RECOVERY OF ORGANIC VAPORS FROM PRINTING AND PAINTING OPERATIONS USING SURFACTANT-ENHANCED CARBON REGENERATION

ACTIVATED CARBON IS FREQUENTLY USED TO ABSORB ORGANIC MATERIALS FROM AIR AND WATER IN MANY INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS. IN PARTICULAR, ACTIVATED CARBON IS USED TO ABSORB VOLATILE ORGANICS FROM THE EXHAUST AIR IN THE PRINTING AND PAINTING INDUSTRIES. A NECESSARY PART OF SUCH OPERATIONS IS THE REGENERATION OF THE ACTIVATED CARBON WITH SIMULTANEOUS RECOVERY OF THE ORGANIC MATERIAL, WHICH IS GENERALLY VERY INEFFICIENT EXCEPT FOR HIGHLY VOLATILE MATERIALS. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS NOW RESTRICT THE ALLOWABLE CONCENTRATIONS OF VOLATILE ORGANIC SOLVENTS FROM THESE OPERATIONS THAT CAN BE EMITTED TO THE ATMOSPHERE. IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO RECOVER THE ORGANICS FOR REUSE IN THE OPERATION. AN ENTIRELY NEW REGENERATION TECHNIQUE, CALLED SURFACTANT-ENHANCED CARBON REGENERATION (SECR) IS BEING INVESTIGATED FOR RECOVERY OF ORGANICS EMITTED BY THE PRINTING AND PAINTING INDUSTRY. WITH SECR, THE ABSORBER CONTAINING THE USED, SPENT CARBON IS TREATED WITH A CONCENTRATED SURFACANT SOLUTION. THE ORGANIC MATERIAL ON THE SPENT CARBON IS DESORBED AND SOLUBILIZED IN THE SURFACTANT SOLUTION. THEN, THE SURFACTANT IS PRECIPITATED AND RECYCLED TO THE PROCESS. SETTLING YIELDS SEPARATION OF THE ORGANIC AND THE WATER. AFTER FLUSHING WITH WATER, THE CARBON IS RETURNED TO SERVICE WITH DRYING FOR USE IN AIR STREAMS. THE PROCESS HAS POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT, LOW TOXICITY, ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE, LOW COST RECOVERY OF FUGITIVE ORGANIC VAPORS WITH MINIMAL HANDLING OF SOLID MATERIALS. IN THE PHASE I WORK, ORGANICS USED IN PRINTING/PAINTING WILL BE CARRIED THROUGH ALL THE PROCESS STEPS. PERFORMANCE DATA WILL BE OBTAINED ON EVERY STEP, INCLUDING RATES AND CONCENTRATIONS. THE RESULTS WILL PERMIT PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE COMPETITIVE STRENGTH OF SECR AND JUSTIFICATION FOR IMPLEMENTING PHASE II.