Solvent Extraction of Oil Residues from Spent Bleaching Earth
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Solution Overview
Problem
The disposal of spent bleaching earth (SBE) from the oil refining industry is an environmental hazard due to its high content of entrapped crude oil, and existing methods for recovering oil from SBE are inefficient and use carcinogenic solvents.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a solvent comprising a fluorinated alkyl ether and an unsaturated alkyl chloride to solubilize and separate fat and/or oil residues from spent bleaching earth, allowing for efficient recovery and reuse of the sorbent and residue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional solvents (toluene, n-hexane, acetone, isopropyl alcohol) are used to extract oil from spent bleaching earth, then oil extraction efficiency is achieved, but carcinogenic and environmentally harmful substances are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the extraction solvent by using fluorinated alkyl ethers and unsaturated alkyl chlorides instead of conventional carcinogenic solvents like n-hexane and toluene. This parameter change maintains extraction efficiency while eliminating harmful effects, as the new solvent system provides comparable solubility for oil residues without the carcinogenic properties of traditional solvents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a solvent system that can be easily separated from both the spent sorbent and recovered residue through simple distillation, allowing for complete solvent recovery and reuse. This approach eliminates the need to dispose of contaminated solvents and reduces environmental impact, effectively making the solvent a reusable resource rather than a harmful waste stream.
2Ease of manufacture
If spent sorbent is disposed of as waste through incineration, land filling, or concrete inclusion, then disposal is achieved, but environmental hazards and loss of valuable resources occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a recovery process that extracts valuable oil residues from spent bleaching earth, separating them from the spent sorbent matrix. The recovered oil can be reused as a valuable resource, while the regenerated spent sorbent can be either reused or disposed of with minimal environmental impact since the harmful oil content has been removed. This transforms a waste disposal problem into a resource recovery opportunity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies extraction methodology to remove and separate the harmful oil residue component from the spent sorbent matrix using a specialized solvent system. By taking out the contaminant (oil) from the waste material (spent sorbent), the process eliminates the environmental hazard associated with disposing of oil-contaminated sorbent while recovering the oil as a usable resource.
3Productivity
If multiple sub-processes are used for oil recovery (reacting with solvents, separating solids and liquids, extracting oil from liquid fraction), then oil recovery is achieved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the solvent extraction and oil separation steps into a more integrated process. The fluorinated alkyl ether/unsaturated alkyl chloride solvent system directly extracts oil from spent sorbent and forms a separable phase, merging what would traditionally be multiple discrete operations into a more streamlined process with fewer unit operations and simplified equipment requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite solvent system consisting of fluorinated alkyl ethers combined with unsaturated alkyl chlorides. This composite solvent provides synergistic properties that enable effective oil extraction while maintaining simple phase separation behavior, achieving complex extraction performance through a composite material rather than requiring multiple separate processing steps.
4Quantity of substance
If spent bleaching earth is deposited as waste worldwide, then disposal capacity is utilized, but environmental legislation restrictions and safety concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful aspect of spent bleaching earth (high oil content creating environmental hazard) into a beneficial resource recovery opportunity. By extracting and recovering the oil, the process transforms waste material into a potential resource while eliminating the environmental hazard that drives legislative restrictions, effectively turning a liability into an asset.
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
The method effectively separates and recovers fat and/or oil residues from spent bleaching earth, enabling the reuse of the sorbent and reducing environmental hazards, while using solvents that are non-flammable and have low global warming potential.
Implementation Method 1
a first step a) of solubilizing, at least in part, a residue comprised in a spent sorbent, by means of a solvent, thereby obtaining a residue enriched solution
Implementation Method 2
the solvent can be easily separated from the both the sorbent (e.g. by decantation or filtration)
Implementation Method 3
the solvent can be easily separated from the both the sorbent (e.g. by decantation or filtration)
Implementation Method 4
the recovered residue (e.g. by distillation)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for recovering a residue from a spent sorbent, such as a fat residue or an oil residue, entrapped in a spent sorbent. The present invention further pertains to the sorbent and the residue obtained by the present method.