Nortru, Inc.

Thomas Randazzo

Robert R Patzelt

A process for recovering quantities of carbonyl compound material from spent solvent-in-water emulsions derived from paint overspray treatment and capture systems in which the spent solvent-in-water emulsion is removed from the paint overspray treatment and capture system and fed into a reaction vessel. The reaction vessel employed includes an outer housing defining a reaction chamber and a plurality of mixing blades movably positioned in the reaction chamber. The surface area of the mixing blades are maintained at a temperature sufficient to generate volatilized carbonyl compound. The interior of the reaction vessel is maintained under a vacuum. The spent solvent-in-water emulsion is processed in the reaction vessel for an interval sufficient to generate volatilized carbonyl compound. The generated volatilized carbonyl compound material is removed from the reaction vessel for recycle and reuse and the residual solid material remaining in the reaction vessel after generation of the volatilized carbonyl compound material is removed. The spent solvent-in-water emulsion which can be treated by the solvent recovery process of the present invention contains carbonyl compounds selected from the group consisting of secondary alcohol esters, secondary alcohol ester derivatives, and mixtures thereof and has a boiling point of at least 150.degree. C., a vapor pressure between about 0.5 Torr at 20.degree. C. The spent solvent-in-water emulsion processed by the carbonyl recovery method can either be previously dewatered to produce a spent solvent-in-water emulsion material with little or no water remaining or can be processed with most or all of the water portion of the emulsion present. In such instances, the water portion may be con-generated with the carbonyl compound.

Method for recovering a volatile organic material consisting essentially

A process for recovering organic solvent material from a hydrophilic liquid derived from paint overspray treatment operations in which the solvent-in-water emulsion initially contains 1-50 weight percent of an organic liquid having a boiling point of at least 150.degree. C., a vapor pressure less than 0.5 Torr at 20.degree. C.; and water, and the spent hydrophilic liquid additionally contains paint solid material derived from the paint overspray treatment system in which the recovery process includes the steps of (a) removing the spent hydrophilic liquid or a portion thereof from the paint spray booth; (b) feeding the spent hydrophilic liquid into a reaction vessel, the reaction vessel operating at a pressure less than about 100 mm/Hg and at a temperature sufficient to volatilize the organic liquid component of the hydrophilic liquid; and (c) separating a portion of said volatilized organic liquid from the spent hydrophilic liquid after introduction of the spent hydrophilic liquid into the reaction vessel. The organic liquid component is selected from the group which includes secondary alcohol esters, derivatives of secondary alcohol esters, dialkyl diesters of dibasic acids, and n-methyl pyrrolidones.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Thomas Randazzo