The present invention generally relates to the technologies of organic waste gas treatment and environmental protection. More particularly, the invention is a system for processing industrial VOC.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short and long term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes; and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while they are used, and, to some degree, when they are stored. Scientists have discovered that levels of about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside, regardless of whether the homes were located in rural or highly industrial areas. It is also discovered that while people are using products containing organic chemicals, they can expose themselves and others to very high pollutant levels, and elevated concentrations can persist in the air long after the activity is completed.
The sources of VOC include paints, paint strippers and other solvents, wood preservatives, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, moth repellents and air fresheners, stored fuels and automotive products, hobby supplies, dry-cleaned clothing, pesticide, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers and photographic solutions. The sources of industrial sector-based VOC are printing (letterpress, offset and gravure printing processes), wood furniture coating, shoemaking, paint manufacturing and metal surface coating. Among them, benzene and toluene are the major species associated with letterpress printing, while ethyl acetate and isopropyl alcohol are the most abundant compounds of other two printing processes. Acetone and 2-butanone are the major species observed in the shoemaking sector. In the industries of paint manufacturing, wood furniture coating and metal surface coating, aromatics is the most abundant group and oxygenated VOCs is the second largest contributor.
The health effects of VOC may include eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination and nausea; damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals, some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness. The ability of organic chemicals to cause health effects varies greatly from those that are highly toxic, to those with no known health effect. As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including level of exposure and length of time exposed. Among the immediate symptoms that some people have experienced soon after exposure to some organics include: eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders and memory impairment.
At present, the primary approaches for the treatment of VOCs include catalytic combustion, activated carbon adsorption, low temperature plasma, UV irradiation and so on. The catalytic combustion treatment is relatively more effective, but it requires a high concentration of organic waste gas. Since the concentration of organic gases are usually not high enough for combustion, and natural gas assisted combustion is needed, the operation cost for this approach are relatively high. Activated carbon adsorption method is quite effective. However, it relies on the high cost of activated carbon. Another disadvantage is that the timing for replacement cannot be well controlled, and thus periodical replacement causes waste. The elimination efficiency of organic waste gas by low temperature plasma or by ultraviolet light is quite low.
What is desired is a system, incorporated with an exhaust pipe used in industrial shop or plant, for effectively eliminating VOC in the exhaust by first applying lytic enzyme solution to VOC and then letting certain microbes gnaw the VOC particles.
One object of the present invention is to provide a system, incorporated in a pipe structure such as an exhaust pipe, that eliminates the VOC while the exhaust is expelled out the building. There is no additional processing equipment is needed outside of the building.
Another object of the invention is to improve the utilization rate of raw materials for VOC treatment by a circular sprinkling system and a circular nourishing system.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a monitoring system for replacing VOC treatment materials in an effective manner.
The present invention provides an industrial VOC processing system that includes a first processing section, a second processing section, a sensor detection device and a computer. The first processing section and the second processing section are incorporated in a pipe structure. The first processing section includes a spraying chamber wherein an array of sprinklers circularly sprays lytic enzyme solution to the exhaust gas that passes the chamber. The second processing section includes a biodegradation chamber wherein microbial nutrient solution is circularly used for nourishing microbes that gnaw the VOC particles in the exhaust gas. The sensor detection device includes two detectors, one placed in the inlet end, and the other one placed in the outlet end of the system, detecting the content of the organic gas and sending the data to the computer via data cable or Internet. The computer calculates and compares in a real time the ratio of the contents of the organic gas in the inlet and the outlet.
The system according to present invention effectively eliminate VOC by first applying lytic enzyme solution to VOC and then letting certain microbes gnaw the VOC particles. In this invention, both the lytic enzyme solution and the microbial nutrient solution are circularly used.
In one embodiment, the first processing section is a two-layer structure. The upper layer includes an array of nozzles and the lower layer is a chamber through which the exhaust gas passes.
In another embodiment, the bottom of the first section of the pipe and the bottom of the section of the pipe are designed as inclined surfaces.
In another embodiment, the spraying chamber in the first processing section is covered with an activated carbon layer.
In another embodiment, the cracking tank includes an array of paralleled baffles that alternately coupled to the tank's ceiling and bottom. The baffles coupled to the tank's ceiling have identical length and thus the gap between this group of baffles is identical. The solution passes through the gap between the baffle and the tank's bottom. The height of the baffles coupled to the tank's bottom gradually decreases from the inlet side to the outlet side. Each baffle's height is less than the vertical distance between the tank's ceiling and its bottom.
In another embodiment, one or more filtering meshes are used in the cracking tank.
In another embodiment, the second processing section is a two-layer structure. The upper layer includes an array of drip holes. The lower layer is a chamber installed with an array of pile units for microbial enzymatic hydrolysis. The nutrient solution is supplied to the pile units via the drip holes.
In another embodiment, the outer circumference of the upper end of the second portion of pipe is convex upward with a flange, and the nutrient solution storage cavity, as a reservoir, is correspondingly formed.
In another embodiment, the upright post is sheathed with an enzyme bacterial sheath.
Yet in another embodiment, the computer compares in real time the ratio VOC content in the outlet end and the inlet end, and when the ratio is higher than a predetermined value, nutrient solution is added into the nutrient supplying tank, and enzyme solution is added to the cracking tank.
The beneficial effect of the system according to the invention is multifold. First, it pre-processes the exhaust gas by applying lytic enzyme solution to VOC. Second, it uses certain microbes to gnaw the VOC particles. Third, both the lytic enzyme solution and the microbial nutrient solution are circularly used. Fourth, the supplies of the lytic enzyme solution and the microbial nutrient solution are controlled by the computer.
While the present invention may be embodied in many different forms, designs or configurations, for the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further implementations of the principles of the invention as described herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
The present invention provides an industrial VOC processing system, which includes a first processing section, a second processing section, a sensor detection device, a computer, and an electrical fan. The first processing section and the second processing section are incorporated in a pipe structure for exhaust in production shop. The first processing section is coupled to the inlet end of the exhaust pipe and the second processing section is coupled between the first processing section and the outlet end of the exhaust pipe. In the first processing section, the dust and macromolecules in VOC are eliminated by spraying a cracking solution over the exhaust. In the second processing section, the small molecules in VOC are eliminated by microbes. The electrical fan acts on the exhaust gas so that the gas passes through the first processing section and the second processing section.
The first processing section includes a first section of the pipe where a spraying chamber is installed, a spray device fixed within the upper portion of the spraying chamber, and a cracking tank which is mechanically coupled underneath the first section of the pipe. The cracking tank and the spraying chamber are hydromechanically connected via a first conduit and a second conduit. The cracking tank includes a first pump and a reservoir for containing lytic enzyme solution. The first pump is hydromechanically coupled to the spray device in the first section of the pipe. When the fan is turned on, the exhaust gas is sucked into the chamber through the inlet. At the same time, the first pump pumps the lytic enzyme solution to the spray device via the second conduit. The spray device sprays the lytic enzyme solution over the exhaust that passes through the chamber and the lytic enzyme solution falling to the bottom of the chamber returns to the cracking tank via the first conduit. The lytic enzyme solution is circularly used from the spray chamber to the cracking tank and then to the spray chamber. The exhaust gas that is passing through the spraying chamber is then forced into the second processing section.
The second processing section includes a second section of the pipe constituting a biodegradation chamber and a nutrient supplying tank which is mechanically coupled underneath the biodegradation chamber. The biodegradation chamber and the nutrient supply tank are hydromechanically connected via a third conduit and a fourth conduit. The biodegradation chamber includes an array of pile units for microbial enzymatic hydrolysis. Each pile unit is a rotatable upright post. Microbes that gnaw VOC adhere to the exterior surface of the post. The supplying tank includes a second pump that pumps the nutrient solution up to an upper reservoir in the upper portion of the degradation chamber via the third conduit. The upper reservoir is connected to each pile unit via a microtube or a drip hole. The nutrient solution is supplied to the pile unit periodically. The nutrient solution reaching to the bottom of the degradation chamber returns to the nutrient supplying tank via a fourth conduit. The nutrient solution is circularly used from the supplying tank to the degradation chamber and then to the supplying tank. The VOC in the gas that is passing through the degradation chamber is degraded and eliminated. Clean air comes out from the outlet of the degradation chamber.
The sensor detection device includes a first sensor installed in the inlet of the first processing section and a second sensor installed in the outlet of the second processing section. The sensors collect the VOC data and send the data to the computer that processes the data.
Referring to
The system according to this invention includes a first processing section 21, a second processing section 22, a sensor detection device 23, a computer (not shown in
Referring to
To increase the cracking efficiency, the cracking tank 212 includes an array of baffles 215 that alternately coupled to the cracking tank's ceiling and bottom. The baffles 215 coupled to the tank's ceiling have an identical length and thus the gap between the bottom and each of this group of baffles is identical. The height of the baffles coupled to the tank's bottom gradually decreases from the inlet side to the outlet side. In this manner, the solution passes through the wavy pass defined by the baffles, the tank's ceiling and the tank's bottom. Optionally, one or more filtering meshes 216 are used in the cracking tank 212. The filtering meshes are preferably installed in the cracking camber 212's front end that is coupled to the conduit 201. The baffles are paralleled to each other and each baffle's height is shorter than the vertical distance from the tank's bottom to its ceiling.
In operation, the lytic enzyme solution level is monitored and controlled by the sensors 231-232 and the computer 52 which is communicatively coupled to the sensors 231-232 via Internet 50. If it is lower than a predetermined value, more lytic enzyme solution is added to the cracking tank 212.
After passing the spraying chamber in the first processing section 21, the gas enters the second processing section 22 wherein the small molecules in the VOC are decomposed by microbes. Referring to
Referring to
Since a certain amount of the nutrient solution will be lost in the operation, a supplying device (not shown in
The sensor detection device 23 includes a first sensor 231 and a second sensor 232. The first sensor 231 is fixed in the entrance of the first section of the pipe 211 and collects the data related to content of the organic gas in the entrance. The second sensor 232 is fixed in the outlet of the second section of the pipe 221 and collects the data related to content of the organic gas in the outlet. The computer then calculates the ratio of the VOC parameters of the inlet and the outlet. When the ratio is larger than a predetermined value, the computer activates the corresponding pump to add lytic enzyme solution to the cracking tank 212 and/or to add nutrient solution to the supplying tank 223.
The fan 24 is preferably installed in the outlet of the second section of pipe 221 and the second sensor 232 is preferably installed between the fan 24 and the out let of the degradation chamber in the second section of pipe 221.
Referring to
In summary, VOC processing system according to the present invention, which combines a spraying treatment with lytic enzyme solution and biodegradation treatment with microbes, can effectively remove VOC in the industrial exhaust. Since the lytic enzyme solution and the microbial nutrient solution are circularly used and can be automatically replenished, the efficiency is increased.
Although one or more embodiments of the newly improved invention have been presented in detail, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the modifications to the coolant in a liquid cooling system for cooling microelectronic components in computer devices with the addition of silver alloy metal. It is acknowledged that obvious modifications will ensue to a person skilled in the art. The claims which follow will set out the full scope of the claims.