Coal Tar Product Recovery Using Cyclodextrin Extraction Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processes for extracting products from coal tar are inefficient, leading to a need for improved methods to separate and recover valuable organic compounds.
Innovation Solution
A process involving pyrolysis of coal to produce a coal tar stream, followed by extraction or adsorption using amphiphilic block copolymers, inclusion complexes of poly(methyl methacrylate) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cyclodextrins, and exfoliated graphite oxide to separate and recover products from the coal tar stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional extraction methods are used to remove products from coal tar, then the process is simple, but the efficiency and effectiveness of product separation is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces specific intermediary substances including cyclodextrins, their derivatives, and inclusion complexes as mediators to facilitate efficient product separation from coal tar. These intermediaries form inclusion complexes with target products, enabling selective extraction and separation, thereby improving productivity while managing process complexity through targeted chemical interactions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by modifying the chemical and physical properties of extraction agents through derivatization of cyclodextrins and formation of inclusion complexes. By changing parameters such as molecular structure, surface properties, and binding affinities, the process achieves enhanced product separation efficiency while maintaining manageable operational complexity
2Quantity of substance
If multiple extraction agents are used to improve product recovery, then the amount of product recovered increases, but the process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops universal extraction agents based on cyclodextrin structures that can be modified to target multiple different products within the coal tar mixture. By creating a platform of derivatized cyclodextrins and inclusion complexes with varying functional groups, a single agent system can be adapted to recover multiple products (aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenates, nitrogen-containing compounds), increasing quantity recovered without proportionally increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the extraction process into targeted stages using different derivatized cyclodextrin agents, each optimized for specific product classes. This segmentation allows systematic recovery of different product types (e.g., aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenates, nitrogen-containing compounds) in a coordinated manner, maximizing total product recovery while organizing complexity into manageable functional modules
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 process effectively removes and recovers products such as benzene, naphthalene, and other hydrocarbons from coal tar, enhancing the efficiency of product separation and utilization of coal tar resources.
Implementation Method 1
removing at least one product from the coal tar stream by extraction with an extraction agent
Implementation Method 2
removing at least one product from the coal tar stream by adsorption with an adsorbent
Implementation Method 3
pyrolyzing a coal feed into a coal tar stream and a coke stream
Data Source
AI summary
A process for removing at least one product from coal tar is described. The process involves extraction with an extraction agent or adsorption with an adsorbent. The extraction agent includes at least one of amphiphilic block copolymers, cyclodextrins, functionalized cyclodextrins, and cyclodextrin-functionalized polymers, and the adsorbent includes exfoliated graphite oxide, thermally exfoliated graphite oxide or intercalated graphite compounds.