Methods for the evaporation of an aqueous solution containing ammonia

• US 6,638,398 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ebara Engineering Service Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hadwaco Ltd. Oy
• Inventors: Laajaniemi, Matti, Koistinen, Peter, Ramm-Schmidt, Leif
• Primary Examiner(s): Manoharan, Virginia
• Application Number:
  US10/049,342
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 203/34-37, 203/90, 203/25, 203/26, 203/100, 203/10, 203/DIG.8, 203/89, 203/86, 159/47.3, 159/48.1, 159/DIG.20, 159/49, 159/DIG.15, 202/202, 423/352
• US Class Current: 203/34
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/10 Separation of ammonia from ammonia liquors, e.g. gas liquors as part of the ammonia synthesis process C01C1/04
• CPC Class Codes: C01C 1/28 Methods of preparing ammonium salts in general
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/048 Purification of waste water by evaporation
• 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 2101/16 Nitrogen compounds, e.g. ammonia
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/06 Contaminated groundwater or leachate
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/20 from animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 159/15 Special material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 159/20 Additive

Abstract

A method including evaporating aqueous solutions containing ammonia, adding an acid to the evaporated vapor flow to form an ammonium salt, and condensing the vapor flow to form a liquid containing the salt. By this method the ammonia formed into a salt is not present as an inert gas layer which would impede condensation on the condenser surfaces.

Claims

1. A method comprising evaporating an aqueous solution containing ammonia, adding an acid to the evaporated vapor flow, and condensing the formed evaporated vapor into a liquid, the acid added to the vapor flow binding the ammonia contained in the vapor to a water-soluble ammonium salt, which ends up in the condensate as obtained.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the acid is added to the evaporated vapor flow in an amount equivalent stoichiometrically to that required to bind the amount of ammonia present in the evaporated vapor flow into said ammonium salt.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the acid used is hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the adding of the acid to the evaporated vapor is performed by spraying or atomizing.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the evaporating of the solution and the condensing of the evaporated vapor take place in at least one heat exchanger.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the evaporated vapor is compressed to higher pressure in a compressor and is returned as heating vapor to the at least one heat exchanger acting as an evaporator, the acid being added to the vapor flow either before or after the compressor.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the evaporator is a film evaporator comprising heat transfer bags made of plastic film.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the aqueous solution containing ammonia to be evaporated consists of effluents from agriculture or chemical industry, leachate water from a landfill or press water from sludge digestion.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the pH of the aqueous solution to be evaporated is raised with an alkaline addition in order to release the ammonia from its salts and to pass the ammonia to the evaporated vapor during evaporation.