Amino Acid Salt Purification via Simultaneous Crystallization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for treating contaminated alkaline amino acid salt solutions in carbon dioxide separation processes are complex, energy-intensive, and prone to clogging due to the need for multiple reactors and filters, leading to high investment costs and susceptibility to disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A simplified method involving the simultaneous crystallization and filtration of crystalline carbonate and amino acid in a single process step using a filter with pore sizes of less than or equal to 30 nm, exploiting pH-dependent crystallization behavior and utilizing carbon dioxide to reduce water solubility, followed by dissolution in a solvent to recover the amino acid salt solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multi-stage purification process with multiple reactors and filters is used, then the amino acid salt solution can be effectively purified, but the device complexity and investment costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple purification stages into a single reactor by implementing simultaneous crystallization of both carbonate and amino acid salts in one vessel, followed by filtration in a single filter. This merging of operations reduces the number of reactors and filters from multiple units to just one of each, thereby reducing device complexity and investment costs while maintaining purification effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The single reactor in the patent serves multiple functions: it acts as both a crystallization reactor for carbonate formation and a crystallization reactor for amino acid salt precipitation. By making the reactor multi-functional, the need for separate reactors for each crystallization step is eliminated, reducing overall device complexity.
2Productivity
If multiple filters are used for separate filtration of carbonate and amino acid, then filtration efficiency is improved, but the susceptibility to clogging and operational disruptions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the filtration of carbonate and amino acid salts into a single filter unit. By designing the filter with appropriate pore size and characteristics, it can handle the simultaneous filtration of both solid phases without requiring multiple separate filter units, thereby reducing operational complexity and susceptibility to disruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the crystallization parameters (temperature, pH, concentration) to ensure that both carbonate and amino acid salts crystallize with controlled particle sizes and morphologies that are suitable for simultaneous filtration. By optimizing these parameters, the filtrate can pass through a single filter efficiently without causing clogging.
3Reliability
If distillation is used to purify amine solutions, then amine recovery is achieved, but energy consumption increases and amine emissions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses crystallization (solid-liquid phase transition) instead of distillation (liquid-vapor phase transition) for purifying the amino acid salt solution. By controlling temperature and pH to induce crystallization of impurities, the purification process avoids the high energy consumption associated with heating and vaporization required in distillation, while still achieving effective separation and recovery of the amino acid salt.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces investment costs, minimizes the risk of clogging, and enhances operational stability by allowing for a single reactor and filter, while also enabling efficient recovery of amino acid salts with reduced energy consumption and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
carbon dioxide is introduced into an amino acid salt solution that is contaminated with carbon dioxide as an absorbent for carbon dioxide from a flue gas in a reactor and simultaneously cooled, wherein essentially crystalline carbonate is precipitated
Implementation Method 2
the amino acid salt solution is simultaneously cooled, wherein essentially crystalline carbonate is precipitated and largely crystalline amino acid parallelly precipitate
Implementation Method 3
the crystalline carbonate and the crystalline amino acid are filtered off in a filter
Implementation Method 4
exploiting pH-dependent crystallization behavior and utilizing carbon dioxide to reduce water solubility
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (30) and a method (1) for work-up of an amino acid salt solution (3), as an absorption agent for carbon dioxide from a flue gas of a combustion process, that has been contaminated with carbon dioxide (2), and comprises a reaction process (100), a subsequent filtration process (200) and a subsequent dissolving process (300). In the reaction process (100), carbon dioxide (2) is introduced into the amino acid salt solution (3), and the amino acid salt solution (3) is cooled. Crystalline carbonate (4) and crystalline amino acid (7) then precipitates out. In the filtration process (200), the crystalline carbonate (4) and the crystalline amino acid (7) are filtered out. In the dissolving process (300), the crystalline carbonate (4) and the crystalline amino acid (7) are dissolved in a solvent (9) and a worked-up amino acid salt solution (15) is thereby obtained.