent.

[0108] In addition, the continuous production method of vaterite crystal phase calcium carbonate according to the present invention is easy to scale up by applying a centrifugal separation method and a rotary impact drying method using hot air, and can perform pulverization and sorting simultaneously with drying during drying, and can continuously produce high-yield vaterite crystal phase calcium carbonate.

[0109] The continuous production method of calcium carbonate in the vaterite crystal phase according to the present invention is the same as that mentioned in the corresponding continuous production device for calcium carbonate in the vaterite crystal phase, so a person skilled in the art will be able to clearly understand the production method, and thus, the description will be omitted to avoid duplication.

[0110] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through specific examples. The following examples are merely illustrative examples to aid understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0111] <Example 1>

[0112] 1-1: Calcium solution formation stage

[0113] Calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals was produced using the device shown in Fig. 1. 50 kg of quicklime kiln dust and 500 kg of seawater were supplied to the calcium elution unit and stirred at 25°C and 100 rpm for 1 hour to form a calcium elution solution in which magnesium was precipitated. At this time, the quicklime kiln dust had an effective particle size of 1,000 μm, and the results of chemical component analysis using an XRF (X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer) device are shown in Table 1 below.

[0114] [Table 1]

[0115]

[0116] In addition, seawater was collected from the east coast and concentrated using reverse osmosis. The pH of the seawater was 7.8, and the calcium and magnesium concentrations were analyzed by the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, an authorized analytical institution, and were found to be 798.4 mg / L and 2,546.6 mg / L, respectively, which are similar to the components of general seawater desalination concentrate.

[0117] 1-2: Magnesium precipitate separation and carbonation reaction steps

[0118] The calcium elution solution formed in the calcium elution unit of Example 1-1 was centrifuged to separate the precipitated magnesium using a centrifuge (rotation speed 3,500 rpm). Afterwards, the calcium elution solution from which the magnesium precipitate was separated was supplied to a reaction unit equipped with a microbubble device and stirred at a speed of 100 rpm. At this time, NaOH was injected as an additive to separate the Ca 2+ The reaction was induced in the form of Ca(OH)2 by chemical reaction with ions. The above NaOH is Ca 2+It was added in the molar ratio that reacts with, and if it is added in large quantities, unreacted NaOH will form Na2CO3 through a chemical reaction with CO2 injected in the form of microbubbles, and during the reaction, the Vaterite-type calcium carbonate that has already been formed will undergo a phase transition to calcite, which is a more stable state, making it difficult to obtain high-content Vaterite-type calcium carbonate. After securing a reaction stabilization time of 5 minutes, carbon dioxide was supplied in the form of microbubbles at 20 ℃ using the microbubble device until the pH of the calcium eluate became 7.5, and carbon dioxide was supplied at a rate of 0.71 L / min based on 1 L of the calcium eluate from which the magnesium precipitate was separated, to obtain a reactant in which calcium carbonate was precipitated. At this time, the average diameter of the microbubbles was 2.14 mm.

[0119] 1-3: Dehydration and drying step of the reactant with precipitated calcium carbonate

[0120] The reactant in which calcium carbonate was precipitated in Example 1-2 was dehydrated using a filter press to form a calcium carbonate cake, and then the formed calcium carbonate cake was continuously supplied at a speed of 70 kg / h to a drying section including a hot air supply section, a rotary impact dryer, and a collection section. The calcium carbonate cake supplied to the drying section was dried and pulverized through particle collision by rotation at 7,000 rpm while spraying hot air at 300°C, and finely powdered vaterite crystals were collected in the collection section to produce calcium carbonate.

[0121] <Examples 2 to 7>

[0122] Calcium carbonate was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the conditions of each example were changed as shown in Table 2 below.

[0123] <Comparative Examples 1 to 12>

[0124] Calcium carbonate was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the conditions of each comparative example were changed as shown in Table 2 below.

[0125] [Table 2]

[0126]

[0127] [Experimental Example 1: Measurement of Purity and Whiteness of Calcium Carbonate]

[0128] The purity and whiteness of the calcium carbonate produced in the examples and comparative examples were measured and shown in Table 3. At this time, the purity of the calcium carbonate was calculated by measuring the weight of calcium carbonate among the solid content obtained in the examples and comparative examples, and the whiteness was measured using a chromaticity meter (CR-400, Konica Minolta).

[0129] [Table 3]

[0130]

[0131] As shown in Table 3, the calcium carbonate produced in the examples and comparative examples all had a purity of 97.5% or more and a whiteness of 99% or more.

[0132] [Experimental Example 2: Measurement of the Crystal Structure and Whiteness of Calcium Carbonate]

[0133] In order to measure the crystal structure of the calcium carbonate manufactured in the examples and comparative examples, the crystallinity for the unique crystal structure (calcite, vaterite, aragonite) of the calcium carbonate included in the sample was calculated based on the Rietveld method from the X-ray spectrum, and the value was expressed as a percentage and calculated as a relative value of vaterite. In order to analyze the particle size, a scanning electron microscope (JSM-IT200, JEOL Co.) was used for analysis, and the results are shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and Table 4 below.

[0134] [Table 4]

[0135]

[0136] As shown in Table 4, Figures 5 and 6, it was confirmed that in the case of Examples 1 to 7, high-content vaterite-type calcium carbonate could be stably produced compared to Comparative Examples 1 to 12.

[0137] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the patent claims, the detailed description of the invention, and the attached drawings, and it is obvious that this also falls within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Calcium extraction section that adds seawater to alkali industrial by-products to produce a calcium extraction solution in which magnesium is precipitated in a solid state; A first separation unit for separating a magnesium precipitate by centrifuging the calcium elution solution produced in the above calcium elution unit; A reaction unit which receives a calcium leached solution from which a magnesium precipitate is separated from the first separation unit, and supplies carbon dioxide-containing gas in the form of microbubbles having an average diameter of 1 mm to 2.5 mm to the calcium leached solution from which the magnesium precipitate is separated, thereby obtaining a reactant in which calcium carbonate is precipitated; A second separation unit for removing the reactant obtained from the above reaction unit to obtain a calcium carbonate cake; and A continuous production device for vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate, characterized by including a drying unit for producing vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate by simultaneously drying and crushing the calcium carbonate cake through particle collision by rotation while spraying hot air of 100°C to 550°C on the calcium carbonate cake obtained in the second separation unit.

2. In paragraph 1, A continuous production device for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form, characterized in that the seawater is selected from the group consisting of normal seawater, seawater desalination concentrate, brine, bittern, and mixtures thereof.

3. In paragraph 1, A continuous production device for vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate, characterized in that the alkaline industrial by-product is selected from the group consisting of paper sludge ash (PSA), cement kiln dust (CKD), quicklime kiln dust, fuel ash, bottom ash, fly ash, de-inking ash, steelmaking slag, waste concrete, and mixtures thereof.

4. In paragraph 1, A continuous production device for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form, characterized in that the weight ratio of the alkaline industrial by-product and seawater is 1:5 to 100.

5. In paragraph 1, A continuous production device for calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form, characterized in that the flow rate of the carbon dioxide-containing gas is 0.71 L / min to 2.14 L / min per 1 L of calcium leached solution from which magnesium precipitate is separated. 6.(a) A step of adding seawater to alkaline industrial by-products to produce a calcium solution in which magnesium is precipitated in a solid state; (b) a step of centrifuging the generated calcium leached solution to separate the magnesium precipitate from the calcium leached solution; (c) a step of supplying carbon dioxide-containing gas in the form of microbubbles having an average diameter of 1 mm to 2.5 mm to the calcium leached solution from which the magnesium precipitate has been separated to obtain a reactant in which calcium carbonate is precipitated; (d) a step of dehydrating the obtained reactant to obtain a calcium carbonate cake; and (e) a step of producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals by simultaneously drying and crushing the calcium carbonate cake through particle collision by rotation while spraying hot air of 100° C. to 550° C. on the obtained calcium carbonate cake; a continuous method for producing calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite crystals, characterized by including the step.

7. In paragraph 6, A method for continuously producing calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form, characterized in that the seawater in step (a) is selected from the group consisting of normal seawater, seawater desalination concentrate, brine, bittern, and mixtures thereof.

8. In paragraph 6, A method for continuously producing vaterite crystal-phase calcium carbonate, characterized in that the alkaline industrial by-product of step (a) is selected from the group consisting of paper sludge ash (PSA), cement kiln dust (CKD), quicklime kiln dust, fuel ash, bottom ash, fly ash, de-inking ash, steelmaking slag, waste concrete, and mixtures thereof.

9. In paragraph 6, A continuous method for producing calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form, characterized in that the weight ratio of the alkaline industrial by-product and seawater in step (a) is 1:5 to 100.

10. In paragraph 6, A method for continuously producing calcium carbonate in vaterite crystal form, characterized in that the flow rate of the carbon dioxide-containing gas is 0.71 L / min to 2.14 L / min per 1 L of calcium leached solution from which magnesium precipitate is separated.

Citation Information

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