IPDA Production Wastewater Pretreatment for Recalcitrant Impurities
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Solution Overview
Problem
The aqueous fraction obtained during the production of isophoronediamine (IPDA) contains organic impurities that are difficult to degrade in conventional biological wastewater treatment plants, leading to increased chemical oxygen demand and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
A method for IPDA production that involves converting isophoronenitrile (IPN) with ammonia and hydrogen to IPDA, removing hydrogen and/or ammonia from the effluent, separating the effluent into distinct fractions, and subjecting the aqueous fraction to wastewater pretreatment steps such as evaporation, oxidation, or adsorption to remove recalcitrant organic impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional biological wastewater treatment is used for the aqueous fraction, then the treatment process is simple and low-cost, but the chemical oxygen demand cannot be effectively reduced due to recalcitrant organic impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing evaporation, oxidation, or adsorption treatments on the aqueous fraction before biological wastewater treatment. These pretreatment steps remove or transform recalcitrant organic impurities that would otherwise resist conventional biological degradation, thereby preparing the wastewater for more effective subsequent biological treatment and ultimately achieving better chemical oxygen demand reduction.
2Productivity
If the aqueous fraction is channeled out of the process without treatment, then the production process is simple and fast, but environmental standards and regulations are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by separating the aqueous fraction containing recalcitrant organic impurities from the main production process and subjecting it to dedicated pretreatment (evaporation, oxidation, or adsorption) before biological treatment. This extraction and separate treatment approach enables the main production process to maintain high productivity while the isolated wastewater stream receives the necessary environmental treatment to meet regulatory standards.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple distillation steps are used for IPDA purification, then the product purity is high, but the process complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the discarding and recovering principle by separating and discarding (channeling out) the aqueous fraction containing recalcitrant organic impurities after the distillation process, rather than subjecting it to further distillation. This approach maintains high IPDA purity in the main product stream while avoiding the complexity and energy consumption of treating the difficult-to-purify aqueous fraction through additional distillation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from purely physical separation methods (multiple distillation steps) to chemical and physical-chemical methods (evaporation, oxidation, adsorption) for treating the aqueous fraction. This parameter change in the treatment approach allows for effective removal of recalcitrant impurities without requiring complex multi-stage distillation, thereby reducing overall process complexity while maintaining product purity.
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 method effectively reduces the chemical oxygen demand and facilitates the efficient treatment of the aqueous fraction, thereby meeting high environmental standards and regulations.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the aqueous fraction to wastewater pretreatment steps such as evaporation, oxidation, or adsorption
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the aqueous fraction to wastewater pretreatment steps such as evaporation, oxidation, or adsorption
Implementation Method 3
subjecting the aqueous fraction to wastewater pretreatment steps such as evaporation, oxidation, or adsorption
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for the production of IPDA comprising the steps of: V. converting IPN with ammonia and hydrogen to IPDA, VI. removing hydrogen and/or ammonia from the effluent from step I VII. separating the effluent from step II in one or more steps into (v) a fraction comprising an organic phase having a boiling point lower than IPDA (vi) a fraction comprising an aqueous phase having a boing point lower than IPDA; (vii) a fraction comprising IPDA (viii) a fraction comprising components having a boiling point higher than IPDA; and VIII. subjecting the fraction (ii) to one or more waste-water pretreatment steps, se-lected from the group consisting of evaporation, oxidation and adsorption.