WO2013104816A1 - Method for using waste from the recovery of cellulose as fuel in the cement industry, and drying module for performing said method - Google Patents

Description

 PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF CELLULOSE RECOVERY RESIDUES AS FUEL IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY, AND DRYING MODULE TO CARRY OUT

 CAPE SAID PROCEDURE

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The invention, as stated in the present specification, refers to a process for the use of cellulose recovery waste as a fuel in the cement industry, and to a drying module for carrying out said process.

More particularly, the invention focuses, on the one hand, on a process that aims to subject the waste obtained in the cellulose recovery processes from used paper, to a drying treatment that makes them suitable for use. As a complementary fuel in a cement clinker production furnace, a second aspect of the invention being the development of a drying or drying module specially designed to make said process possible in an optimized manner.

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION The field of application of the present invention falls within the technical sector of the cement industry, also encompassing the scope of waste utilization to be used as fuel. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At present, and as a reference to the state of the art, it should be noted that, since the paper recovery industry used is a relatively recent technique, and because of the special characteristics of the residual material used by this invention, the applicant is It is unaware of the existence of any other similar application procedure or module, or any other invention, which has similar technical, structural and constitutive characteristics to those presented in the procedure and module described here, and whose characterizing details are conveniently included in the final claims that accompany the present specification.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

Specifically, what the invention proposes, as already noted above, is a procedure for adapting waste from cellulose recovery processes, so that they can be used in the cement industry as a complementary fuel in a production furnace Clinker, which as is known, is formed from limestone and is the main raw material with which the cement is obtained, for which it is subjected to a cooking process, from which it can be used by industries that will undergo a laborious crushing from which the cement is obtained.

On the other hand, the cellulose residue is a mixture with an approximate composition of 53% of cellulosic fibers and 47% calcium carbonate, from the loads of the treated paper for the recovery of cellulose. In general, the treatment of the paper used consists in its disintegration with water, discoloration and classification of the larger fibers, leaving a residue of small fibers and mineral loads, which are filtered and the water recovered to treat it before its disposal, treatment that cannot be performed with the material that results from the previous filtering.

There is, therefore, a residue that cannot be separated from the components indicated above, with a residual moisture content of between 60 and 65%, depending on the type of filter used, and which is difficult to manage.

The appearance of said waste, that is to say, of the material obtained in the aforementioned process of cellulose recovery, is fibrous, not sticky, although of easy agglomeration, forming large lumps, but without sticking. It has a color, wet, greenish and has a very slight smell, not unpleasant, due to the remains of the treatment chemicals.

In addition, chemical analysis of the same does not detect any toxic products, so it is a material that can be handled without special precautionary measures.

Its apparent density is of the order of 450Kg / m3 in wet, falling dry to 320 Kg / m3. It should be noted that, if the material is handled wet, the calcium carbonate present in it It remains adhered and does not produce dust, but in dry, part of said carbonate is released, producing dust, so its handling and transport must be in closed environments.

The cellulosic content of this residue is an excellent fuel, but the second component thereof, calcium carbonate, will impurify the material or enclosure to be heated, so its use will be limited to the possibility of absorbing it, a circumstance that occurs in manufacturing of clinker, since one of its major components is precisely calcium carbonate. However, in order to be used as a fuel in a cement kiln, its humidity must be reduced to less than 10%, so that in contact with the oven burner flame, it burns without producing a cooling or an increase in calorific consumption, being The main objective of the present invention is the development of the process that allows the removal of said moisture from the waste used, making the material obtained suitable for said type of furnaces.

It should be considered that there is sufficient residual heat in the cement factory so that the drying of the waste is not expensive and its application is profitable, that is, that a conventional fuel saving using the furnace, coal, fuel can be produced. Oil or natural gas.

Thus, the invention focuses on the drying process of the described cellulosic residue, in order to be burned, being its application in the cement industry suitable for this because it presents the following advantages:

- The latent heat of the cellulose is recovered. - Calcium carbonate is absorbed in the process.

- No more waste is produced than the formation of CO2 from the combustion of cellulose and the decomposition of calcium carbonate, both complementary residues of the kiln process.

- An annoying and difficult to treat residue is removed.

- Part of the combustion residue comes from renewable materials (cellulose).

- There is a substantial saving of non-renewable fuels, such as coal, gas oil or natural gas. - The need for calcium carbonate for the cement manufacturing process is reduced in part, resulting in an ecological benefit, by reducing the material extracted from the quarries of the cement factory.

- Leftover residual heat is used in the cement factory.

- No waste of any kind is produced, since the unburned ones are fully absorbed and form part of the cement clinker, without diminishing any of its final characteristics.

It is important to note that saving conventional fuel allows adequate profitability, as long as heats are available residuals for drying, not usable by the cement factory.

These residual heats can come from two points:

- Leftovers from combustion and drying of raw materials; - Hot exhaust air from grill coolers.

The installation that has planetary coolers, can only choose to use the residual heats of the furnace exhaust gases, not used in the drying of raw materials.

In the first case, the temperature of the gases ranges between 300 and 350 ° C, but their quantity is limited.

In the second case, and depending on the type of cooler, a large amount of gases can be available with temperatures between 300 and 400 ° C.

Given the high humidity of the material, a substantial amount of gases is necessary, so that the application will preferably focus on the use of the exhaust gases of the grill coolers of the clinker furnaces.

Thus, the recommended procedure includes, essentially, the drying of the cellulose residue taking advantage of the residual heats not used by the cement plant itself in which they will be used as fuel, being said heats, preferably, from the exhaust gases of the barbecue coolers of the cement kilns. Regarding the way to achieve said drying and said use, it should be noted that, according to the characteristics of the material to be dried stated above, it is found that conventional methods such as drum dryers or of the type that involves a movement of the material, since this would produce a separation of the calcium carbonate together with the fine fractions of the cellulose, producing an undesirable powder and difficult to apply.

The procedure to be used, therefore, must reduce the moisture content of the material to less than 10% and, at the same time, maintain its integrity. Using a tray dryer would mean having to place the disintegrated material in layers of small thickness and work with gases at a temperature that does not imply a breakdown or degradation of cellulose.

Such a system would be possible, but the drying time would be too long, because the diffusion of heat is slow and, in addition, the size of the dryer can make it unfeasible.

On the other hand, the dry material, when disintegrated, becomes an uncomfortable handling in the discharge, due to the dust that is released. It is necessary to combine, therefore, two aspects, keep the agglomerated material and dry quickly without decomposing the cellulose, for which the process of the invention contemplates subjecting the material to an extruded process in small diameter cylinders, between 7 and 10mm. and deposit said cylinders on a perforated surface where they can be dried by the passage of hot gases, forming a layer of medium thickness material.

In addition, in order to take better advantage of the heat of the high temperature drying gases, the layer of extruded material in cylinders is kept in motion and moves on said perforated surfaces by traveling at different levels, in what is called a parallel current.

At the end of the drying operation, both the material and the gases leave the drying zone at a low temperature, thus preventing the deterioration of the cellulose while the cooling of the gases is necessary for subsequent filtration.

It is worth mentioning that the collision of very hot gases with very wet material does not imply a deterioration of the cellulose, since as long as there is sufficient humidity, its temperature will not exceed that of water evaporation, this being the main advantage of the current system parallel.

Once the material has dried to the desired humidity, it leaves the drying module in manageable sizes, which allows storage for later use or, simply, to be shredded and injected into the oven burner pneumatically, this immediate use being an option preferred for its simplicity and lower operating cost, since its storage is not necessary. Finally, with respect to the characteristics of the drying module that the invention proposes to carry out the described procedure, it should be mentioned that it has been designed with perforated mobile tapes, placed at different levels in a cabinet, so that the material, deposited in they in the form of extruded cylinders that make up a layer of low thickness, descends level and receives hot gases in parallel drying without crumbling.

With said configuration, the passage of the drying gases through the layer of material is achieved allowing a renewal of the position of said material, since said position changes when deposited from a tape superior to the next inferior, keeping the parallel current.

The module has such configuration because in an in-line belt dryer, the heat exchange is usually superficial, and since the humidity of the material is in principle very high and the drying time must be long, the length of the dryer should be enormous .

In view of the foregoing, it is found that the procedure for the use of cellulose recovery waste as fuel in the cement industry, and the module for carrying out said procedure, represent an innovation of characteristics unknown until now for this purpose, reasons that together with its practical utility, provide it with sufficient grounds to obtain the privilege of exclusivity that is requested. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made of the invention, and to help a better understanding of the characteristics that distinguish it, the present descriptive report is attached, as an integral part thereof, of a set of drawings, in which with Illustrative and non-limiting nature has represented the following:

Figure number 1.- Shows a schematic elevation representation of an example of embodiment of the drying module object of the invention to carry out the process for the use of cellulose recovery waste as fuel in the claimed cement industry, appreciating in said scheme the main parts and elements that make up the module as well as its configuration and layout.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the described figure 1 and only, and in accordance with the numbering adopted therein, it can be seen how the drying module in question is formed essentially by a cabinet (1) of several assembled bodies, whose number and Size will depend on the amount of material to be treated in each case.

In the upper part of said cabinet (1), coinciding with each of the aforementioned bodies thereof, four in the example shown, corresponding entries (2) are placed in the form of diffuser bells that provide hot gas inside said cabinet, said inlets (2) being connected to tubing (3) that conduct the hot gas from the transport pipe (4) which, in turn, conducts it from the point of origin, preferably from a clinker cooler of the own installation.

Inside the cabinet (1) there are a plurality of conveyor belts (5), of perforated surface, which are arranged on top of each other at different levels and with alternating inclination and direction to cause the successive descent of the material through them, ensuring that the transfer points are as short as possible to avoid breakage of the material, having said support foothills that guide the material so that it descends without breaking from the end of a tape and is placed on the principle of the immediate lower , leaning on its opposite side. In addition, these conveyor belts (5) are installed so that the motorized drives (6) that drive them are outside the cabinet (1).

Thus, the material to be dried changes its level being exposed to the influx of gases with a lower temperature, while the gases are cooling, maintaining the concept of parallel current.

This height arrangement also allows surface space to be reduced and avoids having to resort to complicated gas recirculation systems.

Following the characteristics of the proposed drying module, it should be noted that the material to be dried is fed from its dosed storage, with a weighing band (7), depending on the capacity of the dryer and the humidity present in it.

The dosed material falls from said weighing band (7) to an endless supply (8) to an extruder (9). Said extruder (9) is of the progressive endless vis type, where the material is pressed on a perforated plate that transforms it into small cylinders, which are deposited in parallel on the conveyor belt (5) located in the upper part of the cabinet .

The diameter of said cylinders, and therefore the thickness of the material layer, will depend on the amount of material dosed and the speed of advance of the conveyor belts (5). And, as already indicated, changes in the direction of said tapes facilitate the turning of the material, which favors the drying of the same.

The material, once finished its route and already dried to the required residual humidity, leaves the dryer through a double pendular gate (10), which ensures a minimum input of external air into the cabinet (1).

For their part, the gases, after having performed their drying function, leave the cabinet (1) at the bottom of the cabinet, through bells and outlet pipes (11) similar to those provided in the upper part, which flow into an outlet pipe (12) that leads them to a dusting system, which may consist of a simple bag filter (not shown).

Describe sufficiently the nature of the The present invention, as well as the way of putting it into practice, does not consider it necessary to extend its explanation so that any expert in the field understands its scope and the advantages that derive from it, stating that, within its essentiality, it may be implemented in other embodiments that differ in detail from that indicated by way of example, and to which it will also achieve the protection that is sought as long as it does not alter, change or modify its fundamental principle.

Claims

1. - PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF CELLULOSE RECOVERY RESIDUES AS FUEL IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY which, being particularly applicable to waste obtained in cellulose recovery processes from used paper, consisting of a material formed by a mixture With an approximate composition of 53% of cellulosic fibers and 47% of calcium carbonate and with a humidity of between 60 and 65%, so that they can be used as complementary fuel in a cement clinker production furnace, it is characterized because it comprises drying said waste material until its moisture content is less than 10% and extruded it to maintain its integrity; and because said drying takes advantage of the residual heat not used by the cement plant itself in which they will be used as fuel. 2. - PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF CELLULOSE RECOVERY RESIDUES AS FUEL IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY, according to claim 1, characterized in that the residual heats of the cement plant that are used for drying the waste material are those from the Exhaust gases from the grill coolers of the clinker furnaces of said installation. 3.- PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF CELLULOSE RECOVERY WASTE AS FUEL IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY, according to claim 2, characterized in that the waste material is subjected to an extrudate process that transforms it into small diameter cylinders, between 7 and 10 mm, which are deposited. on a perforated surface where they are dried by the passage of hot gases. 4. - PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF CELLULOSE RECOVERY WASTE AS FUEL IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY, according to claim 3, characterized in that the layer of extruded material in cylinders is kept moving and moves on the perforated surfaces making a path to different levels, through a parallel current. 5. - PROCEDURE FOR THE USE OF CELLULOSE RECOVERY WASTE AS FUEL IN THE CEMENT INDUSTRY, according to claim 4, characterized in that at the end of the drying operation, both the material and the gases, leave the drying zone at low temperature. 6. - DRYING MODULE for carrying out a process for the use of cellulose recovery waste as fuel in the cement industry, such as that described in claims 2-5, characterized in that it comprises a cabinet (1), in whose upper part are inlets (2) that provide hot gas inside the same from a transport pipe (4), and in the lower part outlet pipes (11) that flow into an outlet pipe (12) of said gases , existing within said cabinet (1) a plurality of conveyor belts (5), of perforated surface, arranged at different levels and with alternating inclination and direction to lower the material through them, turning it at the transfer points and maintaining it exposed to the influx of gases; also comprising a weighing band (7), which doses the material and an extruder (9) with perforated plate that transforms it into small cylinders, to be deposited on the conveyor belt (5) located at the top of the cabinet (1). 7. - DRYING MODULE, according to claim 6, characterized in that at the exit of the material from the cabinet (1), a double pendular gate (10) is contemplated, which ensures a minimum input of external air into the interior thereof. 8. - DRYING MODULE, according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the cabinet (1) is formed by several assembled bodies and, coinciding with each of said bodies thereof, the hot gas inlets (2) are located , which are in the form of diffuser bells, there are similar bells in the outlet pipes (11). 9.- DRYING MODULE, according to any of claims 6-8, characterized in that the transfer points between the conveyor belts (5) are short, to avoid material breakage; and because they provide support plates that guide the material. 10.- DRYING MODULE, according to any of claims 6-9, characterized in that the motorized drives (6) that drive the conveyor belts (5) are arranged outside the cabinet (1) ·