Pilot scale study and design of a granular activated carbon regeneration process using supercritical fluids

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Environmental Progress; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ep.670120310· OSTI ID:6924946

Tomasko, D L; Hay, K J ^[1]; Leman, G W ^[2]; Eckert, C A ^[3]

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1. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)
2. Cabot Corp., Tuscola, IL (United States)
3. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)

A technology which has great potential for environmental control and waste remediation is contaminant removal and separation with supercritical fluids (SCF's) or supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). Pressure tuning of solvent power allows SCF processes to adapt to a wide variety of small batch oriented separations typified by environmental cleanup operations. The ability of supercritical CO[sub 2] to extract model contaminant compounds from GAC and subsequently drop out most of the contaminant in a liquid phase has been investigated in a pilot scale apparatus. Typical desorption profiles indicate an 85% removal of the compound from the carbon which allows for reuse. The desorption results have been interpreted with a generalized desorption-mass transfer model. The results of the pilot plant studies have been applied to the design of a fixed-site GAC regeneration unit consisting of a three-element desorber with two-stage flash separation. Optimization of the process centers around minimizing the cost of recycling the SCF through an efficient recompression scheme and cycle configuration in the desorber unit. An economic evaluation shows a processing cost of 10.6 cents/lb (23 cents/kg) GAC which compares favorably with thermal regeneration and incineration. This non-destructive process allows re-use of the GAC while maintaining a high adsorbate capacity, which reduces carbon replacement costs and significantly decreases the need for carbon disposal by landfill or incineration. 25 refs., 13 figs., 3 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6924946
• Journal Information: Environmental Progress; (United States), Vol. 12:3; ISSN 0278-4491
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTIVATED CARBON
SUPERCRITICAL GAS EXTRACTION
POLLUTANTS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ACRIDINES
CARBON DIOXIDE
FLUORENE
FURANS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OPERATING COST
PHENANTHRENE
ADSORBENTS
AROMATICS
AZAARENES
AZINES
CARBON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONDENSED AROMATICS
COST
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
EXTRACTION
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PYRIDINES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
320305* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management
540220 - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)