Method and device for stripping ammonia from liquids
First Claim
1. A system comprising a stripper device for stripping volatile compounds from a liquid medium, said stripper device comprising:
- a) a shunt to which aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds can be diverted in the form of a side stream to at least one fermentor and/or at least one biogas reactor,b) means for diverting aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds to the shunt from said at least one fermentor and/or at least one biogas reactor,c) an evaporator device comprising a sample of aqueous liquid to which heat obtained from an external heat source can be added, wherein a reduction of the pressure in said evaporator to a first pressure below a predetermined reference pressure generates cold steam,d) means for directing the cold steam generated by the evaporator of c) through said aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds in the shunt of the stripper device at said pressure below a predetermined reference pressure, thereby stripping off volatile compounds and obtaining a cold, volatile compound-comprising steam,e) a first condensing device,f) means for diverting said cold volatile compound-comprising steam at said pressure below the predetermined reference pressure to the first condensing device, and condensing in a first condensing step in said first condensing device said cold volatile compound-comprising steam at said pressure below a predetermined reference pressure, thereby obtaining a first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising said volatile compounds and vapor not condensed by the first condensing device,g) a stripper unit for stripping volatile compounds at said predetermined reference pressure or at a second pressure higher than said predetermined reference pressure,h) means for diverting said first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds obtained in f) to the stripper unit, and stripping off at least part of the volatile compounds from said first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds by injecting hot aqueous steam at said reference pressure or at the higher second pressure, thereby obtaining a hot volatile compound-comprising steam and aqueous liquid stripped off at least part of said volatile compounds,i) a second condensing device, andj) means for diverting said hot volatile compound-comprising steam to a second condensing device, and condensing said hot volatile compound-comprising steam, thereby obtaining a condensate comprising volatile compounds.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method and a system for stripping volatile compounds such as ammonia from liquids. Part of the ammonia is stripped from the liquid in a system having a shunt through which liquid such as e.g. fermented biomass can be diverted in the form of a side stream in liquid contact with a main fermentor(s). The stripper system is connected to an evaporator. In the evaporator aqueous liquid is heated at a pressure below atmospheric pressure whereby vapor is developed at a temperature below 100° C. The vapor from the evaporator is directed to the liquid medium containing ammonia and this results in ammonia being stripped from the liquid and transferred to the vapor phase. The vapor phase is condensed in a first condenser at a low pressure, and the liquid thus obtained is further treated in a stripper unit at a higher pressure.
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Citations
94 Claims
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1. A system comprising a stripper device for stripping volatile compounds from a liquid medium, said stripper device comprising:
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a) a shunt to which aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds can be diverted in the form of a side stream to at least one fermentor and/or at least one biogas reactor, b) means for diverting aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds to the shunt from said at least one fermentor and/or at least one biogas reactor, c) an evaporator device comprising a sample of aqueous liquid to which heat obtained from an external heat source can be added, wherein a reduction of the pressure in said evaporator to a first pressure below a predetermined reference pressure generates cold steam, d) means for directing the cold steam generated by the evaporator of c) through said aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds in the shunt of the stripper device at said pressure below a predetermined reference pressure, thereby stripping off volatile compounds and obtaining a cold, volatile compound-comprising steam, e) a first condensing device, f) means for diverting said cold volatile compound-comprising steam at said pressure below the predetermined reference pressure to the first condensing device, and condensing in a first condensing step in said first condensing device said cold volatile compound-comprising steam at said pressure below a predetermined reference pressure, thereby obtaining a first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising said volatile compounds and vapor not condensed by the first condensing device, g) a stripper unit for stripping volatile compounds at said predetermined reference pressure or at a second pressure higher than said predetermined reference pressure, h) means for diverting said first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds obtained in f) to the stripper unit, and stripping off at least part of the volatile compounds from said first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds by injecting hot aqueous steam at said reference pressure or at the higher second pressure, thereby obtaining a hot volatile compound-comprising steam and aqueous liquid stripped off at least part of said volatile compounds, i) a second condensing device, and j) means for diverting said hot volatile compound-comprising steam to a second condensing device, and condensing said hot volatile compound-comprising steam, thereby obtaining a condensate comprising volatile compounds. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 64)
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60. A method for controlling the fermentation of organic material comprising undesirable volatile compounds, said method comprising the steps of
a) providing a fermentor comprising a liquid medium comprising organic material and a biomass capable of fermenting said organic material, b) diverting said liquid medium to a side stream of the fermentor in the form of a shunt, c) contacting said liquid medium in said shunt with cold steam at a first pressure below 1 bar, thereby obtaining a cold steam comprising volatile compounds and liquid medium at least partly stripped for volatile compounds, d) condensing said cold steam comprising volatile compounds, thereby obtaining a first condensed liquid medium, e) injecting hot steam into said first condensed liquid medium at a second pressure of at least 1 bar, f) stripping off at least part of said volatile compounds comprised in said first condensed liquid medium, and obtaining a hot steam of volatile compounds and a condensed liquid medium stripped for essentially all volatile compounds, and g) redirecting said liquid medium at least partly stripped for volatile compounds in step c) to said fermentor, and/or returning said condensed liquid medium stripped for essentially all volatile compounds in step f) to said shunt or to said fermentor, wherein said stripping of volatile compounds and said redirection of said at least partly stripped liquid medium controls the fermentation of said organic material.
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62. A method for stripping volatile compounds from a liquid medium, said method comprising the steps of
a) providing an aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds, and b) diverting said liquid medium comprising volatile compounds to a shunt operably linked to a heating source and a condensing device, c) obtaining cold steam in an evaporator by adding heat to a sample of aqueous liquid and reducing the pressure below a predetermined reference pressure, and d) directing said cold steam through said liquid medium comprising volatile compounds in the shunt of the stripper device at said pressure below the predetermined reference pressure, thereby stripping off volatile compounds and obtaining a cold volatile compound-comprising steam, and e) diverting said cold volatile compound-comprising steam at said pressure below the predetermined reference pressure to a first condensing device, and f) condensing in a first condensing step said cold volatile compound-comprising steam at said pressure below the predetermined reference pressure, thereby obtaining a first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compounds, and g) diverting said first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compound to a stripper unit, and h) stripping off the volatile compound from said first condensed aqueous liquid medium comprising volatile compound by heating said first condensed aqueous liquid in said stripper unit at a higher second pressure, and obtaining a liquid with a reduced concentration of volatile compounds.
Specification