WO2003004419A1

WO2003004419A1 - Plant for the treatment of waste waters

Info

Publication number: WO2003004419A1
Application number: PCT/IB2002/002348
Authority: WO
Inventors: Leonardo Setti; Piergiorgio Pifferi; Joao Bordado
Original assignee: Tecnoalimenti Spa; Domca S.A.; Ac & H Consultores, Lda.
Priority date: 2001-07-03
Filing date: 2002-06-24
Publication date: 2003-01-16
Also published as: ITBO20010419A0; ITBO20010419A1; TR200302111T2

Abstract

Plant for the treatment of waste water, the regeneration of natural or synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially important substances, including treatment tanks (1) loaded with natural or synthetic adsorbent that, after being saturated by substances of industrial interest contained in the waste waters (4) coming from agroindustrial plants (7) are dumped (2') by said tanks and sent to extraction tanks where they are regenerated through specific eluants.

Description

PLANT FOR THE TREATMENT OF WASTE WATERS.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention refers to the plants for the recovery of industrially

important substances from the agroindustrial waste waters, and particularly

from vegetable waters coming from the olive milling or from the production

of vegetable based preserves.

STATE OF THE ART

In the previous patent literature is mentioned the document US 4303531 , in

which is described a method to remove the phenolic compounds from the

industrial wastes with the adsorption of phenols on polymeric resins and a

method to recover the phenolic compounds eluting them from said

adsorbent material through special solvents. Methods for the recovery of

phenols from industrial wastes are also known, that perform the direct

extraction with solvent, and are also known adsorption and desorption

techniques with organic and inorganic materials.

The direct extraction with solvent has never had a practical application

because of the countermeasures necessary to prevent the atmospheric

contamination connected to the employment of large quantities of solvent. Said processes also require a further treatment of the waste for the removal of the residual solvent.

The known methods to recover phenols from waste waters, realized only in

laboratory, require the employment of a specific adsorbent to optimize and

speed up the adsorption and desorption phases, and have not yet found an

industrial employment. As a matter of fact, a plant that allows the practical

realization of such method does not exist yet.

Plants of adsorption and desoφtion as previously described are particularly

expensive for the purchase of adsorbents and solvents, and for the

management that requires skilled human resources and special security

measures. Said characteristics can hardly fit in the actual situations of

agroindustrial companies, that are normally managed by small enterprises

such oil mills.

The vegetable waters from olive manufacturing constitute a serious

environmental problem in the mediterranean area, where four millions cubic

meters per year are produced. Their bacteriostatic and phytotoxic character,

connected to the high medium content of poliphenols prevents the adequate

biologic depuration process as required by the international laws. The

recovery of said poliphenols is currently a goal of high industrial interest,

considered the importance that these poliphenols have in several areas of the

phar accutic, cosmetic and food industry. The recovery of said poliphenols

is complicated by the following factors: 1) the olive mills have seasonal production as some months with an high

flow of waste waters of several cubic meters per day for each mill;

2) the olive mills are distributed in punctifoπn fashion on the territory

(about 6000 in Italy) and are family-run.

This implies that it would be too demanding in terms of investment and

management to set up the plants of adsoiplion and desorption by each olive

mill.

The investment to build a centralized plant where lo convey the vegetable

water for the recovery of the phenols would also not be financially

worthwhile, in fact the transport of the waters would imply high

transportation expenses to carry them to the treatment and a considerable

management burden for their disposal.

DESCRIPTION

The plant subject of the present invention suggests to solve the problems

mentioned above by treating the waste waters directly in the production site

through a very cheap plant that adsorbs the compounds of industrial interest

on special adsorbent materials. These compounds are then extracted from

the adsorbent material in a special centralized structure. The regenerated

adsorbent material is then sent back to the single production units of the

waste waters.

The novelty of the plant lies in the set up of special treatment tanks for the

waste waters through small quantities of adsorbent material and of other tanks dedicated to the recovery of the substances of industrial interest and

the regeneration of the adsorbent material. The cycle is characterized by the

alternate transport of the adsorbent material from the treatment tanks to the

regeneration and recycle ones. The solutions proposed in this plant solves

the current problems and optimizes the output of industrial processes of

adsoφtion and desoφtion so far known, that are based on the employment

of a single packed bed or a stirred tank where to perform these two

operations.

The plant subject of the present invention is now disclosed with reference to

the schematic figures of the attached drawings, as a not restrictive example.

Figure 1 represents schematically the cycle path of the natural or synthetic

adsorbents (2), coming from the central collection plant (8), which enter the

treatment tank (1) of the waste waters (4), from which they come out

saturated (2') to be sent back to the central collection plant (8) where they

are regenerated (2).

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a technological process including

the treatment of the waste waters (4) of each olive mill (7) with natural or

synthetic adsorbents (2), and the regeneration of the same adsorbents that

have come saturated (2') to the central collection plant (8), in order to extract

from them substances that can be used (3) in different industrial sectors.

Figure 3 represents schematically the cyclic process of the natural or

synthetic saturated adsorbents (2') co ing from the treatment tank (1 ) of the waste waters (4) of each olive mill, which enter the extraction tank (5) and

come out regenerated (2) after the recovery of the interesting substances (3)

through an extraction with a specific solvent (6) and sent back to the

treatment tanks ( 1 ).

In the figures of the attached drawings each single detail is marked as

follows:

1 ) Indicates a tank for the treatment of the waste waters;

2) Indicates (he transport of the adsorbents specially contained in boxes or permeable bags to the waste waters;

3) Indicates the industrially important substances extracted from the waste

waters from agroindustrial or food manufacturing;

4) Indicates the waste waters from agroindustrial or food manufacturing;

5) Indicates a tank for the extraction of the substances of industrial interest

and for the regeneration of the adsorbent material;

6) Indicates a solvent which is suitable both for the recovery of industrially

important substances and the regeneration of the adsorbent material;

7) Indicates a plant from which outflow the waste waters, containing

substances of industrial interest, from agroindustrial or food

manufacturing.

8) Indicates a central collecting plant where are set up the tanks for the

recovery of substances of industrial interest and the regeneration of

adsorbent material. It is evident that the invention here disclosed allows for several forms of

realization as far as the dimensioning and the structural proportioning off the

equipment constituting the plants are concerned, and as for the building

materials.

All the plants for the treatment of waste waters, the regeneration of natural

or synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially interesting

substances, that will feature the original characteristics of the present

invention, such as basically described, illustrated and hereinafter claimed,

will be held as being part of the protection sphere of the present invention.

Claims

1 ) Plant for the treatment of waste waters, the regeneration of natural or

synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially interesting substances

CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it includes treatment tanks (1 )

loaded with natural or synthetic adsorbents (2) that, after being saturated by

the substances of industrial interest (3) contained in the waste waters (4)

coming from agroindustrial plants, are dumped (2') from said tanks (1) and

then sent to tanks of extraction (5) where arc regenerated through special

eluants (6) for the recovery of the industrially interesting substances (3) and

then dumped (2) to be sent back to the treatment tanks (1) from which the

cycle of treatment, regeneration and recovery starts again.

2) Plant for the treatment of waste waters, the regeneration of natural or

synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially interesting substances,

as in claim 1 , CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the treatment

tanks (1), loaded with natural or synthetic adsorbents (2) for the treatment of

the waste waters (4), are especially set up close to olive mills (7), and arc

peripherally located and logistically connected at a central collecting plant (

8 ) provided with extraction tanks ( 5 ).

3) Plant for the treatment of waste waters, the regeneration of natural or

synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially interesting substances,

as in claim 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the

adsorbents (2'), dumped from the tanks ( 1 ) for the treatment of waste waters from olive mills (7) after the saturation, are oppoi timely transported towards

the central collecting plant (8) where the extraction tanks (5) are set up, and

the regenerated adsorbents (2) are then sent again in the reverse direction to

the treatment tank (1) where the cycle of treatment, regeneration and

recovery starts again.

4) Plant for the treatment of waste waters, the regeneration of natural or

synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially interesting substances,

as in claim 1,2 and 3 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT in the

extraction tanks (5) the natural or synthetic adsorbents, after being saturated

(2'), are regenerated by specific eluants (6) from which are then recovered

the industrially interesting substances (3) contained in the waste waters (4)

from agroindustrial plants.

5) Plant for the treatment of waste waters, the regeneration of natural or

synthetic adsorbents and the recovery of industrially interesting substances,

as in claim 1,2,3 and 4 CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the

natural or synthetic adsorbents (2) used in the cycle of the treatment,

regeneration an recovery are packaged in special bags which arc permeable

for the waste waters of agroindustrial plants.