Biodegradable Waste Processing via Thermal Coagulation and Phase Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for treating biodegradable organic waste, such as those from the food industry, fail to effectively remove small packaging remnants and other undesirables during the methanization process, resulting in harmful residues in the digestate used for agricultural land.
Innovation Solution
A process involving mechanical deconditioning to produce a raw organic soup, followed by heating and phase separation using a screw press to extract undesirables, producing a final organic soup suitable for methanization with minimal contaminants, and a device to implement this process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a screen with 10 mm mesh is used to separate organic matter from packaging residues, then large packaging fragments are removed, but small packaging remnants remain in the organic slurry
Solution Approach 1:
The separation process is divided into multiple stages: initial mechanical deconditioning to remove large packaging fragments, followed by heating to coagulate fats and proteins, and finally phase separation in a decanter to remove small packaging remnants and coagulated materials. This segmented approach achieves high separation efficiency without requiring an excessively complex single-stage system.
Solution Approach 2:
The organic slurry is heated before phase separation to coagulate fats and proteins, which then bind to small packaging remnants. This preliminary action prepares the slurry for more effective separation in the decanter, enabling removal of fine contaminants that would otherwise pass through the screening stage.
2Productivity
If methanization is performed on organic slurry containing packaging remnants, then biogas is produced, but undesirable substances remain in the digestate and harm agricultural land
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and removes packaging remnants and undesirable substances from the organic slurry before methanization through a combination of mechanical screening, thermal coagulation, and phase separation. This extraction ensures that only pure organic matter enters the methanization process, preventing contamination of the digestate while maintaining biogas production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Preliminary treatment steps including mechanical deconditioning, heating, and phase separation are performed before methanization to remove contaminants. This preliminary action protects the methanization process and ensures clean digestate output suitable for agricultural use.
3Manufacturing precision
If the organic slurry is heated and passed through a screw press, then phase separation occurs and unwanted materials are extracted, but the process requires additional energy input
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the organic slurry by heating it to a specific range (60-90°C) to induce coagulation of fats and proteins. This parameter change enables phase separation that removes contaminants effectively. The energy input is optimized by controlling the temperature within this specific range rather than using excessive heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating process, which consumes energy, transforms fats and proteins from potential contaminants into beneficial coagulated materials that facilitate phase separation. The energy input converts harmful substances into a form that aids in their own removal and in the purification of the organic slurry.
4Productivity
If mechanical deconditioning is used to separate organic matter from packaging, then large contaminants are removed, but small packaging remnants and fines remain in the slurry
Solution Approach 1:
The separation process is segmented into multiple stages: mechanical deconditioning for large contaminants, heating for coagulation, and phase separation for fine contaminants. This segmentation allows each stage to target specific particle sizes and types of contaminants, achieving high overall removal efficiency while maintaining processing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat acts as an intermediary that transforms the physical state of fats and proteins in the organic slurry, causing them to coagulate and bind to small packaging remnants. This intermediary action enables the phase separation stage to effectively remove fine contaminants that mechanical deconditioning alone cannot eliminate.
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
Significantly reduces the content of undesirables in the methanization digestate, limits fatty and fibrous material, and increases the concentration of organic matter for biogas production, resulting in a cleaner digestate and enhanced biogas yield.
Implementation Method 1
a heating step of the raw organic slurry to produce a heated organic slurry
Implementation Method 2
heating and phase separation using a screw press to extract undesirables
Implementation Method 3
a phase separation step of the heated organic slurry by passing it through a screw press to obtain a final organic slurry
Implementation Method 4
phase separation using a screw press to extract undesirables
Implementation Method 5
the organic slurry is introduced into a methanation unit to produce biogas
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a process for treating organic waste which includes the following steps: - a mechanical unconditioning step to produce a raw organic soup (26), - a heating step of the raw organic soup (26) to produce a heated organic soup (50), - a phase separation step of the heated organic soup (50) by passing it through a screw press to obtain a final organic soup (64), and - a methanation step of the final organic soup (64) to produce biogas and methanation digestate.