Method, apparatus and plant for manufacturing engine fuel

Abstract

A method for manufacturing inexpensive and high-quality engine fuel, from a starting material comprising waste vegetable oils which have been conventionally wasted, is provided. There are provided; a starting-material tank 1 for storing oil/fat therein; a filtering device for filtering out solid components of the oil/fat in the starting-material tank; a first reaction vessel 5 for conducting first cracking by reacting ozone with the oil/fat; an oil/water separation device 4 for separating that water content involved in the cracking reaction, from the oil/fat; a first filtering device 8 for conducting first filtering of the oil/fat; a second reaction vessel 9 for conducting second cracking; a second filtering device 10 ; an adding device for adding an additive; an impurity adsorbing vessel 12 and a filtering vessel 13 for cooperatively purifying the water phase component from which the oil/fat phase has been excluded by the oil/water separation device; wherein in each of the first reaction and second reaction, there are delivered a reducing agent and polymerization inhibitor into the oil/fat.

1 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel, comprising: 
 a pretreatment step for filtering a higher-boiling-point vegetable oil/fat;    a first treatment step for introducing ozone, a reducing agent and a polymerization inhibitor into the higher-boiling-point oil/fat, so as to cause the higher-boiling-point oil/fat component and the ozone to react with each other while adjusting the reactivity in the presence of the reducing agent and polymerization inhibitor, to thereby crack the higher-boiling-point oil/fat component;    a first filtering step for filtering the higher-boiling-point oil/fat so as to remove therefrom solid components including the reducing agent and polymerization inhibitor having been deteriorated by the cracking reaction;    a second treatment step for newly introducing a fresh reducing agent and a fresh polymerization inhibitor both having higher activities and for simultaneously introducing ozone, into the filtrate, so as to crack the higher-boiling-point oil/fat component while subsequently stirring the higher-boiling-point oil/fat component; and    a step for repeating said treatment steps for cracking the higher-boiling-point oil/fat component in a manner to conduct such a treatment step totally two or more times while interposing said filtering step between said treatment steps, to thereby reform the higher-boiling-point oil/fat into a lower-boiling-point oil while delivering an antifreezing agent into the lower-boiling-point oil.    
     
     
         2 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1 , 
 wherein said stirring treatments for breaking the constitution of the starting material to thereby cause a cracking phenomenon substantially require a stirring rotational speed of at least 10,000 rpm.    
     
     
         3 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1   wherein the vegetable oil is a filtrate obtained by compressing waste vegetables.    
     
     
         4 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1 , 
 wherein said step for filtering out the solid components comprises a step for introducing and using a filtering medium including at least one of activated clay, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, activated carbon, and bone ash, at a rate of 20 kg to 25 kg to 1 kiloliter of the reaction liquid.    
     
     
         5 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1 , 
 wherein said treatment step comprises a step for introducing ozone in a form of ozone-containing air into the cracking reaction, at a concentration of 500 ppm to 30,000 ppm.    
     
     
         6 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the reducing agent includes at least one of ferric oxide compound and copper compound, and is used at a rate of 0.15 g for 1 kiloliter of reaction liquid.    
     
     
         7 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the polymerization inhibitor includes a phosphorus compound and is used at a rate of 0.2 g to 0.25 g for 1 kiloliter of reaction liquid.    
     
     
         8 . A method for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 1   wherein the antifreezing agent includes castor oil and is introduced into the lower-boiling-point oil at a concentration of 0.05 wt. % to 0.1 wt. %.    
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for manufacturing engine fuel by cracking a higher-boiling-point vegetable oil/fat to thereby reform the same into a lower-boiling-point oil, comprising: 
 a reaction drum into which the higher-boiling-point oil/fat is introduced; and    stirring means within said reaction drum;    wherein said stirring means comprises: a rotating propeller plate for revolving a reaction liquid; and a baffle provided at an inner periphery of said reaction drum;    wherein said baffle comprises a vertical plate having a widthwise portion protruded from an inner peripheral wall surface of said reaction drum toward the center of said reaction drum, and said baffle is formed with saw-toothed cutouts at the protruded end; and    wherein said reaction drum is provided with a delivering port for delivering a reducing agent and a polymerization inhibitor into said reaction drum.    
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for manufacturing engine fuel of  claim 9 , 
 wherein said rotating propeller plate comprises a propeller having a peripheral portion formed with saw-toothed cutouts.    
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for manufacturing engine fuel by cracking a higher-boiling-point vegetable oil/fat to thereby reform the same into a lower-boiling-point oil, comprising: 
 a reaction drum into which the higher-boiling-point oil/fat is introduced;    stirring means within said reaction drum;    an ozone gas introducing pipe having a spout for introducing ozone for causing a cracking reaction; and    suspending means provided near said spout of said ozone gas introducing pipe, for suspending the ozone gas;    wherein said suspending means is formed of a horizontal rotary-rod wound with wires in a resilient manner; and    wherein said reaction drum is provided with a delivering port for delivering a reducing agent and a polymerization inhibitor into said reaction drum.    
     
     
         12 . A plant for manufacturing engine fuel, comprising: 
 a starting-material tank for storing oil/fat therein;    a filtering device for filtering out solid components of the oil/fat in said starting-material tank;    a first reaction vessel for conducting first cracking by reacting ozone with the oil/fat filtered by said filtering device;    an oil/water separation device for separating that water content involved in the cracking reaction, from the oil/fat;    a filtering medium charging vessel for delivering a filtering medium into the oil/fat phase from which the water phase component has been excluded by said oil/water separation device;    a first filtering device for conducting first filtering of the oil/fat into which the filtering medium has been delivered;    a second reaction vessel for reacting ozone with the filtered oil/fat, to thereby conduct second cracking;    a second filtering device for conducting second filtering of the oil/fat subjected to the second cracking;    an adding device for adding an additive into the oil/fat subjected to the second filtering; and    an impurity adsorbing vessel and a filtering vessel for cooperatively purifying the water phase component from which the oil/fat phase has been excluded by said oil/water separation device;    wherein each of said first reaction vessel and said second reaction vessel is provided with a delivering port for delivering a reducing agent and a polymerization inhibitor into said reaction vessel.