WO2024177198A1 - Continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste and, more specifically, to a continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste, wherein oil is extracted by pyrolyzing polymer waste, such as waste plastics, in a multi-stage continuous manner under oxygen-free or oxygen-lean conditions.

Description

Continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste

The present invention relates to a continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste, and more specifically, to a continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste that extracts oil by pyrolyzing polymer waste such as waste plastic in a multi-stage continuous manner under an oxygen-free or diluted oxygen condition.

In general, polymer wastes including waste synthetic resins, waste plastics, waste rubber, waste vinyl, and waste tires are classified and sorted to be recycled or used as regenerated raw materials. However, most of them are incinerated or landfilled, which not only wastes resources but also causes serious environmental pollution of the air and soil.

Recently, due to the rise in the price of petroleum, which is a raw material for plastic raw materials and fuel oil, measures for the circular use of resources are being sought, and as part of this, thermal decomposition emulsification technologies that can obtain fuel oil (oil) by thermal decomposition of polymer waste are being continuously developed.

Pyrolysis emulsification of polymer waste is a technology that converts it into liquid fuel through a pyrolysis process that breaks the carbon chains that make up polymer raw materials by applying heat under oxygen-free or low-oxygen conditions, thereby creating low-molecular-weight polymers. The resulting fuel oil is mainly used as an industrial alternative fuel or a petrochemical raw material.

Examples of such technologies are disclosed in Republic of Korea Utility Model Publication No. 20-0452087 (Document 1) and Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1910750 (Document 2).

Document 1 discloses a waste plastic and waste vinyl comprehensive emulsifying device characterized by including: a cylindrical heating furnace that is horizontally arranged and rotates by the rotational force provided by a motor, and heats the introduced waste plastic and waste vinyl by stirring them with a solvent by a screw; a separation device that separates gas discharged from the heating furnace into heavy oil gas and diesel gas; a cooling device that cools and liquefies the diesel gas separated by the separation device; a gas storage unit that stores and liquefies the cooling gas and diesel oil cooled by the cooling device; and a gas supply unit that resupplies the cooling gas that is not liquefied by the gas storage unit to the heating furnace.

However, as described above, conventional technologies have chosen the so-called batch type, which makes it impossible to continuously input waste during the process due to reasons such as maintaining a vacuum inside the furnace. Because of this, only a set amount of waste is processed per process, which causes problems in workability and productivity.

In addition, while the reaction is taking place in the furnace, the vapor undergoes a separation process by gravity through a separator. However, if this separation process is not carried out smoothly, not only does productivity decrease, but also a large amount of energy is consumed to melt the waste during the pyrolysis melting process, which reduces economic efficiency and yield.

Meanwhile, Document 2 discloses a method for producing a plastic pyrolysis apparatus, comprising: an input unit having a hopper for inputting plastic; a heating furnace having a burner mounted thereon to create a high-temperature environment inside, and a combustion gas discharge port; a melting furnace having one end connected to the input unit, penetrating the heating furnace so that both ends are exposed to the outside, and a transfer compression means for transferring and compressing the plastic in one direction along the internal length direction, to transfer, compress, and melt the plastic, and a steam discharge port for discharging steam resulting from the compression and melting of the plastic; a first transfer unit connected to the other end of the melting furnace to transfer a molten plastic; a vacuum pyrolysis furnace having one end connected to the first transfer unit, penetrating the heating furnace so that both ends are exposed to the outside, and a transfer means for transferring the melt in one direction along the internal length direction, to transfer and pyrolyze the melt, and a steam discharge port for discharging steam resulting from the transfer and pyrolyze of the melt; a second transfer unit connected to the other end of the vacuum pyrolysis furnace to transfer pyrolysis residue of the melt; A pyrolysis emulsification system for plastic is disclosed, characterized by including: a discharge unit connected to the second conveying unit and discharging the pyrolysis residue; a first condenser connected to the steam discharge port and condensing water vapor; a second condenser connected to the steam discharge port and condensing the steam; a plurality of third condensers each connected to the second condensers via first, second, and third valves; a vacuum pump each connected to the plurality of third condensers via fourth, fifth, and sixth valves; and a fourth condenser connected to the vacuum pump.

However, the conventional technology as described above not only does not smoothly transport the melt during the process of transporting the melt by means of a transport means having a spiral screw structure that rotates inside a vacuum pyrolysis furnace, but also causes a phenomenon of jamming or sticking due to foreign substances in the melt, which ultimately hinders the transport operation of the transport means and causes a bottleneck phenomenon of the melt.

In addition, since the waste plastic is melted while moving in one direction along the inner wall of the pyrolysis furnace due to the unidirectional rotation of the transport means, there is a problem that coking may occur due to uneven heating of the waste plastic, which may affect the life of the equipment, and energy consumption and processing costs are high.

In addition, if the power required for system operation is cut off due to an emergency situation such as a power outage, the pyrolysis reaction continues until the pyrolysis reactor with heat inside is cooled below a certain temperature, so the pressure of the pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis reactor continues to increase due to the heat remaining inside the pyrolysis reactor, which may lead to an explosion risk in the pyrolysis reactor.

In addition, in the case of waste plastic, which is one of the polymer wastes, moisture is generated in the waste container during the collection process of waste plastic, and water may flow in during the process of sorting, storage, and transportation. This evaporates during the drying process during thermal decomposition and is discharged as water vapor, and is discharged as waste water during the condensation process. There is a problem of causing water pollution by discharging this waste water as it is.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and aims to provide a continuous thermal decomposition and emulsification system for polymer waste, which can continuously supply polymer waste by continuously replacing oxygen air contained in the pores of polymer waste with an inert gas (nitrogen, steam, etc.) in an oxygen-free or diluted oxygen state by a polymer waste supply device.

In addition, the purpose is to provide a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste that enables smooth movement of polymer waste and prevents the phenomenon of jamming or sticking due to foreign substances in the polymer waste according to a structure in which drying and thermal decomposition are performed while scraping the polymer waste fed into the drying/pyrolysis reactor.

In addition, the purpose is to provide a continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste that burns and discharges residual combustible gas in the event that the entire or partial system becomes unoperable due to a power outage, emergency situation, etc. that may occur during the process of drying and pyrolysis of polymer waste.

In addition, the purpose is to provide a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, which purifies the condensate generated from the first oil-water separator and the second oil-water separator and uses it as process water for an air pollution prevention facility instead of discharging it as wastewater, and evaporates and reuses the wastewater generated from all or part of the system, thereby preventing it from being discharged to the outside.

In order to achieve the above object, the continuous pyrolysis emulsification system of polymer waste according to the present invention comprises: a polymer waste supply device (100) for continuously supplying polymer waste in an oxygen-free or rare-oxygen condition; a drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) for removing moisture in the pores of polymer waste supplied from the polymer waste supply device (100) and for generating oil vapor by pyrolysis; a first condenser (310) for converting water vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into condensate; a second condenser (320) for converting oil vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into mixed oil; a first oil-water separator (410) connected to the first condenser (310) for separating a trace amount of oil from the condensate generated from the first condenser (310); a second oil-water separator (420) connected to the second condenser (320) for separating a trace amount of water from the mixed oil generated from the second condenser (320); It is characterized by including a heat supply device (500) that supplies a heat source to the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200); an air pollution prevention facility (600) that processes exhaust gas remaining after heat exchange in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) or exhaust gas discharged from the heat supply device (500); and an emergency power generation/combustion device (700) that combusts and discharges residual combustible gas in case the system cannot be operated due to an emergency situation.

In addition, the continuous pyrolysis emulsification system of polymer waste according to the present invention comprises: a polymer waste supply device (100) that continuously supplies polymer waste in an oxygen-free or rare-oxygen condition; a drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) that removes moisture in the pores of polymer waste supplied from the polymer waste supply device (100) and generates oil vapor by pyrolysis; a first condenser (310) that converts water vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into condensate; a second condenser (320) that converts oil vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into mixed oil; a first oil-water separator (410) that is connected to the first condenser (310) to separate a trace amount of oil from the condensate generated from the first condenser (310); a second oil-water separator (420) that is connected to the second condenser (320) to separate a trace amount of water from the mixed oil generated from the second condenser (320). It is characterized by including a heat supply device (500) that supplies a heat source to the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200); an air pollution prevention facility (600) that processes exhaust gas remaining after heat exchange in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) or exhaust gas discharged from the heat supply device (500); and a zero-discharge treatment device (900) that purifies condensate generated from the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) and uses it as process water for the air pollution prevention facility (600) and evaporates wastewater generated in the system so that it is not discharged to the outside.

The polymer waste supply device (100) is characterized by including: a chamber (110) having a hopper (111) provided at the top and an inlet (113) formed at one side for injecting an inert gas; first and second opening/closing valves (120, 130) installed at the top and bottom of the chamber (110) respectively to open or close the chamber (110); a piston (150) installed in a pipe (114) that protrudes obliquely and communicates at the bottom of the chamber (110) and is operated by an actuator (140) to supply polymer waste; and a transfer means (160) installed at the bottom of the chamber (110) to transfer polymer waste to a drying/pyrolysis reactor (200).

The above drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) comprises: a reactor body (210) having an inlet (211) formed on the upper side into which polymer waste is fed, an outlet (212) formed on the lower side through which slag composed of ash and undecomposed carbon is discharged, and an interior having a multi-stage structure; a drying chamber (220) located at the uppermost interior surface of the reactor body (210) to remove moisture in the pores of the polymer waste; a thermal decomposition chamber (230) located below the drying chamber (220) to thermally decompose the polymer waste while moving in a zigzag shape to generate vapor; a driving sprocket (260) coupled to a driving shaft (240) installed on one side of the drying chamber (220) and the thermal decomposition chamber (230); a driven sprocket (270) coupled to a driven shaft (250) installed on the other side of the drying chamber (220) and the thermal decomposition chamber (230); It is characterized by including a chain (280) that connects the driving sprocket (260) and the driven sprocket (270) and moves in an endless track manner; and a plurality of transfer plates (290) that are installed at a predetermined interval on the chain (280) and move cyclically together with the chain (280) to transfer polymer waste.

The present invention is characterized in that the water vapor generated in the drying room (220) of the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) is condensed by the first condenser (310) to lower the moisture content of the pyrolysis oil generated in the pyrolysis room (230) and increase its purity.

The above air pollution prevention facility (600) is characterized by including a scrubber (610) that oxidizes acid gas and organic pollutants (VOC) in combustion gas generated during the process of combusting fuel in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) with ozone and removes them with a cleaning solution; and an ozone injection device (620) that injects ozone into the front of the scrubber (610).

The above emergency power generation/combustion device (700) is characterized by including an emergency exhaust line (710) for transporting pyrolysis gas from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200); a combustion burner (720) for combusting the pyrolysis gas transported through the emergency exhaust line (710); a combustion fan (730) for sucking and exhausting the pyrolysis gas transported through the emergency exhaust line (710); and a generator (740) for supplying power to drive the combustion burner (720) and the combustion fan (730).

The above emergency discharge line (710) is characterized by including a first emergency switching valve (712) installed on a first connecting pipe (711) connected between a heat supply device (500) and a backfire prevention device (860); a second emergency switching valve (714) installed on a second connecting pipe (713) branched from the first connecting pipe (711) and connected to a steam boiler (840); a third emergency switching valve (716) installed on a third connecting pipe (715) branched from the first connecting pipe (711) and connected to an emergency power generation/combustion device (700); and a fourth emergency switching valve (718) installed on a fourth connecting pipe (717) connected between the emergency power generation/combustion device (700) and a heat exchanger (820).

The above-mentioned zero-discharge treatment device (900) is characterized by including an evaporator (910) that evaporates wastewater generated in the air pollution prevention facility (600) and exhausts the evaporated water vapor to the air pollution prevention facility (600); a water treatment device (920) that supplies the condensate separated in the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) to the air pollution prevention facility (600) by subjecting it to advanced oxidation treatment using ultrafine ozone bubbles.

It is characterized by further including an adsorption tower (810) for adsorbing and removing organic pollutant (VOC) gas that has passed through the above air pollution prevention facility (600) without being cleaned.

It is characterized by further including a heat exchanger (820) for heat-exchanging purified combustion gas discharged from the above adsorption tower (810).

It is characterized by further including a jacket-type distillation tower (830) for separating the wax component from the vapor generated in the thermal decomposition chamber (230) of the above drying/thermolysis reactor (200).

The uncondensed gas that is not condensed in the first condenser (310) and second condenser (320) is uniformly generated according to a continuous reaction, and the generated gas is continuously used in a heat supply device (500), and the remaining uncondensed gas is used as fuel for a steam boiler (840).

It is characterized by further including a vacuum pump (850) for transporting uncondensed gas generated in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200), and a backfire prevention device (860) for preventing fire occurrence of uncondensed gas due to backfire of the heat supply device (500) and the steam boiler (840).

As described above, the continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention has the effect of increasing the thermal decomposition yield by continuously supplying polymer waste and performing substitution in an oxygen-free or diluted oxygen state.

In addition, since the polymer waste fed into the drying/pyrolysis reactor is moved while being scraped, dropped to the next stage, and then moved again while being pyrolyzed, not only is smooth movement of the polymer waste possible, but there is also an effect of preventing the phenomenon of polymer waste becoming stuck or sticking due to foreign substances.

In addition, in the event that the entire or partial system becomes inoperable due to a power outage or emergency situation that may occur during the drying and pyrolysis of polymer waste, it is possible to actively prevent safety accidents such as fires and explosions by burning and discharging residual combustible gas, and it also has the effect of preventing damage to the device due to malfunction in an emergency situation and preventing air pollution due to leakage of pyrolysis gas.

In addition, it has the effect of purifying the condensate generated from the first oil-water separator and the second oil-water separator and using it as process water for an air pollution prevention facility, and evaporating wastewater generated from all or part of the system and preventing it from being discharged to the outside.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing a polymer waste supply device of a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a configuration diagram showing a drying/pyrolysis reactor of a continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the emergency power generation/combustion device of a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a configuration diagram showing a backfire prevention device of a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is a configuration diagram showing a zero-discharge treatment device of a continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the most preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail so that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily practice the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention includes a polymer waste supply device (100), a drying/thermolysis reactor (200), a first condenser (310), a second condenser (320), a first oil-water separator (410), a second oil-water separator (420), a heat supply device (500), an air pollution prevention facility (600), and an emergency power generation/combustion device (700).

In addition, the continuous pyrolysis emulsification system for polymer waste of the present invention may include a control unit (not shown) for controlling the overall operation of the above-mentioned components.

First, before explaining the present invention, it is preferable to select waste synthetic resins (PE, PP, PS) from among household waste and industrial waste, excluding metals and waste plastics and vinyl chloride that are difficult to crush, and crush them in a crusher to a size that can be fed into a drying/pyrolysis reactor, and to crush them to a size of approximately 50×50mm or less.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the polymer waste supply device (100) is a device that continuously supplies polymer waste in an oxygen-free or rare oxygen state, and includes a chamber (110), first and second opening/closing valves (120, 130), an actuator (140), a piston (150), and a transfer means (160).

The above chamber (110) is equipped with a hopper (111) at the top, and an injection port (113) for injecting an inert gas is formed on one side.

In particular, the chamber (110) is divided into a substitution chamber (112) formed in the space between the first opening/closing valve (120) and the second opening/closing valve (130), and an equalization chamber (117) formed at the bottom of the substitution chamber (112).

Additionally, an air exhaust port (115) for exhausting air is formed on one side of the chamber (110).

On one side of the lower portion of the chamber (110), a tube body (114) is protruded and connected in an upwardly inclined manner, and on the other side, a folded portion (116) is formed to prevent the polymer waste from getting caught.

The above first opening/closing valve (120) is installed at the top of the chamber (110) and opens or closes the chamber (110).

The above second opening/closing valve (130) is installed at the bottom of the chamber (110) and opens or closes the chamber (110).

Thermal decomposition of polymer waste melts polymer waste with heat of about 80 to 450℃ in an oxygen-free environment, vaporizes it, and decomposes it into low-carbon molecules. In order to prevent oxygen in the air from flowing into the thermal decomposition area, a substitution chamber (112) is applied to replace air with nitrogen before feeding polymer waste from the polymer waste supply device (100) into the thermal decomposition area. The substitution chamber (112) is sealed using the first and second opening/closing valves (120, 130), and nitrogen is injected through the inlet (113).

The above piston (150) is installed in the above body (114) and is operated by an actuator (140) to control the supply amount of polymer waste.

The above-mentioned transport means (160) is installed at an angle at the bottom of the chamber (110) to transport the polymer waste to the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200). The above-mentioned transport means (160) may be a screw conveyor that rotates by a motor or the like, and a scraper may be additionally configured.

According to the above configuration, the polymer waste supply device (100) closes the second opening/closing valve (130) and inputs polymer waste, then closes the first opening/closing valve (120), performs nitrogen purging for a certain period of time, and then opens the second opening/closing valve (130) to drop the nitrogen-purged polymer waste into the equalization chamber (117). When the dropping of the purged polymer waste is completed, the second opening/closing valve (130) is closed.

To ensure continuous supply of polymer waste, the first on-off valve (120) is opened before the polymer waste is exhausted in the equalization chamber (117), and the polymer waste is filled in the displacement chamber (112). When the polymer waste is filled in the displacement chamber (112), the first on-off valve (120) is closed and nitrogen purging is performed.

Meanwhile, the polymer waste supply device (100) adjusts the supply amount of polymer waste by arranging the piston (150) including the actuator (140) at an angle so that it is evenly distributed to the transport means (160), thereby preventing the polymer waste from jamming or clogging, thereby improving the performance of the system. Accordingly, the normal operating rate of the system equipment is increased, thereby increasing the thermal decomposition yield.

In addition, by arranging the transport means (160) so as to be inclined upward, the length of the transport means (160) can be shortened, thereby shortening the time for inputting polymer waste and reducing the input space and equipment, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) removes moisture in the pores of polymer waste supplied from the polymer waste supply device (100) and thermally decomposes the waste to generate vapor. The drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) includes a reactor body (210), a drying chamber (220), a thermal decomposition chamber (230), a driving shaft (240), a driven shaft (250), a driving sprocket (260), a driven sprocket (270), a chain (280), and a transfer plate (290).

The thermal decomposition area of this drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) is separated from the atmosphere throughout the entire process from the supply of polymer waste to the recovery of mixed oil.

The reactor body (210) above has an inlet (211) formed on the upper side into which polymer waste is fed, and an outlet (212) formed on the lower side into which slag composed of ash and undecomposed carbon is discharged.

In addition, the reactor body (210) has a multi-stage internal structure and includes a drying room (220) and a thermal decomposition room (230).

Polymer waste such as waste plastics fed into the above reactor body (210) is gradually heated in the temperature range of 80 to 450°C to undergo moisture drying, polymer waste melting, thermal decomposition, and slag formation processes. The result of the thermal decomposition reaction is discharged as mixed steam composed of water vapor and thermal decomposition gas and slag composed of ash and a small amount of undecomposed carbon. At this time, the slag is discharged through a slag discharge device (870) installed on one side of the drying/thermolysis reactor (200).

The above drying room (220) is located at the top inside the reactor body (210) and removes moisture in the pores of the polymer waste.

In particular, the water vapor generated in the drying room (220) is condensed by the first condenser (310) to lower the moisture content of the pyrolysis oil generated in the pyrolysis room (230) and increase its purity.

The above thermal decomposition chamber (230) is located below the above drying chamber (220), and thermally decomposes the polymer waste while moving in a zigzag shape to generate vapor.

In detail, the drying room (220) is a region where the moisture in the pores of the polymer waste is dried while heating the polymer waste at a temperature of 80 to 150°C, and the thermal decomposition room (230) having a multi-stage structure located below the drying room (220) includes a region where some thermal decomposition occurs while the polymer waste melts at a temperature of 100 to 250°C and vaporization proceeds, a region where thermal decomposition occurs at a temperature of 200 to 350°C and vaporization occurs, and a region where slag composed of ash and a small amount of undecomposed carbon due to decomposition and carbonization is generated at a temperature of 300 to 450°C. Meanwhile, the present invention is a region where drying and thermal decomposition of polymer waste are performed under the above-mentioned regions and temperature conditions, but is not limited thereto, and the drying room (220) and the thermal decomposition room (230) may be configured in one stage, two stages, three stages, or additional stages, and various temperatures may be applied.

The above driving sprocket (260) is coupled to a driving shaft (240) installed on one side of the drying room (220) and the thermal decomposition room (230).

The above-mentioned passive sprocket (270) is coupled to a passive shaft (250) installed on the other side of the drying room (220) and the thermal decomposition room (230).

Here, the driving sprocket (260) is rotated by receiving power from a motor (not shown). The motor is installed on the outside of the reactor body (210), and a reducer is installed on the shaft of the motor. The reducer and the driving shaft (240) are installed so as to be connected, so that when the motor is operated, the driving sprocket (260) rotates through the driving shaft (240).

The above chain (280) connects the driving sprocket (260) and the driven sprocket (270) and moves in an endless track manner.

The above-mentioned transfer plates (290) are installed at predetermined intervals on the above-mentioned chain (280) and transfer polymer waste while moving in circulation with the chain (280). That is, the polymer waste is thermally decomposed while moving through the multi-stage thermal decomposition chamber (230) by the continuous circulation of the transfer plates (290) together with the above-mentioned chain (280).

According to the above configuration, the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) moves while scraping the input polymer waste, drops it to the next stage, and then moves again while performing pyrolysis, so that not only smooth movement of the polymer waste is possible, but also the phenomenon of jamming or sticking due to foreign substances in the polymer waste can be prevented.

The above first condenser (310) converts the water vapor discharged from the drying room (220) of the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into condensate and supplies it to the first oil-water separator (410).

The second condenser (320) converts the vapor discharged from the thermal decomposition chamber (230) of the drying/thermolysis reactor (200) into mixed oil and supplies it to the second oil-water separator (420).

The uncondensed gas that is not condensed in the first condenser (310) and second condenser (320) is uniformly generated according to a continuous reaction, and the generated uncondensed gas is continuously used in the heat supply device (500), and the remaining uncondensed gas is used as fuel for the steam boiler (840).

The above first oil separator (410) is connected to the first condenser (310) and separates a small amount of oil from the condensate generated in the first condenser (310).

The above second oil-water separator (420) is connected to the second condenser (320) and separates a small amount of water from the mixed oil generated in the second condenser (320).

In detail, the first and second oil-water separators (410, 420) separate water and oil from the condensate in which a small amount of oil vapor evaporated together with water vapor during the drying process of polymer waste by the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) is condensed, and the mixed oil in which a small amount of water vapor evaporated together with the pyrolysis gas generated during the pyrolysis process is condensed. Here, the separated oil is discharged to a storage tank.

The above heat supply device (500) is installed on one side of the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) and supplies a heat source to the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200).

The above heat supply device (500) supplies heat for controlling the temperature of the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200), and a boiler using hot air or heat oil with a direct-fired burner integrated with the drying/pyrolysis reactor may be used. At this time, the boiler burner is operated by supplying natural gas during operation, and when pyrolysis progresses and uncondensed gas, which is a by-product gas, is generated, the uncondensed gas is used as fuel.

The above air pollution prevention facility (600) processes the exhaust gas remaining after heat exchange in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) or the exhaust gas discharged from the heat supply device (500).

Accordingly, the above air pollution prevention facility (600) includes a scrubber (610) that oxidizes acid gas and organic pollutants (VOC) in combustion gas generated during the process of burning fuel in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) with ozone and removes them with a cleaning solution, and an ozone injection device (620) that injects ozone in front of the scrubber (610).

The above scrubber (610) is a device that sprays cleaning water onto combustion gas flowing in through a pipe to bring the combustion gas and cleaning water into gas-liquid contact, and may be a conventional wet scrubber.

The above ozone injection device (620) can inject ozone through the cleaning water supply line of the scrubber (610) and supply it into the interior of the scrubber (610).

Meanwhile, in the event that the power required for system operation is cut off due to a power outage, emergency situation, etc., the thermal decomposition reaction continues until the drying/thermolysis reactor with heat inside while cut off from the atmosphere is cooled below a certain temperature, and the pressure of the residual combustible gas generated in the drying/thermolysis reactor continues to increase due to the heat remaining inside the drying/thermolysis reactor, which may result in a risk of thermal decomposition gas leakage or explosion of the drying/thermolysis reactor.

Accordingly, the present invention includes an emergency power generation/combustion device (700) that combusts and discharges residual combustible gas when the system cannot be operated due to an emergency situation such as a power outage or boiler failure.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the emergency power generation/combustion device (700) includes an emergency exhaust line (710) for transporting residual combustible gas from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200), a combustion burner (720) for combusting the residual combustible gas transported through the emergency exhaust line (710), a combustion fan (730) for sucking and exhausting the residual combustible gas transported through the emergency exhaust line (710), and a generator (740) for supplying power to drive the combustion burner (720) and the combustion fan (730).

In particular, the emergency discharge line (710) includes a first emergency switching valve (712) installed on a first connecting pipe (711) connected between a heat supply device (500) and a backfire prevention device (860), a second emergency switching valve (714) installed on a second connecting pipe (713) branched from the first connecting pipe (711) and connected to a steam boiler (840), a third emergency switching valve (716) installed on a third connecting pipe (715) branched from the first connecting pipe (711) and connected to an emergency power generation/combustion device (700), and a fourth emergency switching valve (718) installed on a fourth connecting pipe (717) connected between the emergency power generation/combustion device (700) and a heat exchanger (820).

For example, when the system is operating normally, the bypass valve (880) is closed, and the first emergency switching valve (712) and the second emergency switching valve (714) are opened. In addition, the third emergency switching valve (716) and the fourth emergency switching valve (718) are closed so that the emergency power generation/combustion device (700) is not operated.

In the event of a power outage, the bypass valve (880) is opened, and the first emergency switching valve (712) and the second emergency switching valve (714) are closed. Then, the third emergency switching valve (716) and the fourth emergency switching valve (718) are opened to operate the emergency power generation/combustion device (700).

In the event of a failure of the steam boiler (840), the bypass valve (880) is closed, the first emergency switching valve (712) is opened, and the second emergency switching valve (714) is closed. Then, the third emergency switching valve (716) and the fourth emergency switching valve (718) are opened to operate the emergency power generation/combustion device (700).

That is, when an emergency situation such as a power outage occurs, the operation of the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) is stopped by the emergency power generation/combustion device (700), and the residual combustible gas generated in the drying/pyrolysis reactor is combusted by bypassing the vacuum pump for a certain period of time, and the exhaust gas generated during combustion is discharged to the air pollution prevention facility (600).

In this way, the present invention can actively prevent safety accidents such as fires and explosions by burning and discharging residual combustible gas in the event that the entire or partial system becomes inoperable due to a power outage or emergency situation that may occur during the process of pyrolysis of polymer waste due to the installation of an emergency power generation/combustion device (700), and can also prevent damage to the device due to malfunction in an emergency situation and prevent air pollution due to leakage of pyrolysis gas.

The continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system of polymer waste of the present invention may further include an adsorption tower (810) for adsorbing and removing organic pollutant (VOC) gas that has passed through the air pollution prevention facility (600) without being cleaned, and may further include a heat exchanger (820) for heat-exchanging purified combustion gas discharged from the adsorption tower (810).

The above heat exchanger (820) prevents white smoke by exchanging heat between high temperature (approximately 300 to 400°C) gas discharged from a heat supply device (500), an emergency power generation/combustion device (700), a steam boiler (840), etc. and low temperature (approximately 60 to 70°C or less) gas discharged from a scrubber (610).

The continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system of polymer waste of the present invention may further include a jacket-type distillation tower (830) for separating a wax component from the vapor generated in the thermal decomposition chamber (230) of the drying/thermal decomposition reactor (200). The jacket-type distillation tower (830) is provided with a jacket having a temperature control space outside the distillation tower, thereby enabling azeotropic distillation to be performed more smoothly.

The continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system of polymer waste of the present invention may further include a vacuum pump (850) for transporting uncondensed gas generated from the drying/thermolysis reactor (200), and may further include a flashback prevention device (860) for preventing fire occurrence of uncondensed gas due to flashback of the heat supply device (500) and the steam boiler (840).

Meanwhile, a bypass valve (880) is installed on the pipe connected between the first condenser (310) and the second condenser (320) and the vacuum pump (850) so that, when the vacuum pump (850) fails, the uncondensed gas is bypassed to the backfire prevention device (860) without passing through the vacuum pump (850).

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the backfire prevention device (860) includes first and second backfire prevention tanks (861, 862) that contain water therein and have valves at the bottom, a first gas inlet pipe (863) that is connected to one side of the upper portion of the first backfire prevention tank (861) and is installed so that one end is submerged in the water inside the first backfire prevention tank (861), a second gas inlet pipe (864) that is connected to one side of the upper portion of the first backfire prevention tank (861) and the other end is installed so that the other end is submerged in the water inside the second backfire prevention tank (862), and a gas discharge pipe (865) that is connected to one side of the upper portion of the second backfire prevention tank (862).

According to this configuration, the backfire prevention device (860) is a device in which the ends of the first gas inlet pipe (863) and the second gas inlet pipe (864) through which the uncondensed gas is supplied are each immersed in water, thereby allowing the uncondensed gas to pass through the water and be discharged through the gas discharge pipe (865), thereby preventing the fire coming in through the pipe due to backfire of the burner from spreading by allowing the uncondensed gas to pass through the water.

Meanwhile, the continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste of the present invention includes a blower fan (892) that forcibly blows the exhaust gas treated in the adsorption tower (810) to the chimney (891).

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention may include a zero-discharge treatment device (900) that purifies condensate generated from the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) and uses it as process water for an air pollution prevention facility (600), and evaporates wastewater generated from the system so that it is not discharged to the outside.

The above-mentioned zero-discharge treatment device (900) purifies the condensate generated from the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) and uses it as process water for the air pollution prevention facility (600), and evaporates the wastewater generated in the system so that it is not discharged to the outside.

Polymer waste may contain moisture in the waste container during the collection process, and water may flow in during the classification, storage, and transport processes. This moisture evaporates and is discharged as water vapor during the thermal decomposition process by the drying/thermolysis reactor (200), and is discharged as waste water during the condensation process. At this time, the discharged waste water can be treated in a zero-discharge treatment device (900) and used as process water for an air pollution prevention facility (600).

Accordingly, the above zero-discharge treatment device (900) includes an evaporator (910) that evaporates wastewater generated in the air pollution prevention facility (600) and exhausts the evaporated water vapor to the air pollution prevention facility (600), and a water treatment device (920) that supplies the condensate separated in the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) to the air pollution prevention facility (600) by subjecting it to advanced oxidation treatment using ultrafine ozone bubbles.

The water vapor evaporated by the above evaporator (910) is condensed in the air pollution prevention facility (600) and used again as process water of the air pollution prevention facility (600). In addition, the evaporation residue is solidified as wastewater sludge or salt and removed.

Meanwhile, the zero-discharge treatment device (900) of the present invention can use a circular disk-type evaporative crystallizer instead of an evaporator.

The above evaporative crystallizer comprises a circular disc, a spray unit for spraying wastewater onto the disc, a motor for rotating the disc, a steam generator for providing steam to the inside of the disc, and a blade for removing sludge or salt components attached to the disc.

According to this configuration, the evaporative crystallizer can treat a large amount of wastewater, efficiently attach the wastewater to a disk at a temperature at which the wastewater can evaporate, evaporate moisture, and separate and remove dissolved solids in the wastewater that are concentrated or crystallized and attached to the disk.

The above water treatment device (920) includes an ozone water-based wastewater circulation treatment unit that receives wastewater, injects ozone gas into the received wastewater, generates and discharges wastewater containing fine ozone bubbles and having ozone dissolved therein by collision of the wastewater into which the ozone gas has been injected, and a reaction unit that stores wastewater containing fine ozone bubbles and having ozone dissolved therein discharged by the wastewater circulation treatment unit. In addition, the reaction unit may further include an activated carbon filter that receives a portion of the wastewater stored therein, adsorbs a difficult-to-decompose substance present in the received wastewater, and then discharges the same.

This water treatment device (920) is disclosed in the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1144704 (published on May 24, 2012) previously applied for and registered by the inventor of the present invention, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the zero-discharge treatment device (900) purifies condensate generated during the thermal decomposition process and supplies it to the air pollution prevention facility (600) for reuse, and purifies wastewater generated in the air pollution prevention facility (600) for continued use, thereby providing a device with no discharge.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the attached drawings and focusing on preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be construed by the claims which are written to include such many examples of modifications.

The continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste according to the present invention can be operated continuously, thereby expanding the scale of polymer waste processing, and improving oil yield, facility operation efficiency, and energy utilization efficiency through stable operation.

Claims (14)

1. A polymer waste supply device (100) that continuously supplies polymer waste in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen condition;

   A drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) that removes moisture in the pores of polymer waste supplied from the polymer waste supply device (100) and generates vapor by pyrolysis;

   A first condenser (310) that converts water vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into condensate;

   A second condenser (320) that converts the vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into mixed oil;

   A first oil-water separator (410) connected to the first condenser (310) and separating a small amount of oil from the condensate generated in the first condenser (310);

   A second oil-water separator (420) connected to the second condenser (320) to separate a small amount of water from the mixed oil generated in the second condenser (320);

   A heat supply device (500) that supplies a heat source to the above drying/pyrolysis reactor (200);

   An air pollution prevention facility (600) that processes the remaining exhaust gas after heat exchange in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) or the exhaust gas discharged from the heat supply device (500); and

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including an emergency power generation/combustion device (700) for burning and discharging residual combustible gas in the event that the system becomes inoperable due to an emergency situation.
2. A polymer waste supply device (100) that continuously supplies polymer waste in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen condition;

   A drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) that removes moisture in the pores of polymer waste supplied from the polymer waste supply device (100) and generates vapor by pyrolysis;

   A first condenser (310) that converts water vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into condensate;

   A second condenser (320) that converts the vapor discharged from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) into mixed oil;

   A first oil-water separator (410) connected to the first condenser (310) and separating a small amount of oil from the condensate generated in the first condenser (310);

   A second oil-water separator (420) connected to the second condenser (320) to separate a small amount of water from the mixed oil generated in the second condenser (320);

   A heat supply device (500) that supplies a heat source to the above drying/pyrolysis reactor (200);

   An air pollution prevention facility (600) that processes the remaining exhaust gas after heat exchange in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) or the exhaust gas discharged from the heat supply device (500); and

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including a zero-discharge treatment device (900) that purifies condensate generated from the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) and uses it as process water for an air pollution prevention facility (600), and evaporates wastewater generated from the system so that it is not discharged to the outside.
3. In claim 1 or claim 2,

   The above polymer waste supply device (100) comprises a chamber (110) having a hopper (111) provided at the top and an injection port (113) formed on one side for injecting an inert gas;

   First and second opening/closing valves (120, 130) installed respectively at the upper and lower portions of the chamber (110) to open or close the chamber (110);

   A piston (150) installed in a pipe (114) that protrudes obliquely at the bottom of the chamber (110) and is operated by an actuator (140) to supply polymer waste; and

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including a transfer means (160) installed at the lower part of the chamber (110) to transfer polymer waste to a drying/thermolysis reactor (200).
4. In claim 1 or claim 2,

   The above drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) comprises a reactor body (210) having a multi-stage structure inside, with an inlet (211) formed on the upper side into which polymer waste is fed, and an outlet (212) formed on the lower side through which slag composed of ash and undecomposed carbon is discharged;

   A drying room (220) located at the top inside the reactor body (210) to remove moisture in the pores of polymer waste;

   A thermal decomposition chamber (230) located at the lower part of the above drying chamber (220) where polymer waste moves in a zigzag shape and is thermally decomposed to generate vapor;

   A driving sprocket (260) coupled to a driving shaft (240) installed on one side of the drying room (220) and the thermal decomposition room (230);

   A driven sprocket (270) coupled to a driven shaft (250) installed on the other side of the drying room (220) and the thermal decomposition room (230);

   A chain (280) that connects the above driving sprocket (260) and the driven sprocket (270) and moves in an endless track manner; and

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including a plurality of transfer plates (290) installed at predetermined intervals on the chain (280) and transporting polymer waste while moving cyclically with the chain (280).
5. In claim 4,

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized in that the water vapor generated in the drying room (220) of the above drying/thermolysis reactor (200) is condensed by the first condenser (310) to lower the moisture content of the thermal decomposition oil generated in the thermal decomposition room (230) and increase its purity.
6. In claim 1 or claim 2,

   The above air pollution prevention facility (600) comprises a scrubber (610) that oxidizes acid gas and organic pollutants (VOC) in combustion gas generated during the combustion of fuel in the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200) with ozone and removes them with a cleaning solution;

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including an ozone injection device (620) for injecting ozone into the front end of the above scrubber (610).
7. In claim 1,

   The above emergency power generation/combustion device (700) comprises an emergency exhaust line (710) for transporting pyrolysis gas from the drying/pyrolysis reactor (200);

   A combustion burner (720) that combusts pyrolysis gas transported through the above emergency exhaust line (710);

   A combustion fan (730) that sucks in and discharges the pyrolysis gas transported through the above emergency exhaust line (710); and

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including a generator (740) for supplying power to drive the combustion burner (720) and combustion fan (730).
8. In claim 7,

   The above emergency discharge line (710) comprises a first emergency switching valve (712) installed on a first connecting pipe (711) connected between a heat supply device (500) and a backfire prevention device (860);

   A second emergency switching valve (714) installed on a second connecting pipe (713) branched from the first connecting pipe (711) and connected to a steam boiler (840);

   A third emergency switching valve (716) installed on a third connecting pipe (715) branched from the first connecting pipe (711) and connected to an emergency power generation/combustion device (700); and

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including a fourth emergency switching valve (718) installed on a fourth connecting pipe (717) connected between the emergency power generation/combustion device (700) and the heat exchanger (820).
9. In claim 2,

   The above-mentioned zero-discharge treatment device (900) comprises an evaporator (910) that evaporates wastewater generated in the air pollution prevention facility (600) and exhausts the evaporated water vapor to the air pollution prevention facility (600);

   A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by including a water treatment unit (920) that supplies the condensate separated from the first oil-water separator (410) and the second oil-water separator (420) to an air pollution prevention facility (600) by subjecting it to advanced oxidation treatment using ultrafine ozone bubbles.
10. In claim 1 or claim 2,

    A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized by further including an adsorption tower (810) for adsorbing and removing organic pollutant (VOC) gases that have passed through the above air pollution prevention facility (600) without being cleaned.
11. In claim 10,

    A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized in that it further includes a heat exchanger (820) for exchanging heat with purified combustion gas discharged from the above adsorption tower (810).
12. In claim 1 or claim 2,

    A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized in that it further includes a jacket-type distillation tower (830) for separating wax components from the vapor generated in the thermal decomposition chamber (230) of the drying/thermolysis reactor (200).
13. In claim 1 or claim 2,

    A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized in that the uncondensed gas that is not condensed in the first condenser (310) and the second condenser (320) is uniformly generated according to a continuous reaction, the generated gas is continuously used in a heat supply device (500), and the remaining uncondensed gas is used as fuel for a steam boiler (840).
14. In claim 1 or claim 2,

    A continuous thermal decomposition emulsification system for polymer waste, characterized in that it further includes a vacuum pump (850) for transporting uncondensed gas generated from the drying/thermolysis reactor (200), and a flashback prevention device (860) for preventing fire from occurring in uncondensed gas due to flashback of the heat supply device (500) and the steam boiler (840).

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