AU784991B2

AU784991B2 - Device for household refuse treatment

Info

Publication number: AU784991B2
Application number: AU45750/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Eric Martin
Original assignee: Valorom
Current assignee: Valorom
Priority date: 2000-05-10
Filing date: 2000-05-10
Publication date: 2006-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2020-05-10
Also published as: EP1296911A1; WO2001085645A2; CA2416188A1; CA2416188C; AU4575000A; EA200201163A1; EA004963B1

Description

1 DEVICE FOR HOUSEHOLD REFUSE TREATMENT The present invention relates to the construction of an adsorber suitable for use for application of the process described in French application No. 97005007 (publication no. FR 2 762 313) in the name of the company DCM.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention resides in a method of treating household refuse, where it comprises the steps of: -mixing said household refuse with quicklime (CaO) and at least one carbon-containing substance, introducing said mixture into a confined enclosure, leaving said mixture in said enclosure to cause it to decompose, and -extracting from said enclosure the products resulting from said 1 decomposition.

The invention further resides in an enclosure for confining the mixture in accordance with the method.

III I The invention further resides in a continuous method of treating a product including organic matter, where it comprises the steps of: mixing said product with quicklime (CaO), introducing said mixture into a confined enclosure, leaving said mixture in said enclosure to cause it to decompose, and -extracting from said enclosure the products resulting from said S: 25 decomposition, wherein said mixture is moved between an inlet and an outlet of said enclosure at a speed enabling said decomposition to occur during that movement.

The invention further resides in a device when used for implementing such methods comprising an enclosure for confining said mixture, wherein said enclosure has an inlet, an outlet, and means for continuously moving said mixture slowly from said inlet to said outlet.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word "comprise" and variations of the word, such as "comprising" and "comprises", is not intended to exclude other additives, integers or process steps.

Y: oL wseOu u S'iSeces%~l81723_soec (SOM.6Oc la The technical portion of the invention is to improve, on an industrial scale, plant including a "moving bed", a technique known in particular for collecting household refuse, but on the other hand on the basis of this concept the method and device may recover energy released by the chemical reaction when the plant concerned is operating, by heat exchange with longitudinal walls.

Moreover, consecutively to the concept of the method, it may be provided with an incoming product distributor.

Finally, the plant may include a safety installation to alleviate any failure resulting from thermal runaway of the method caused by the action of materials being treated by a reaction that does not conform to the class of material to be treated and unknown to us.

l*ll In one embodiment of the invention the operating principle consists in engaging in the sheet steel adsorber obtained a useful volume corresponding to the hourly flowrate of products to be treated in accordance with the plan described hereinafter (fig. 1 and fig. 2) a product previously mixed with chemical reagents of compounds of elements containing carbon, elements containing cellulose, material liable to decay, slurry, droppings, peat, greases and sludges from purification stations in the receptacle (2, fig. which mixture is spread over the first third of the surface of the plant by distributor and evacuation screws fig. The moving bottom driven by a frequency variation electric motor and a transmission system move the product forward toward 25 the part opposite the inlet fig. It is further engaged by a set of screws fig. 1) l l to respond to the input flowrate. The rate of advance of the product toward the point fig. 1) is effected at very low speed (from 10 mm/min to 40 mm/min).

During the time in which this mass transfer is effected, the mixture introduced gives off energy whose temperature reaches 250 0 C with a low oxygen content.

Because of the effect of this chemical reaction the product is hydrated to yield CaO H 2 0 Ca (OH) 2 by the other reagents induced in the product there is obtained capture of carbonic emissions:

CO

2

H

2 0 HCO- 3 Ca(OH) 2 CaCO 3

H

2 0 W lBree'Amendmen 1723 Va orm.doc 2 But also captures products resulting from the decomposition of the organic materials such as: CaCI 2

RNH

3 As well as the malodorous gases by forming: CaSO 4 2H 2 0, the neutralization of the bases Ca(OH) 2 Mci, the neutralization of the acids and anhydrides such as: H 2 0 CaA 2 The gases resulting from the transformation of this mixture are evacuated through the pipework provided for this purpose fig. 1) and directed towards a washer/dust remover.

After remaining for approximately four hours in the adsorber, the product is entrained by a set of screws to eject it fig. which set of screws is driven by a variable frequency electric motor.

Given the temperature given off at the longitudinal sides of the adsorber, a double wall is provided fig. 1) and fig. in which circulates through circuit delay means water containing glycol or any other usual thermal fluid, which enters 15 at A, fig. 2, and leaves at B, fig. 2. Temperature sensors are disposed at A, fig. 2 and B, fig. 2.

In the top part of the adsorber there is a manifold fig. 1 and fig. 2) on each side for injecting a netural gas if the temperature increases excessively and a B i 2 li° also to prevent all risk of fire.

This invention can be applied to the following treatment processes: fabrication of organic fertilizer 9il 9 fabrication of compost.

However, the latter must be used only in the context of the French patent No. 9705007 (publication no. FR 2 762 313) in the name of the company DCM, 25 because it is the basic application thereof.

Said adsorber includes at least one parallelpiped-shaped steel assembly (9, fig. 1 and fig. a receiving hopper fig. a moving bed fig. 1 and fig. a set of screws fig. 1) driven in rotation by any external means fig. which ensures the rapid transfer of the product entering at fig. a set of screws (4, fig. 1) driven in rotation by any external means fig. which ensures the formation of crusting of the product and the extraction thereof by a rotation movement of the screws at low speed. The adsorber has on its longitudinal lateral walls a double steel body fig. 2) provided with a heat-exchange liquid inlet pipe fig. 1) and a heat-exchange product outlet pipe fig. 1) for recovering heat energy released by exothermic reaction. The pipes (A and B, fig. 1) are provided with temperature sensors. The body of the adsorber fig. 1) is provided with an Y: ouise% uSpcdsB81723_sped.doc 3 opening with a double safety airlock and window (10, fig. 1) for installing an infrared video camera to monitor the reaction continuously to use the neutral gas distribution manifolds fig. 1 and fig. 2) if necessary. Similarly, the body fig. 1) of the adsorber has on its upper face an airlock for taking samples (11, fig. 1) for verifying the behavior of the reaction and readjusting the proportion of the reagents and/or the total reaction of the elements and obtaining the expected result.

Claims

1. A continuous method of treating a product including organic matter, where it comprises the steps of: mixing said product with quicklime (CaO), introducing said mixture into a confined enclosure, leaving said mixture in said enclosure to cause it to decompose, and -extracting from said enclosure the products resulting from said decomposition, wherein said mixture is moved between an inlet and an outlet of said enclosure at a speed enabling said decomposition to occur during that movement.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said mixture is distributed .i 15 at the inlet of said enclosure.

3. A method according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said :i enclosure is fed at a flowrate corresponding to the flowrate of the products to be treated. coo@

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said product including organic matter is chosen from the group comprising •go° household refuse, cellulose-containing compounds, material liable to decay, slurry, droppings, peat, greases and sludges from purification stations. S A device when used for implementing a method according to any one of the preceding claims comprising an enclosure for confining said mixture, wherein said enclosure has an inlet, an outlet, and displacement means for continuously moving said mixture slowly from said inlet to said outlet.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said inlet is disposed in the upper portion of one end of said enclosure and wherein said outlet in disposed in the lower portion of the other end of said enclosure. Y:UAatiseOthrsspiesNS 23_dsped 0080.doC

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein a hopper for receiving said mixture is disposed above said inlet.

8. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said displacement means include a moving bed.

9. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 8 for implementing a method according to claim 3, wherein it includes means for distributing said mixture over said displacement means when it has passed said inlet. A device according to claim 9, wherein said distributor means include a plurality of motorized distributor screws disposed inside said enclosure in the vicinity of said inlet.

11. A device according to claim 6 or 10, wherein it includes three motorized distributor screws disposed in the manner of a rising staircase under said inlet.

12. A device according to one any of claims 5 to 11, wherein it 20 includes means for extracting the products resulting from said decomposition g from said enclosure via said outlet. *Oi* S-13. A device according to claim 12, wherein said extractor means include a plurality of motorized extractor screws disposed inside said enclosure 25 in the vicinity of said outlet.

14. A device according to claim 13, wherein said extractor means include three motorized extractor screws disposed in the manner of a descending staircase in the vicinity of said outlet. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 14, wherein the speed of said displacement means is adjusted so that said mixture remains in said enclosure for approximately four hours. Y:mouiseXO3 %Speces8 i 723_s.pedloc 6

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein said speed is in a range from 10 to 40 mm/min.

17. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 16, wherein it includes means for evacuating from said enclosure the gases resulting from the treatment of said mixture.

18. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 17, wherein it includes means for recovering the heat resulting from the treatment of said mixture.

19. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 18, wherein it includes means for monitoring the temperature of said mixture and for reducing S. said temperature if necessary. A device according to any one of claims 5 to 19, wherein said enclosure includes an airlock for taking samples.

21. A method according to claim 1 substantially as herein before 20 described with reference to any one of the drawings.

22. A device according to claim 5 substantially as herein before described with reference to any one of the drawings. DATED: 9 June, 2006 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: VALOROM YLoLseWwtheSpeies l23_&id 050608.doc