Hydrocarbon Feed Nitrogen Reduction via Adsorbent Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional processes for reducing nitrogen content in hydrocarbon fuels, such as hydrotreatment, are costly and inefficient in removing refractory organic nitrogen compounds, which pose environmental and health risks due to their conversion into nitrogen oxides during combustion.
Innovation Solution
A process involving mixing the hydrocarbon feed with a mixture of Lewis acids and Lewis bases as adsorbents at mild temperatures and pressures to form a complex, separating the treated hydrocarbon with reduced nitrogen content, effectively reducing nitrogen compounds like pyrrole, pyrrolidine, quinolone, indole, and acridine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If hydrotreatment is used to reduce nitrogen content, then nitrogen removal capability is improved, but process cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts nitrogen compounds from the hydrocarbon feed through adsorption onto a solid adsorbent material, separating them from the treated hydrocarbon phase. This extraction mechanism enables nitrogen removal without requiring complex hydrotreatment processes, directly addressing the contradiction between effective nitrogen removal and process simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an adsorbent as an intermediary substance that mediates between the hydrocarbon feed and the nitrogen compounds. The adsorbent selectively binds to nitrogen compounds, enabling their removal through a simple liquid-liquid extraction process rather than complex hydrotreatment, thus reducing process complexity while maintaining nitrogen removal effectiveness
2Quantity of substance
If hydrotreatment is used to reduce nitrogen content, then nitrogen removal capability is improved, but process cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts nitrogen compounds from the hydrocarbon feed through adsorption onto a solid adsorbent material, separating them from the treated hydrocarbon phase. This extraction mechanism enables nitrogen removal without requiring complex hydrotreatment processes, directly addressing the contradiction between effective nitrogen removal and process simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an adsorbent material that can be easily disposed of or regenerated, replacing the need for expensive and complex hydrotreatment infrastructure. The adsorbent operates under mild conditions and can be simply separated from the treated hydrocarbon, significantly reducing process costs while maintaining effective nitrogen removal
3Quantity of substance
If conventional hydrotreatment is used, then nitrogen removal is achieved, but refractory organic nitrogen compounds remain difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing an adsorbent with specific surface properties and chemical characteristics that are particularly effective at binding to refractory organic nitrogen compounds. The adsorbent's localized chemical affinity for nitrogen-containing structures enables selective removal of these difficult-to-treat compounds, improving reliability for complete nitrogen removal
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite adsorbent materials that combine multiple functional properties to effectively target refractory organic nitrogen compounds. The composite structure provides both high affinity binding sites for nitrogen compounds and ease of separation characteristics, thereby improving the reliability of nitrogen removal efficiency for challenging compounds
4Quantity of substance
If adsorption with Lewis acid and Lewis base mixture is used, then nitrogen content reduction is improved, but adsorbent selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by developing an adsorbent system based on Lewis acid and Lewis base interactions that can effectively remove multiple types of nitrogen compounds from hydrocarbon feeds. This multi-functional adsorbent approach provides broad applicability across different fuel types and nitrogen compound compositions, simplifying adsorbent selection while maintaining high nitrogen content reduction efficiency
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 achieves significant reduction of nitrogen content in hydrocarbon fuels, typically by 90-99%, under mild conditions without the need for hydrogen, making it simple, economic, and efficient, while maintaining low sulfur content.
Implementation Method 1
The hydrocarbon feed is mixed with at least one adsorbent to obtain a mixture. The mixture is stirred at a temperature in the range of 25° C. to 80° C. for a pre-determined time period to obtain a resultant mixture.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a process for reducing the nitrogen content in a hydrocarbon feed comprising nitrogen compound. The process comprises mixing the hydrocarbon feed containing nitrogen compounds with at least one adsorbent and stirring at a temperature in the range of 25° C. to 80° C. for a pre-determined time period. The adsorbents of the present disclosure are efficient for the removal of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in the range of 0.01 ppm to 10 ppm. The process of the present disclosure is simple and use inexpensive adsorbent and requires mild operation conditions.