Method of recovering chrome from a tannery process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683270-B2
Application number	US-201314109509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2013
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for a chromium recovery process for recovering chromium from byproducts resulting from a tannery process. A system and process for solubilizing chromium contained in the oil byproduct into the remaining water content within the oil and extracting the water from the oil with the chromium sufficiently solubilized in the water such that the chromium content in the oil is sufficiently reduced below hazardous levels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chrome recovery process comprising the steps of:
steam sparging and mixing oil and solid byproducts from a chrome tannery process forming a steam sparged mixture;
heating the steam sparged mixture and pumping into a three phase centrifuge separating a separated oil byproduct;
acid washing and agitating the separated oil byproduct and thereby reacting an acid and chrome of the separated oil byproduct and solubilizing the chrome of the separated oil byproduct in a remaining water of the separated oil byproduct;
ceasing agitation and allowing an acid washed oil byproduct to separate;
heating the acid washed oil byproduct and removing water from the acid washed oil byproduct using a clarifier forming a clarified oil byproduct; and
capturing the clarified oil byproduct for reuse.

2. The process as recited in claim 1 , where heating the steam sparged mixture is heating to about 180 degrees to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. The process as recited in claim 2 , where acid washing is about four (4) percent to about five (5) percent acid washing.

4. The process as recited in claim 3 , where heating the acid washed oil byproduct is heating to about 205 degrees to about 210 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. The process as recited in claim 1 , where the clarifier is a disc type vertical centrifuge.

6. The process as recited in claim 5 , where the captured clarified oil byproduct has less than five (5) parts per million chromium.

Assignees

• Tyson Foods Inc

Inventors

• Graham Dale F
• Rennerfeldt Gary
• Douangdara Pansouvanh
• Quinlain John Lawrence

Classifications

• C02F1/66

  by neutralisation; pH adjustment (for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58) · CPC title

• C02F2103/24

  from tanneries · CPC title

• C02F1/385

  by centrifuging suspensions (centrifuges B04B) · CPC title

• C02F1/02

  by heating (methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D) · CPC title

• C02F2101/22

  Chromium or chromium compounds, e.g. chromates · CPC title