Method of treatment using a solid particulate material and apparatus therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10773976-B2
Application number	US-201716093398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	Apr 13, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A method of treating a substrate with a solid particulate material and a treatment liquor comprising: agitating the substrate with said solid particulate material and said treatment liquor; and (a) separating the substrate from effluent comprising solid waste fragments derived from the substrate, said solid particulate material and the treatment liquor; (b) transferring said effluent to a hydrocyclone separator comprising an inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein the effluent is fed into the hydrocyclone separator via the inlet; (c) separating the effluent in the hydrocyclone separator to produce a first stream and a second stream, wherein the first stream comprises said solid particulate material and exits the hydrocyclone separator via the first outlet and wherein the second stream comprises treatment liquor and solid waste fragments and exits the hydrocyclone separator via the second outlet; and (d) collecting the first stream after it exits the hydrocyclone separator via the first outlet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of treating a substrate with a solid particulate material and a treatment liquor comprising:
agitating the substrate with said solid particulate material and said treatment liquor; and
(a) separating the substrate from effluent comprising solid waste fragments derived from the substrate, said solid particulate material and the treatment liquor;
(b) transferring said effluent to a hydrocyclone separator comprising an inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet, wherein the effluent is fed into the hydrocyclone separator via the inlet;
(c) separating the effluent in the hydrocyclone separator to produce a first stream and a second stream, wherein the first stream comprises said solid particulate material and exits the hydrocyclone separator via the first outlet and wherein the second stream comprises treatment liquor and solid waste fragments and exits the hydrocyclone separator via the second outlet;
(d) collecting the first stream after it exits the hydrocyclone separator via the first outlet; and
(e) transferring the collected first stream to a secondary cleaning apparatus for further cleaning of the solid particulate material, wherein said cleaning removes from said solid particulate material some or substantially all of the residual solid waste fragments derived from the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first stream comprises said solid particulate material as a major fraction and further comprises a minor fraction which is treatment liquor, and wherein the first stream comprises at least 90% wt of said solid particulate material by total weight of the first stream.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first stream comprises said solid particulate material as a major fraction and further comprises a minor fraction which is residual solid waste fragments derived from the substrate, and wherein the first stream comprises at least 90% wt of said solid particulate material by total weight of the first stream.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-using the collected first stream in a method of treating a substrate with solid particulate material and a treatment liquor.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recirculating the collected first stream into the hydrocyclone separator and repeating steps (c) and (d) one or more times, optionally wherein said first stream is combined with a liquid diluent prior to introduction of the first stream into the hydrocyclone separator such that where the recirculating of the first stream is conducted a plurality of times said first stream may be combined with said liquid diluent in each recirculation step or in only one or some of said recirculation steps.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary cleaning apparatus comprises a secondary separator configured to allow water, said residual solid waste fragments and any treatment liquor and/or any liquid cleaning formulation to pass through the secondary separator, and wherein cleaning of said solid particulate material comprises retaining said solid particulate material on the surface of said secondary separator and:
(i) directing a liquid cleaning formulation onto said solid particulate material whilst it is retained on the surface of said secondary separator; and/or
(ii) agitating said solid particulate material whilst it is retained on the surface of said secondary separator,
optionally wherein the secondary separator is planar and comprises multiple apertures therein, the apertures of the secondary separator being sized such that the apertures are smaller than the smallest dimension of the solid particulate material.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the secondary separator is substantially circular or elliptical; and/or
wherein the secondary separator is associated with an access means configured to remove the solid particulate material which is unable to pass through the secondary separator.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary cleaning apparatus provides cleaned solid particulate material and a secondary cleaning effluent and wherein the secondary cleaning effluent is a secondary cleaning liquid effluent the method further comprises the step of recycling said secondary cleaning liquid effluent to the hydrocyclone separator and/or to the secondary cleaning apparatus to further treat said solid particulate material, wherein said secondary cleaning liquid effluent may comprise any treatment liquor present in the first stream and/or any liquid cleaning formulation used in the secondary cleaning apparatus.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the step of recycling said secondary cleaning liquid effluent is effected after removal of some or all residual solid waste fragments from the secondary cleaning liquid effluent by passing the secondary cleaning liquid effluent through a first fine grading separator to remove some or all of the residual solid waste fragments from the secondary cleaning liquid effluent to provide a secondary cleaning filtrate stream, such that the secondary cleaning liquid effluent is recycled as the secondary cleaning filtrate stream;
and/or
wherein the secondary separator and the first fine grading separator are comprised in a multilayer separating apparatus, wherein the multilayer separating apparatus is configured so that any material to be separated is exposed to the secondary separator before it is exposed to the first fine grading separator.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-using the cleaned solid particulate material in a method of treating a substrate with solid particulate material and a treatment liquor.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the second stream after it exits the hydrocyclone separator via the second outlet and transferring the second stream to a filtration apparatus that allows treatment liquor to pass through the filtration apparatus but which prevents said solid waste fragments from passing through the filtration apparatus, providing a first filtrate stream comprising treatment liquor and a first residue comprising said solid waste fragments,
wherein said method further comprises recycling the first filtrate stream to the feed stream introduced to the hydrocyclone separator wherein the first filtrate stream is added to the feed stream prior to introduction of the feed stream into the hydrocyclone separator; and/or
wherein said filtration apparatus has a single filtration layer or has a plurality of filtration layers.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of pre-treating the effluent prior to transferring the effluent to the hydrocyclone separator, wherein the pre-treating of the effluent comprises removing solid waste fragments of a size substantially larger than said solid particulate material.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of controlling the ratio of solid particulate material:liquid in the hydrocyclone, herein the stream fed into the hydrocyclone has a solid particulate material:liquid ratio in the range of from about 1.0:0.1 to about 1.0:10.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is an animal skin substrate or a textile fibre or fabric; and/or
wherein said method is a method of cleaning the substrate.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is an animal skin substrate.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid waste fragments derived from the substrate are fibrous and/or particulate.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid particulate material comprises polymeric particles having a density of at least 1.0 g/cm 3 and no more tha

Assignees

• Xeros Ltd

Inventors

• Scott Iain Alexander
• Wallace Thomas John
• Tedds Siân Catherine

Classifications

• C02F2103/24

  from tanneries · CPC title

• C14C15/00

  Apparatus for chemical treatment or washing of hides, skins, or leather · CPC title

• C02F1/38 Primary

  by centrifugal separation · CPC title