Method for decoupled thermo-catalytic pollution control

• US 6,334,936 B1
• Filed: 04/10/1999
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: University of Central Florida Research Foundation Inc. (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Central Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Martin, Eric, Tabatabaie-Raissi, Ali, Muradov, Nazim Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorgos, Kathryn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nicolas, Wesley A.
• Application Number:
  US09/289,402
• Time in Patent Office: 997 Days
• Field of Search: 422/186, 422/186.3, 422/209, 423/213.7, 210/748, 210/763, 204/157.3
• US Class Current: 204/157.3
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2255/802 Photocatalytic
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/885 Devices in general for catalytic purification of waste gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/123 Ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/28 Moving reactors, e.g. rotary drums B01J19/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/06 Silicon, titanium, zirconium or hafnium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/063 Titanium; Oxides or hydroxides thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00015 Scale-up
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00191 Control algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0877 Liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0892 involving catalytically active material
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1946 conical
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2235/30 Scanning electron microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/30 characterised by their physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/39 Photocatalytic properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/58 Fabrics or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/70 characterised by their crystalline properties, e.g. semi-crystalline catalysts comprising carbon B01J21/18; molecular sieves B01J29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 35/77 Compounds characterised by their crystallite size
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/10 moved by stirrers or by rotary drums or rotary receptacles or endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/02 by heating methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/325 : Irradiation devices or lamp constructions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/38 : by centrifugal separation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/725 : by catalytic oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/3223 : Single elongated lamp located on the central axis of a turbular reactor
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/328 : Having flow diverters (baffles)
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/10 : Photocatalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy

Abstract

A new method for design and scale-up of thermocatalytic processes is disclosed. The method is based on optimizing process energetics by decoupling of the process energetics from the DRE for target contaminants. The technique is applicable to high temperature thermocatalytic reactor design and scale-up. The method is based on the implementation of polymeric and other low-pressure drop support for thermocatalytic media as well as the multifunctional catalytic media in conjunction with a novel rotating fluidized particle bed reactor.

Claims

1. A method of thermocatalytic pollution control comprising the steps of:

providing a target pollutant having a varying flow rate;

loosely positioning at least one thermocatalytic media in a thermocatalytic reactor, the thermocatalytic reactor having at least one heat source;

rotating the at least one thermocatalytic media to form a fluidized bed;

passing the varying flow rate target pollutant into the fluidized bed of the at least one thermocatalytic media; and

converting the varying flow rate target pollutant that passes through the thermocatalytic media to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency(DRE).

2. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

rotating the fluid bed about the at least one heat source.

3. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the passing step further includes:

passing the target pollutant from within and through the thermocatalytic media.

4. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

passing the target pollutant into a second thermocatalytic reactor having at least one thermocatalytic media and at least one heat source; and

converting the target pollutant that passes through the thermocatalytic media in the second thermocatalytic reactor to another selected level of destruction and removal efficiency (DRE).

5. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

rotating at least one of the first thermocatalytic reactor and the second thermocatalytic reactor.

6. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 4, wherein the first thermocatalytic reactor and the second thermocatalytic reactor are in series to one another.

7. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 4, wherein the first thermocatalytic reactor and the second thermocatalytic reactor are in parallel to one another.

8. The method of thermnocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Titanium.

9. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

approximately 1% to approximately 86% by weight Carbon;

approximately 1% to approximately 20% by weight Oxygen;

approximately 7% to approximately 15% by weight Hydrogen; and

approximately 1% to approximately 30% by weight Titanium.

10. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Carbon, Hydrogen, Cadmium and Sulfur.

11. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

approximately 30% to approximately 86% by weight Carbon;

approximately 6.5% to approximately 14.3% by weight Hydrogen;

approximately 1% to approximately 50% by weight Cadmium; and

approximately 1% to approximately 15% by weight Sulfur.

12. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Silicon, Oxygen, and Titanium.

13. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

approximately 0% to approximately 35% by weight Silicon;

approximately 30% to approximately 60% by weight Oxygen; and

approximately 10% to approximately 60% by weight Titanium.

14. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

an elemental composition of Silicon, Oxygen, Cadmium and Sulfur.

15. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the one thermocatalytic media includes:

approximately 25% to approximately 55% by weight Silicon;

approximately 30% to approximately 60% by weight Oxygen;

approximately 5% to approximately 35% by weight Cadmium; and

approximately 1% to approximately 10% by weight Sulfur.

16. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the heat source includes:

a high flux light source.

17. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 1, wherein the heat source includes:

a temperature of at least approximately 300°

C. to approximately 400°

C.

18. A method of high flux photocatalytic pollution control, comprising the steps of:

providing a target pollutant having a varying flow rate;

loosely positioning thermocatalytic media in a thermocatalytic reactor having at least one heat source;

rotating the loosely positioned thermocatalytic media to form a fluidized bed in the thermocatalytic reactor;

passing varying flow rate target pollutant into the rotating fluidized bed; and

thermocatalytically converting the target pollutant that passes through the rotating fluidized bed to a selected level of destruction and removal efficiency(DRE).

19. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 18, wherein the at least one heat source includes:

a high flux heat source.

20. The method of thermocatalytic pollution control of claim 18, wherein the rotating step includes:

rotating the fluidized bed about the at least one heat source.