Production of products from sewer sludge

• US 6,608,184 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David H. Blount
• Original Assignee: David H. Blount
• Inventors: Blount, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, James O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krishnan, Ganapathy
• Application Number:
  US09/851,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20020185447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 536/1.11, 536/1, 536/101, 435/7.31, 210/609, 210/612, 210/613, 210/631
• US Class Current: 536/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/025 Thermal hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/66 by neutralisation; pH adjustment for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 11/04 Anaerobic treatment; Production of methane by such processes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 11/12 by de-watering, drying or thickening
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 11/13 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 11/18 by thermal conditioning by pyrolysis C02F11/10
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/286 including two or more steps
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: C05F 7/00 Fertilisers from waste water, sewage sludge, sea slime, ooze or similar masses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/20 Fertilizers of biological origin, e.g. guano or fertilizers made from animal corpses

Abstract

Fatty oil and acids, glycerol, glycols, lactic acid, urea, fertilizer, carbohydrates, ethanol are recovered or produced from sewer sludge by the process of concentrating and filtering out the solid sewer sludge, hydrolysis of the cellulose in the sewer sludge by an alkali or acid catalyst to carbohydrates, fermentation of the carbohydrates to produce ethanol, then recover the ethanol by distillation or membrane technology. The glycerol, glycols and lactic acids are recovered by membrane technology. The polysacchride carbohydrates are hydrolyzed to monosacchrides then fermented to alcohol. The unsoluble sewer sludge and the salts such as ammonium sulfate, nitrogen containing compounds and urea from the aqueous solution left after the ethanol is distilled off are mixed, dried and utilized as fertilizer.

Claims

1. The process for producing carbohydrates from dry sewer sludge by the process consisting of mixing, heating and reacting by the following steps:

(1) dried sewer sludge is ground into small particles;

(2) aqueous sodium hydroxide is added to and mixed with the sewer sludge;

(3) sewer sludge is heated to remove excess water;

(4) sewer sludge is heated to 100°

to 240°

C. for 5 to 60 minutes;

(5) water is added and mixed to form an aqueous solution;

(6) carbon dioxide is added and mixed with the aqueous solution to react with the sodium hydroxide to form sodium carbonate;

(7) carbohydrates form crystals and the aqueous solution is filtered off thereby recovering the carbohydrates;

(8) lime oxide is added and reacted with the aqueous solution of sodium carbonate to form sodium hydroxide and calcium carbonate which precipitates, and the aqueous sodium hydroxide is decanted off to be reused;

(9) calcium carbonate is heated in a lime kiln to recover calcium oxide for reuse and the carbon dioxide is collect for reuse.