Air scrubbing process

• US 4,844,721 A
• Filed: 10/06/1987
• Issued: 07/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Russell Bilgore
• Original Assignee: James P. Cox, Robert W.D. Cox
• Inventors: Cox, James P., Cox, Robert W. D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nozick, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US07/106,922
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 55/84, 55/85, 55/89-94, 55/37, 585/833-837, 204/158.21, 204/158.2, 204/157.15, 423/210, 423/275, 568/492
• US Class Current: 95/154
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1493 Selection of liquid materials for use as absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/34 Chemical or biological purification of waste gases

Abstract

An aqueous liquid containing unsaturated vegetable, marine or land animal oil or liquid fat, preferably drying or semidrying oil, is used as a scrubbing liquid to remove pollutant from an air stream. Specifically, styrene constituting an air pollutant is sorbed from the air and polymerized to polystyrene by ultraviolet light radiation to facilitate its separation from the scrubbing liquid.

Claims

1. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the gas with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 and thereby removing pollutant from such gas.

2. The process defined in claim 1, in which the gas is contacted with the oil in gas and liquid contact means.

3. The process defined in claim 1, in which the oil is emulsified with water to provide a contacting liquid having a viscosity lower than the viscosity of the oil.

4. The process defined in claim 1, including treating the oil that has been contacted by polluted gas to separate from such oil pollutant removed from the gas by such oil and thereby reconditioning the oil for reuse in purifying additional polluted gas.

5. The process defined in claim 1, including mixing water with the oil to make an aqueous scrubbing liquid for contact with the polluted gas.

6. The process defined in claim 5, in which the scrubbing liquid includes by weight approximately 28 percent vegetable, marine or land animal oil and approximately 70 percent water.

7. The process defined in claim 5, in which the scrubbing liquid includes by weight from 0.001 percent to 50 percent of vegetable, marine or land animal oil.

8. The process defined in claim 5, including mixing a surfactant with the oil and water in making the scrubbing liquid for facilitating contact of the oil content of the scrubbing liquid with the gas pollutant.

9. The process defined in claim 5, in which the scrubbing liquid includes an ingredient selected from the group consisting of oxidizers, reducing agents, halogens, aldehydes, metals, buffering agents, adsorbants, absorbants, catalysts and polymerizing agents.

10. The process defined in claim 5, in which the scrubbing liquid includes a metal component selected from the group consisting of titanium tetrachloride, aluminum chlorhydrate, aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide.

11. The process defined in claim 5, in which the scrubbing liquid includes wetting agent, acetic acid and propylene glycol.

12. The process defined in claim 11, in which the scrubbing liquid contains by weight approximately 28 percent of vegetable, marine or land animal oil, approximately 2 percent of wetting agent, approximately 1 percent of acetic acid, approximately 1 percent of propolene glycol and the balance water.

13. The process defined in claim 1, in which the gas to be purified carries water-soluble pollutant and, following the purifying operation, rinsing the oil and solvents sorbed thereby with water for freeing the oil from pollutant and again using such oil for contacting polluted gas for removing pollutant therefrom.

14. The process defined in claim 13, including supplying detergent to the rinse water before it is used to rinse the oil.

15. A process for purifying air polluted with styrene which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil and thereby removing styrene from such air.

16. The process defined in claim 15, including treating the oil that has been contacted by polluted air with radiation to separate from such oil styrene removed from the air by such oil.

17. The process defined in claim 15, including treating the oil that has been contacted by polluted air with ultraviolet light radiation to separate from such oil styrene removed from the air by such oil.

18. The process defined in claim 15, including with the oil titanium tetrachloride and an aluminum compound to expedite the pollutant sorbing action and to free the styrene from the oil.

19. The process defined in claim 18, in which the aluminum compound is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chlorhydrate, aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide.

20. A process for purifying air polluted with acrolein which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil and thereby removing acrolein from such air.

21. A process for purifying air polluted with odorant resulting from activities selected from the group consisting of sewage processing, food preparation, meat or fish reduction, painting operations, enamel baking, petroleum refining and combustion which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil havng an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing odorant from such air.

22. A process for purifying polluted air carrying odorant selected from the group consisting of octanol-1, octanol-2, triethylamine, pyridine, styrene, butyric acid, phenol, ammonium thioglycolate, acetates, ammonium hydroxide, p-anisaldehyde, furfural, formaldehyde, methylethyl ketone, galcial acetic acid, propionic acid, acrolein, toluene, valeric acid, diethylamine, methylamine, methyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum distillate, malathion, orthodichlorobenzene, cadaverine, skatol, trichloroethylene and pentachlorophenol, which process comprises contacting such polluted air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 and thereby removing odorant from the air.

23. A process for purifying polluted gas carrying a plurality of odorants including odorant extensively soluble in water and odorant substantially insoluble in water, which process comprises contacting the gas with vegetable, marine or land animal oil and thereby removing from the gas both odorant extensively soluble in water and odorant substantially insoluble in water.

24. The process defined in claim 23, which the oil is drying or semidrying oil having an average iodine value of at least 90.

25. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the gas with drying or semidrying marine oil selected from the group consisting of cod-liver oil, dolphin or porpoise oil, herring oil, menhaden oil, sardine oil, seal oil, shark oil and whale oil, and thereby removing odorant from such gas.

26. The process defined in claim 25, in which the drying or semidrying marine oil is emulsified with water to provide a contacting liquid having a viscosity lower than the viscosity of the oil.

27. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the gas with unsaturated vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 of which more than half of its content by weight is polyunsaturated fatty acid material i.e. havng more than one double bond between carbon atoms, and thereby removing odorant from such gas.

28. The process defined in claim 27, in which the oil is emulsified with water to provide a contacting liquid having a viscosity lower than the viscosity of the oil.

29. The process for purifying air polluted with styrene which comprises contacting the air with scrubbing liquid containing vegetable, marine or land animal oil and metal material selected from the group consisting of titanium tetrachloride, aluminum chlorhydrate, aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide, and thereby promoting polymerization of the styrene in removing the styrene from the air.

30. A process for purifying air polluted with acrolein which comprises contacting the air with scrubbing liquid containing vegetable, marine or land animal oil and thereby removing acrolein from the air and thereafter treating the oil with urea and ammonia for forming acrolein complex precipitates and thereby removing acrolein from the scrubbing liquid.

31. A process for purifying air polluted with gas from sewage emission which comprises contacting the gas with waste cooking oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 including oil selected from the group consisting of cottonseed oil, rape oil, corn oil, soybean oil and peanut oil, and thereby removing odorant from such air.

32. The process defined in claim 31, in which the gas-contacting liquid includes propylene glycol and water.

33. The process defined in claim 31, in which the gas-contacting liquid includes approximately 10 percent of waste cooking oil, approximately 2 percent of propylene glycol and the balance water.

34. The process defined in claim 31, in which the scrubbing liquid includes aldehyde.

35. The process defined in claim 31, in which the scrubbing liquid includes a complexing amine agent.

36. The process defined in claim 35, in which the complexing amine agent is selected from the group consisting of dimethylamine, trimethylamine, ethylamine, diacetylamine, morpholine and ethanolomine.

37. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the gas with drying or semidrying vegetable or marine oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 selected from the group consisting of candlenut oil, dehydrated castor oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, menhaden oil, oiticica oil, perilla oil, poppy-seed oil, safflower oil, sardine oil, stillingia oil, tung oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grape-seed oil, kapok oil, mustard-seed oil and sesame oil, and thereby removing pollutant from such gas.

38. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the gas with vegetable oil havng an average iodine value of at least 90 selected from the group consisting of rape oil, almond oil, apricot-kernel oil and peanut oil, and thereby removing pollutant from such gas.

39. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the gas with vegetable oil or marine oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 selected from the group consisting of candlenut oil, dehydrated castor oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, menhaden oil, oiticica oil, perilla oil, poppy-seed oil, safflower oil, sardine oil, stillingia oil, tung oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grape-seed oil, kapok oil, mustard-seed oil, sesame oil, rape oil, almond oil, apricot-kernel oil and peanut oil, and thereby removing pollutant from such gas.

40. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the polluted gas with vegetable or marine oil havng an average iodine value of at least 90 selected from the group consisting of corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rape oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, sesame oil, tung oil, walnut oil, wheat-germ oil, acorn oil, apricot-kernel oil, beechnut oil, brazil nut oil, candlenut oil, chaulmoogra oil, cherry kernel oil, cod-liver oil, crambe seed oil, croton oil, dehydrated castor oil, dolphin or porpoise oil, grapefruit seed oil, grape-seed oil, herring oil, kapok oil, menhaden oil, mustard-seed oil, oiticica oil, orangeseed oil, perilla oil, plum kernel oil, poppy-seed oil, pumpkin-seed oil, ravison oil, rice-bran oil, sardine oil, seal oil, shark oil, sorghum oil, stillingia oil and whale oil, and thereby removing pollutant from such gas.

41. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the polluted gas with semidrying or nondrying vegetable oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 selected from the group consisting of acorn oil, Brazil nut oil, rape oil, almond oil, apricot-kernel oil, grapefruit seed oil, mustard-seed oil, orangeseed oil, plum kernel oil, ravison oil, rice-bran oil and peanut oil and thereby removing odorant from such gas.

42. A process for purifying polluted air carrying odorant selected from the group consisting of octanol-1, octanol-2, triethylamine, pyridine, styrene, butyric acid, phenol, ammonium thioglycolate, acetates, ammonium hydroxide, p-anisaldehyde, furfural, formaldehyde, methylethyl ketone, glacial acetic acid, propionic acid, acrolein, toluene, valeric acid, diethylamine, methylamine, methyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum distillate, malathion, orthodichlorobenzene, cadaverine, skatol, trichloroethylene and pentachlorophenol, which comprises contacting such polluted air with vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rape oil, safflower oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil.

43. A process for purifying polluted air carrying odorant selected from the group consisting of octanol-1, octanol-2, triethylamne, pyridine, styrene, butyric acid, phenol, ammonium trioglycolate, acetates, ammonium hydroxide, p-anisaldehyde, furfural, formaldehyde, methylethyl ketone, glacial acetic acid, propionic acid, acrolein, toluene, valeric acid, diethylamine, methylamine, methyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum distillate, malathion, orthodichlorobenzene, cadaverine, skatol, trichloroethylene and pentachlorophenol, which comprises contacting such polluted air with vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rape oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, sesame oil, tung oil, walnut oil and wheat-germ oil.

44. A process for purifying polluted air carrying odorant selected from the group consisting of octanol-1, octano-2, triethylamine, pyridine, styrene, butyric acid, phenol, ammonium thioglycolate, acetates, ammonium hydroxide, p-anisaldehyde, furfural, formaldehyde, methylethyl ketone, glacial acetic acid, propionic acid, acrolein, toluene, valeric acid, diethylamine, methylamine, methyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum distillate, malathion, orthodichlorobenzene, cadaverine, skatol, trichloroethylene and pentachlorophenol, which comprises contacting such polluted air with vegetable or marine oil selected from the group consisting of corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rape oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, sesame oil, tung oil, walnut oil, wheat-germ oil, acorn oil, apricot-kernel oil, beechnut oil, brazil nut oil, candlenut oil, chaulmoogra oil, cherry kernel oil, cod-liver oil, crame seed oil, croton oil, dehydrated castor oil, dolphin or porpoise oil, grapefruit seed oil, grape-seed oil, herring oil, kapok oil, menhaden oil, mustard-seed oil, oiticica oil, orangeseed oil, perilla oil, plum kernel oil, poppy-seed oil, pumpkin-seed oil, ravison oil, rice-bran oil, sardine oil, seal oil, shark oil, sorghum oil, stillingia oil and whale oil, and thereby removing pollutant from such gas.

45. A process for purifying polluted air carrying odorant selected from the group consisting of octanol-1, octanol-2, triethylamine, pyridine, styrene, butyric acid, phenol, ammonium thioglycolate, acetates, ammonium hydroxide, p-anisaldehyde, furfural, formaldehyde, methylethyl ketone, glacial acetic acid, propionic acid, acrolein, toluene, valeric acid, diethylamine, methylamine, methyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, petroleum distillate, malathion, orthodichlorobenzene, cadaverine, skatol, trichloroethylene and pentachlorophenol, which comprises contacting such polluted air with vegetable or marine oil selected from the group consisting of corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, rape oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, sesame oil, tung oil, walnut oil, wheat-germ oil, acorn oil, apricot-kernel oil, beechnut oil, brazil nut oil, candlenut oil, chaulmoogra oil, cherry kernel oil, cod-liver oil, crame seed oil, croton oil, dehydrated castor oil, dolphin or porpoise oil, grapefruit seed oil, grape-seed oil, herring oil, kapok oil, menhaden oil, mustard-seed oil, oiticica oil, orangeseed oil, perilla oil, plum kernel oil, poppy-seed oil, pumpkin-seed oil, ravison oil, rice-bran oil, sardine oil, seal oil, shark oil, sorghum oil, stillingia oil and whale oil emulsified with water by mixing it with the oil and water a surfactant selected from the group consisting of wetting agents and detergents.

46. A process for purifying polluted gas which comprises contacting the polluted gas with drying or semidrying oil having an average iodine value of at least 90 selected from the group consisting of candlenut oil, dehydrated castor oil, hempseed oil, linseed oil, menhaden oil, oiticica oil, perilla oil, poppy-seed oil, safflower oil, sardine oil, stillingia oil, tung oil, soybean oil, sunflower-seed oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grape-seed oil, kapok oil, mustard-seed oil and sesame oil, and thereby removing odorant from such gas.

47. A process for purifying air polluted with odorant resulting from processing of food products or food preparation, including meat or fish, volatile amines and volatile fatty acids, which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing odorant from such air.

48. A process for purifying air polluted with pollutant resulting from combustion, paint, painting operations and enamel baking, including hydrocarbons, sulfurous material or paint solvents, which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing pollutant from such air.

49. A process for purifying air polluted with pollutant resulting from paint, painting operations and enamel baking, including hydrocarbons or paint solvents, which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing pollutant from such air.

50. A process for purifying air polluted with odorant resulting from sewage or sewage processing, which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing sewage odorant from such air.

51. A process for purifying air polluted with odor resulting from the group consisting of cell cream (putrefied), onion oil and plastics, which comprises contacting the air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing odorant from such air.

52. A process for purifying air polluted with odorant resulting from the group consisting of cell cream (putrefied), soluble fish waste, meat rendering, onion oil, volatile amines, volatile fatty acids, sewage, sulfurous material, paint, paint solvents, hydrocarbon material, plastics and combustion products, which comprises contacting such air with drying or semidrying vegetable, marine or land animal oil having an average iodine value of at least 90, and thereby removing sewage odorant from such air.