Solid Fumaric Acid-Solid Barium Chromate Catalyst for Removing Impurities and Residual Moisture and Method for Its Use

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram which illustrates a drycleaning system based on the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram which illustrates a one fuel treatment system based on the present invention.

The catalyst composition of the present invention comprises a mixture of solid fumaric acid and solid barium chromate. The composition comprises any ratio of solid fumaric acid to solid barium chromate, but it is generally preferred that the composition contain an excess of solid fumaric acid on a weight basis. The most preferred composition comprises about 5 parts by weight of solid fumaric acid to about 1 part by weight of solid barium chromate.

In addition, any commonly known method can be used to mix the solid fumaric acid and solid barium chromate together. For example, both the compounds can be placed in a ball mill and ground together until a relatively fine particle size composition is obtained.

The amount of the catalyst to be used is not critical, and depends upon the source Which the impurities and residual moisture are to be removed from.

The novel catalyst composition is illustrated with further particularity below with reference to two practical embodiments: treatment of an organic drycleaning solvent, and treatment of a petroleum fuel.

In my co-pending application Ser. No. 07/308,590 filed Feb. 10, 1989, a drycleaning assembly and method for removing impurities and residual moisture from an organic drycleaning solvent is disclosed. In that application, various catalyst compositions are disclosed as useful for removing impurities and residual moisture from the solvent. The present invention, however, represents an improvement over such method in that a particular catalyst composition, solid barium chromate/solid fumaric acid, has been determined to be surprisingly superior to the catalysts disclosed in my prior application in terms of its ability to remove impurities and residual moisture. The following is a description of the general assembly and method disclosed in my prior application, but with reference to the novel catalyst of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cleaning assembly 10 including a cleaning drum 12 which receives articles to be cleaned and a base tank 14 for the drycleaning solvent. The present invention's catalyst is applicable to any type of organic drycleaning solvent normally employed in drycleaning operations. Many types of solvents are well-known in the art, as indicated by the above discussion: and those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the efficacy of the present invention is not limited to a certain class of organic drycleaning solvents. Preferably, the solvents which are employed in the present invention are aliphatic halogen-substituted hydrocarbons, or more preferably, petroleum solvents having a boiling point in the range of from about 100.degree.-400.degree. F. and a surface tension of from about 20 to about 30 dynes/cm at 20.degree. C. Typical examples of such halogen-substituted aliphatic hydrocarbons are trichlorotrifluoroethane, carbon tetrachloride, perchloroethylene, and the like. Typical suitable petroleum solvents are mineral spirits, petroleum ethers, methylisobutylketone, and the like. It is to be specially understood, that the present invention is especially applicable to any petroleum solvent having the above properties.

The present invention contemplates adding to such organic drycleaning solvents an unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon having a boiling point between about 78.degree. and about 250.degree. C. Typical examples of suitable unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbons are benzene and naphthalene. Suitable alkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons are lower alkyl, preferably methyl- or ethyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons, such as xylene, toluene, and the like. Further, suitable halogen-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons are chlorobenzene and the like. However, the present invention is expressly applicable to those compounds satisfying the above property, although not specifically enumerated in the present specification. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with a minimum degree of experimentation, are certainly able to practice the present invention using aromatic compounds having the necessary boiling point but not specifically identified herein, according to the end use desired.

Generally, the amount of the above-identified aromatic compound which is incorporated into the organic drycleaning solvent composition varies from 3 liquid ounces to one gallon of aromatic compound per 100 gallons of organic solvent. The particular amount of a specific aromatic hydrocarbon may vary within this range, depending upon the aromatic hydrocarbon selected; however, an amount of aromatic hydrocarbon within this range is generally suitable for the purposes of the present invention.

The drycleaning drum 12 is provided with an inlet conduit 16 and an outlet conduit 18 which form means for circulating the drycleaning solvent into the drum 12 and back to the storage tank 14. The unit also includes a pump, not shown, for urging the drycleaning solvent into the drum and a motor for rotating the drum. A gear assembly of a conventional type may be utilized for varying the speed of the drum as controlled by the timer. Such assemblies are individually well-known and of conventional type.

Filter 20 comprises water-dampened cellulosic material, which material contains the catalyst composition of the present invention. The cellulosic material is made up of a permeable cellulosic material such as cotton cloth. However, the skilled artisan could construct the cellulosic material out of any available cellulosic fabric. The cellulose material can be folded upon itself so as to be closed and thereby form a bag. Bags of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,878, which is incorporated herein by reference. The catalyst composition may be contained within the bag directly or the catalyst composition may be precipitated upon a second piece of cellulosic material which is placed in the cellulosic bag. In the alternative, the filter itself may be constructed of cellulosic board.

Water is contained in very small quantities in the cellulosic material of the filter. The cellulosic material should contain enough water to be damp but not dripping wet.

Filter 20 is interconnected to the base tank via inlet conduit 22. The construction of filter 20 is not critical, it is only necessary that the arrangement permit the solvent to contact the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst without carrying substantial portions of the compound into the drycleaning drum.

In accordance with the present invention the catalyst composition must be grounded. When the filter container 20 is formed of a metallic material, the ground can be accomplished by grounding the filter assembly itself. Of course, if the filter container is plastic or constructed of some non-conductive material, the ground can be established by having the wire lead from some metallic point (e.g., the cleaning drum) into inside the filter container. FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention wherein filter 20 is metallic and the filter assembly itself is grounded via a DC power supply 28. The positive terminal of the DC power supply is connected to wire 30 leading to the ground and the negative terminal is connected to the filter by wire 32.

The amount of solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst contained in the filter is not critical. One of the advantages of the present invention is that practically any amount of solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst will remain active for the life of the drycleaning solvent. This is because the amount of residual moisture and impurity in the drycleaning solvent is small in comparison to the amount of solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst which can be held in the filter arrangement and only the residual moisture in the solvent dissolves the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst.

It is most preferred that the total weight of the mixture of solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst be 3 ounces.

The solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst used in the present invention must be electrically grounded. As indicated above, this ground can be accomplished by one of several means. If the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst is contained directly within a metallic filter arrangement, the filter itself may be grounded. If the filter apparatus is not metallic, however, the ground may be established by introducing a wire to the outside of the filter container. If the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst is contained within the cellulosic bag, as described above, the ground can be enhanced by attaching a copper wire to the cellulosic bag within the filter apparatus. If the filter apparatus is metallic, the ground is established by merely allowing the copper wire attached to the cellulosic bag to contact the inside of the filter container. However, if the filter container is not metallic, the ground can be established by connecting the wire attached to the cellulosic bag directly to a ground.

The present invention can also be practiced using a DC power supply. When the aromatic hydrocarbon added to the drycleaning solvent is naphthalene, the DC power supply is not necessary. However, even when naphthalene is used, the DC power supply will not detract from the advantages obtained in accordance with the present invention. When a DC power supply is used, the negative terminal of the power supply is connected to the filter containing the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst and the positive terminal of the power supply is connected to a ground.

It has been determined that by adding the aromatic hydrocarbon to the drycleaning solvent and contacting the solvent with a solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst as in the present invention, residual moisture in the drycleaning solvent is effectively removed. It is known that at extremely low humidities, carbon becomes redeposited on the clothes being cleaned, resulting in adverse static electricity effects. However, the drycleaning system of the present invention removes large amounts of soil without redeposition on the clothing being observed. Further, the adverse static electricity effects noticed when known compositions are employed at low humidities are substantially eliminated by the present invention and therefore, the wearer of the clothing, after cleaning, does not experience uncomfortable effects therefrom, and in addition, the reduction of static electricity charges in the clothing reduces any explosion hazard which may exist, depending upon the particular solvent employed.

The use of the instant drycleaning system results in extremely uniform cleaning, without the adverse effects of shrinkage, color fading, dullness of colors. etc. In addition, stains comprised of carbon, salt, sugar, fats, etc. in the clothes being cleaned are substantially completely removed from the clothes without any adverse effects. Thus, the present invention provides an improved drycleaning composition which enables those skilled in the art to achieve extremely uniform drycleaning operations without the adverse effects of the prior art.

It is believed that the catalyst composition of the present invention absorbs the residual water in the drycleaning solvent and removes the impurities, such as sulfur compounds, from the drycleaning solvent by oxidizing the same to sulfite or sulfate, which then are removed by dissolving the same in the water absorbed in the catalyst.

It is believed that the greatly improved drycleaning compositions are achieved in the following manner. The fumaric acid, which is a powerful reducing agent, reduces barium chromate, which thereupon acts as a powerful oxidizing agent which cleans the drycleaning solvent. Thus, powerful oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously. To control and moderate this simultaneous oxidation and reduction, the deuterium oxide preferably is present and acts as a moderator.

It has further been found that the addition to the solvent of from about 0.5%-5%. by weight, based on the weight of the organic drycleaning solvent, of a hydrocarbon of a high boiling point, such as white oil or mineral oil, helps remove static and increases the ease of removal of carbon, salt and sugar deposits from the clothes in the drycleaning process. One type of useful white oil is Chevron No. 72, which is a well-known technical oil.

In my co-pending application Ser. No. 07/308,591 filed Feb. 10, 1989, a method for removing impurities and residual moisture from petroleum fuels is disclosed. In that application, various catalyst compositions are disclosed as useful for removing impurities and residual moisture from the fuel. The present invention, however, represents an improvement of such method in that a particular catalyst composition, solid barium chromate/solid fumaric acid, has been determined to be surprisingly superior to the catalysts disclosed in my prior application in terms of its ability to remove impurities and residual moisture from the fuel. The following is a description of a general embodiment of the method disclosed in my prior application, but with reference to the novel catalyst of the present invention.

In regard to using the catalyst in removing impurities and residual moisture from petroleum fuels, generally, the present invention is applicable to any type of petroleum fuel product, fuel oils (including number a through number b fuel oils) diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline and like products. The present invention is particularly applicable to gasolines in the form they are generally supplied to the consumer regardless of their octane rating and whether they are lead-free or not. The phrase "petroleum fuel" will be used herein to generally define the above types of petroleum fuel products, but is not to be construed as limiting the types of fuel to be treated by the catalyst of the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. As will become more clear from the discussion which follows, this embodiment is a two-filter arrangement where the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst is contained in the first filter (16) canisters.

The second filter (18) is made up of a cellulosic material and contains water, which acts as a moderator. In between the two filters is a DC power supply which acts as a ground.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the system itself is designated 10. and the fuel tank 12 is provided with fuel line 14. The unit also includes a conventional fuel pump (not shown). A first filter assembly 16 is incorporated in the system 10 for containing the fuel with the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst. The construction of the filter assembly is not critical, the essential requirement being that the filter either be constructed of a cellulose material or contain some cellulose material, such as the cotton bag discussed below, to provide an arrangement whereby the fuel may pass through the filter assembly and contact the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst without substantially removing the compounds from the assembly. Generally, the filter may be cylindrical in form and constructed of an imperforate casing having a filter container inlet and a filter container outlet.

Filter 16 is interconnected to the fuel tank via fuel line 14 and to filter 18 via the portion of fuel line designated 20. After contacting the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst in the filter 16, the fuel circulates out of filter 16 to conduit 20 where it is carried to filter 18. Filter 18 is made up of a cellulosic material and contains water. The water acts as a moderator; the greater the content of deuterium oxide (D.sub.2 O, heavy water) in the water, the more efficient the moderation. From there, the fuel passes to the engine (as shown in FIG. 2) or to a fuel burner.

Again, the construction of the filters is not critical, it is only necessary that the arrangement permit the fuel to contact the compounds or the catalyst without carrying substantial portions of the compound or the catalyst into the fuel line and, as discussed below, that the filter be provided with some cellulosic material.

In accordance with the present invention, the filter system must be grounded. When the filters are formed of a metallic material, the ground may be accomplished automatically by the contact between the filter and the metal in the car. Of course, the filter assemblies themselves can be grounded directly. If the filter containers are plastic or constructed of some non-conductive material, the ground can be established by having the wire lead from some metallic point on the car into the inside of the filter container. FIG. 2 shows that embodiment of the present invention wherein the filters are metallic and the assembly is grounded via a DC power supply 22. The positive terminal of the DC power supply is connected to wire 24 leading to the ground and the negative terminal is connected to the filter by wire 26.

Electrical circuit breakers 27 and 28 are placed, respectively, in front of first filter 16 after filter 18.

It is essential that the filter(s) contain some cellulosic material.

The solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst may be placed inside the filter canisters in a bag made of a permeable cellulosic material such as cotton cloth. The cellulosic container device described in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,878 relating to cleaning drycleaning solvents may also be used in the filter. In the alternative, the filter itself may be constructed of cellulosic board.

In the present invention an unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon or a halogen- or alkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon having a boiling point between about 78.degree. and 250.degree. C. may optionally be added to the fuel. Typical examples of suitable unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbons are benzene and naphthalene. Suitable alkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons are lower alkyl, preferably methyl- or ethyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons, such as xylene, toluene, and the like. Further, suitable halogen-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons are chlorobenzene and the like. However, the present invention is expressly applicable to those compounds satisfying the above property, although not specifically enumerated in the present specification. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with a minimum degree of experimentation, are certainly able to practice the present invention using an aromatic compound having the necessary boiling point but not specifically identified herein, according to the end use desired.

Generally, the amount of the above-identified aromatic compound which is incorporated into the fuel varies from 3 liquid ounces to 1 gallon of aromatic compound per 100 gallons of fuel. The particular amount of a specific aromatic hydrocarbon may vary within this range, depending upon the aromatic hydrocarbon selected, however, an amount of aromatic hydrocarbon within this range is generally suitable for the purposes of the present invention.

The amount of solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst contained in the first filter is not critical. One of the advantages of the present invention is that practically any amount of solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst will remain active for the life of an automobile or other burner, This is because the amount of residual moisture and impurity in the fuel is small in comparison to the amount of catalyst which can be held in the filter arrangement and only the residual moisture in the fuel dissolves the solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst.

As indicated above, the present invention also requires the presence of a cellulosic material device in the filters. The cellulosic bag device described above comprises a cellulose material which can be folded upon itself so as to be closed and thereby form a bag. Cotton cloth is a good example of one such cellulosic material. However, the skilled artisan could construct the cellulosic bag out of any available cellulosic fabric. The solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst may be contained within the bag directly or precipitated upon a second piece of cellulosic material which is placed in the cellulosic bag. Bags of this type are described in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,878, which is incorporated herein by reference. If the mixture of the catalyst is contained within the cellulosic bag, as described above, the ground can be established by attaching a copper wire to the cellulosic bag within the filter apparatus. If the filter apparatus is metallic, the ground is established by merely allowing the copper wire attached to the cellulosic bag to contact the insides of the filter container. However, if the filter container is not metallic, the ground can be established by connecting the wire attached to the cellulosic bag directly to a ground.

The fuel treatment embodiment of the present invention can also be practiced using a DC power supply. When the aromatic hydrocarbon added to the fuel is naphthalene, the DC power supply is not necessary. However, even when naphthalene is used, the DC power supply will not detract from the advantages obtained in accordance with the present invention. When a DC power supply is used, the negative terminal to the power supply is connected to the system in between the first and second filters, and the positive terminal of the power supply is connected to a ground.

It has been determined that by adding the aromatic hydrocarbon to the fuel and contacting the fuel with a solid fumaric acid-solid barium chromate catalyst as in the present invention, the sulfur and residual moisture in the fuel are effectively removed.

It is believed that catalyst used in the present invention ionizes and absorbs the residual water in the fuel and remove sulfur compounds from the fuel by oxidizing the same to sulfite or sulfate.

It is also believed that the water in the second filter acts as a moderator.

The above description should not be taken as limiting the present invention to the actual embodiments specifically disclosed, but should be deemed to describe the equivalence thereof which may be employed in the practice of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art may make suitable uses and modifications of the present invention, according to the above description, without departing from the scope thereof.