Treatment of recycling gas for direct thermochemical conversion of high molecular weight organic substances into low viscosity liquid raw materials, combustibles and fuels

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the direct thermochemical conversion of high molecular weight organic starting products into low molecular weight organic products that are liquid with a low viscosity at ambient temperature and can be combusted. Said method consists of the following steps: (1) the starting product, at least one reducing gas and slow-evaporating product fractions are provided in a reactor, (2) the provided starting material is rapidly heated to a reaction temperature, (3) said starting material is converted using the temperature, the reducing effect of the gas and autocatalytical effects of the product fractions in vaporous reaction products and reaction gas, (4) the reaction gas is separated by means of condensation by evacuating the condensed reaction products, said separated reaction gas comprising a mixture of hydrogen, methane and other hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Said claimed method is characterised by other additional steps: (5) the separated reaction gas is conditioned by (a) removing at least one part of the carbon dioxide or (b) reforming at least one part of the carbon dioxide and the methane and/or other hydrocarbons or one part of the methane and/or other hydrocarbons or (c) removing one part of the carbon dioxide and reforming in parallel at least one part of the carbon dioxide and at least one part of the methane and/or other hydrocarbons or (d) removing one part of the carbon dioxide and subsequently reforming at least one other part of the carbon dioxide and at least one part of the methane and/or other hydrocarbons or (e) reforming one part of the carbon dioxide and at least one part of the methane and/or other hydrocarbons and subsequently removing at least one part of the carbon dioxide and optionally, introducing hydrogen, said conditioning followed by (6) re-injecting the conditioned reaction gas into the reactor for simultaneously producing a hydrating, reducing and stripping effect for converting the starting material. According to the invention, the amount of active gas fractions and its part in the total flow of the reaction gas can be modified in an advantageous manner, thus increasing the effectiveness of the method and leading to an improvement of the target product quality and yield with total lower production costs. The invention also relates to a method for carrying out the claimed method.

1 . A method for the direct thermochemical conversion of at least one high molecular weight organic starting material into low molecular weight organic products, which are liquid with a low viscosity at ambient temperature and can be combusted, comprising the method steps:
 providing the starting material, poorly volatile product fractions and at least one reducing gas in a reactor,   shock heating the starting material to the reaction temperature,   converting the starting material at elevated temperature using the reducing effect of the gas and/or autocatalytic effects of the product fractions in vaporous reaction products and reaction gas,   separating the reaction gas by means of condensation by removing the condensed reaction products, the separated reaction gas   a) comprising hydrogen, methane and optionally further hydrocarbon products, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the case of oxygen-containing starting materials and   b) comprising hydrogen, methane and optionally further hydrocarbons in the case of oxygen-free starting materials,   
       characterised by the further method steps of
 conditioning the separated reaction gas by means of 
 discharging at least one part of the gas mixture and/or 
 removing at least one part of the carbon dioxide or 
 reforming at least one part of the carbon dioxide, the methane and/or further hydrocarbons or 
 removing one part of the carbon dioxide and parallel reforming of at least a further part of the carbon dioxide and at least one part of the methane and/or further hydrocarbons or 
 removing one part of the carbon dioxide and subsequent reforming of at least a further part of the carbon dioxide and at least one part of the methane and/or further hydrocarbons or 
 reforming one part of the carbon dioxide and at least one part of the methane and/or further hydrocarbons and subsequent removal of at least one further part of the carbon dioxide and 
 
       optionally, additionally by means of the feeding of hydrogen and/or another reducing material, especially in the form of carbon monoxide or tetralin,
 returning the conditioned reaction gas to the reactor to simultaneously produce a reducing, especially hydrogenating effect to convert the starting material and/or a stripping effect to discharge the product. 
 
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the oxygen-containing and/or oxygen-free starting materials contain further heteroatoms in the form of nitrogen, sulphur and/or halogens, which are at least partly removed in the form of ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and/or hydrogen halide. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that carbon-containing materials and/or material mixtures of long-chained and/or cross-linked macro molecules, especially in the form of renewable raw materials and residual and waste materials, are used as the starting materials. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting material and the reaction gas are provided in a liquid, poorly volatile product fraction and/or in the vapour phase of the reactor. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting material is converted in the reactor at a reaction temperature of 200° C. to 600° C. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting material is converted in the reactor at an absolute reaction pressure of 0.1 bar to 300 bar. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting material is converted in the reactor in a reducing pressure atmosphere of 20 to 250 bar. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the vaporous reaction products and the reaction gas are continuously removed from the reactor. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting materials are continuously supplied to the reactor. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that petrochemical raw materials, combustibles and fuels with a high hydrocarbon fraction and low viscosity are obtained from the condensed reaction products removed from the reaction gas circuit. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the conditioned reaction gas is returned to the reactor in a compressed state. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that hydrogen for feeding into the reaction gas circuit is obtained from the condensed reaction products removed from the reaction gas circuit. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 11 , characterised in that the hydrogen, during the compression of the reaction gas, is returned to the reaction gas circuit. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the conditioned reaction gas is returned to the reactor in a preheated state. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the conditioned reaction gas is used for pneumatic feeding of the starting material into the reactor. 
     
     
         16 . A device for carrying out the method according to  claim 1 , having a reaction gas circuit for guiding gaseous reaction products with at least
 one reactor ( 1 ) for carrying out thermochemical conversion reactions of a reaction mixture in the reactor,   a means ( 2 ) for liquefying vaporous reaction products,   a means ( 3 ) for separating liquid reaction products and reaction gas,   
       characterised in that furthermore
 means for conditioning the separated reaction gas ( 4 ,  5 ) to adjust a reducing, especially hydrogenating and/or stripping effect of the reaction gas are provided in the reactor, comprising 
 means for discharging one part of the gas mixture and/or 
 means for removing carbon dioxide ( 4 ) or 
 means for reforming carbon dioxide, methane and/or further hydrocarbons ( 5 ) or 
 means for removing carbon dioxide ( 4 ) and means for reforming carbon dioxide, 
 methane and/or further hydrocarbons ( 5 ) in a parallel arrangement or 
 means for reforming carbon dioxide, methane and/or further hydrocarbons ( 5 ) as well as, arranged upstream thereof in the flow direction in the reaction gas circuit, means for removing carbon dioxide ( 4 ) or 
 means for removing carbon dioxide ( 4 ), as well as, arranged upstream thereof in the flow direction in the reaction gas circuit, means for reforming carbon dioxide, methane and/or further hydrocarbons ( 5 ) and 
 optionally, additionally arranged upstream or downstream thereof in the flow direction in the reaction gas circuit, means for feeding hydrogen and/or another reducing material. 
 
     
     
         17 . A device according to  claim 16 , characterised in that the reaction gas circuit is high pressure-stable and has means for heating the gas. 
     
     
         18 . A device according to  claim 16 , characterised in that compression means ( 6 ) are provided to compensate pressure losses in the reaction gas circuit. 
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting material is converted in the reactor at a reaction temperature of 300° C. to 500° C. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the starting material is converted in the reactor at an absolute reaction pressure of 1 bar to 250 bar.