CA1124183A

CA1124183A - Coal filtering for purifying waste water under continuous regeneration of coal and recovery of heat

Info

Publication number: CA1124183A
Application number: CA309,145A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Adolf H. Borst
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1977-08-12
Filing date: 1978-08-11
Publication date: 1982-05-25
Also published as: IL55261A; IT1160588B; GB2003128A; IT1108568B; GB2003128B; CS215012B2; YU192278A; YU192378A; NO151530C; CA1144082A; GB2002647B; HU178995B; AT360445B; NO782736L; ZA784336B; AU3880678A; NL7808435A; IL55260A; NL7808434A; BR7805183A

Abstract

Abstract Process and device for combined waste utilization and clari-fication of waste water, using a multireactor pile with diffe-rent reactors, in which both thermal decomposition and pyrolysis of the waste and of the waste water impurities adhering to the filter coal simultaneously take place while producing energy and new filter coal, whereby the latter is led back into the circuit for the clarification of waste water, wherein the use of energy released is improved and a trouble-free sequence of operation is ensured, in that specially favorable conditions are selected in the multireactor pile,and apart from a com-bustible gas relatively rich in hydrocarbons, a filter coal is produced, which after pretreatment according to the invention for activation and/or the pelletization of the same, possesses good abrasion qualities and a high adsorption capacity.

Description

The invention concerns a process for combined waste products utilization and clarification of waste water, whereby the waste water is mixed with at least a part of the shredded waste,a separation into organic and inorganic components takes place, the waste water flow with the dissolved and suspended components of the waste contained in it is led through a two-stage filter operating in counter-current and composed o~ non-activated and activated coal, solid waste or a part of the filter coal which is saturated with sludge is incinerated in a first re-actor of a multireactor pile, producing heat and combustible gas,the majority of the coal saturated with sludge is thermally treated in a second reactor, whereby the contaminants which ad-here to the filter coal are thermally decomposed, producing coal and carbonization gas, and the regenerated filter coal of the second reactor, optionally after activation, is again led back into the waste water filter zone. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out this process.
DE-OS 25 58 703 discloses a method of combined waste products utilization and clarification of waste water. This

2~ method functions ln a comparatively simple way, in that 1. the waste water serves as a means of transport for the waste as well as to separate the latter into inorganic and organic components, 2. The waste water which is contaminated with the waste is 25 purified by mechanical and adsorptive filtration using normal and active coal;

3. a part of the waste or the active coal saturated with sludge ~ .

-2- ~3 ~

is incinerated, and emitsr apart from combustible gas, the heat necessary for thermolysis;

4. the main part of the filter coal saturated with sludge is thermally decomposed in a thermolysis reactor, whereby the filter

5 coal is regenerated and new coal and carbonization gas are pro-duced.
Even though the said process has a number of advantages, it is still desirable to improve it with a view to the optimal use of energy. Moreover, it is necessary to eliminate disadvantages 10 and difficulties which occur during the performance of the process.
Thus when using active coal or coal produced according to the above-named DE-OS, abrasion of the coal may occur, which leads to coal losses,stoppages or clogging in the filter towers, and to the pollution of the usable water so produced.
It is the objective of the invention to improve the energy balance of the process by the optimal use of all the ener-gy sources and to ensure the trouble-free course of the process, which is particularly to be at.tained by the planned choice of the reaction conditions within the multireactor pile, and a corresond-20 ing treatment or processing of the products which emerge from the multireactor pile~
The objective of the present invention is solved by en-suring that the oxygen input in the first reactor of a multireactor pile takes place in a sub-stoichiometric ration, so that the 25 pyrolysis is maintained/ the temperature does not rise substant-ially above 800C, whereby a combustible gas rich in hydrocarbons is produced and heat is released, which heats the second reactor (this process step will be henceforth described as pyrolysis); the filter coal saturated with sludge is degassed in a second reactor in an oxygen-free atmosphere and the sludgè which adheres to the filter coal is thermally decomposed, whereby a carbonization gas 5 rich in hydrocarbons and more coal are produced (this process stage will henceforth be called thermolysis); at least a part of the coal produced or regenerated in the second reactor is subjected to a pelletization process; and optionally at least a part of the com-bustible or carbonization gas formed, which contains long-chain 10 hydrocarbons, is split in a thermal cracker unit into short-chain hydrocarbons, optionally using the thermal content of the gas by means of a heat exchanger.
The multireactor pile which is provided according to the invention may comprise several reactors of the first and second 15 types, which preferably constitute continuously operating rotary drum furnaces. It is also preferable that the first reactor is located in the lower part of the multireactor pile, while the second reactor is preferably in the upper part of the pile above an~ immediately adjacent to the first reactor, so that it can be 20 heated by the latter via convection heating.
In general, the first reactor serves for pyrolysis of the wate, while in the second reactor the coal saturated with sludge is thermolysed. Moreover at periodic intervals, the first reactor can be charged with saturated normal or active coal, which 25 is followed by incineration of the coal contaminated with heavy metals, and the heavy metals together with the ash are removed from the reactor. Moreover it is possible to charge the second reactor (thermolysis ~h~ ~f~

reactor) with solid, preferably organic waste or to mix waste into the furnace charge.

~ ccording to the invention, the process is marked by a particularly advantageous combination of different process steps, which permit a maximal utilization of energy from the processes ta~ing place in the mulireactor pile~ whereby the heat generated during pyrolysis or combustion is controlled by measured inputs of oxygen, and the remaining energy is obtained in the form of a com-bustible gas which is relatively rich in hydrocarbons. By using the process according to the invention, it is possible, depending on the composition of the waste, to operate the combined instal-lation for waste utilization and waste water clarification ~ithout the input of external energy, and moreover to produce additioanl energy as well.

On the basis of the selected, particularly favorable con-ditions within the multireactor pile, a filter coal with good ab-sorption properties as well as a carbonization gas which is part-icularly strongly enriched with hydrocarbons are obtained during the thermolyzation stage. By the special processing of the com-bustible or carbonization gas emerging from the mulireactor pile stDrable energy is produced, whereby the thermal content of the gas is used by means of a heat exchanger in the installation to carry out the process according to the invention for predrying, heating the backwash water, or for the thermolyzation process.
Moreover by the planned treatment of the filter coal emerging from the multireactor pile, difficulties in the execution of the process are avoided. The invention provides that the _5_ ~ 2 ~ ~7~

regenerated filter coal used in the coarse filter is either pelletize~, i.e. pressed into a compact form of the desired particle size, whereby the abrasion effect on the coal and the resulting pollution of the water produced, as well as the stop-5 pages caused by fine filter coal in the filter elements are avoid-ed, or a filter material with a particularly large surface area, i.e. with a hlgh absorption capacity, is produced by pretreating the coal to be activated which is subsequently used in the fine filter. These process steps will later be more precisely explain-10 ed.
According to the invention pyrolysis takes place at atemperature which should not rise substantially above 800 C. A
specially preferable temperature range lies between 500 and 800 C.
Sometimes it is preferable to work at temperatures between 300 and 15 ~00 C, to avoid the vaporization o certain heavy metals.

The oxygen input for the first reactor takes place at a substoichiometric ratio. The oxygen is thereby adjusted in such a way that pyrolysis is maintained, yet the temperature is so con-20 trolled that it does not rise substantially above 800 C. The oxygen volume added amounts preferably to 30 to 90% of the stoich-iometrically necessary oxygen volume, optimally 50 to 80%. The oxygen volume here is varied according to the composition of the furnace charge to be incinerated and its degree of humidity.
The combustible gas which is generated by pyrolysis in the first reactor, because of the controlled heat production, is relatively rich in hydrocarbons; the carbonization gas which app ears in the second reactor during thermolysis of the contaminated filter coal or of the solid waste is particularly rich in hydro~
carbons, especially long-chain hydrocarbons.
The combustible ox carbonization gas so formed can be used 5 as an additional energy source for the thermolysis process or as fuel for a separate boiler, gas eombustion deviee, preferably a combustion engine r or the like.
Moreover it is possible to treat the combustible or carbo~
nization gas in a eraeker device, to split long-chain hydrocarbons 10 into short-chain molecules, which can again be used directly in combustion engines, turbines and the like, or which after being liquified form an easil~ storable souxce of energy.
According to the inventlon it is advantageous to cool the gases emerging from the high temperature zone adequately to liqui-15 fy them, whereby optionally a separation into liquid nitrogen anda liquid, combustible, nitrogen-free gas, e.g. a methane gas, takes place.
In one of the preferred designs of a craeker device acc-ording to the invention,which works with high efficiency, the 20 splitting of the long-ehain hydrocarbons into ~hort-chai~ hydro-carbons takes place in an oxygen--deficient high temperature zone at a temperature of at least 1300 C. The cracking of the long-ehain hydroearbons ean also take place in said apppartus with oxy-gen excluded, so that no combustion or oxidation of the gas pro-2~ duced results.
The said high temperature zone is produced within thecracker unit by filling an upright container with combustible mat-erlals such as wood or coal, for example with fllter coal, the fuelis then incinerated at the lower end of the container by injecting a measured quantity of oxygen, and the combustible gas is led through the device in a downward direction, whereby the oxygen volume is so adjusted that a controlled incineration of the mat-erials as well as the attainment of the desired temperature lS
ensured.

The combustible materials are fed into the device in adequate puantities in such a way that during operations a part of the materials shows a relatively low temperature, whereby when the said combutible or carbonization gas is led over or through the materials at a low temperature, the solid and liquid part-icles carried by the gases are caught, and the latter, as soon as the said materials arrive in the high temperature zone, are also burnt.
It is advantageous to lead the exhaust gases which occur through a heat exchanger, whereby the thermal energy of the exhaust gases is transferred to the heat exchanger medium. ~he heat pro-duced by the exhaust gas can either be used for predrying ~he solid waste and/or the filter coal saturated with sludge, or it can be used to support the pyrolytic or thermolytic steps which are taking place in the multireactor pile. Moreover, by using a second heat exchanger, the heat produced from the exhuast gas can be employed ~or heating the water used in the backwashing of the saturated active coal, to facilitate the desorption of the materi-als filtered out, which adhere to the active coal. Moreover, it is advantageous to lead the exhaust gas through a coal filter for the removal of particle-like impurities.

The invention provides that the filter coal produced in the second reactor is specially treated, to avoid the difficulties which may arise during the process as a result of coal abrasion.
For this, the regenerated coal, which is relatively soft and has a greatly varying particle size, is pelletized according to one of the conventional processes, optionally with the use of a binding material. Here it is necessar~ to separate off the fine coal particles and the coal dust, e.g. by use of a sieve or screen, which are then fed into the pelletizing device; subsequently the pellets can be mixed with the residue from the sieve, i.e. with the coarser coal particles. This mixture then serves as the filling for the coarse or roughing filter elements (lst filtration section).
For the production of active coal, regenerated coal is pretreated according to the invention, to give it a adequate hard-ness and to some extent a uniform particle size.
Therefore, the coal obtained in the second reactor is finely crushed and mixed with e.g. tar or pitch in the ration 10:1 to 5:1. This coa~/tar or coal/pitch mixture is then compacted using high pressures, preferably at 1000 to 2000 kp/cm , and at temperatures which are just above the softening point of the tar or pitch concerned. Then the resulting coal/tar or coal/pitch mixture is ground down to the desired particle size. This can preferably be done with the aid of a roller frame, to keep the ~5 fine part as small as possible. But of course other crushing installations, e.g. I~ammer mills, can be used.

The particle size, to which the filter coal is crushed, depends on the purpose foreseen: active coal ~,7hich is to .be used for purification of water, should preferably have a particle size between 0.5 and 1~5 mm. The cative coal used for gas cleansing 5 has a preferred particle size of 2 to 3 mm.
To the extent that the coal which is later to be activated is to be used for gas cleansing, the following process is use~ul;
the coal ploduced in the second reactor is finely ~rushed, mixed with tar or pitch in a ratio of 10:1 to 5:1, and then lO pressed direct into briquettes at high pressures, preferably lOOO kp/cm , and at temperatures which are just above the soft-ening point of the tar or pitch used, by means of extrusion presses.
The splint granulate or briquettes thus obtained can then 15 be activated in an activating device according to the usual tech-nical methods either with superheated steam or by chemicals. Thus an active coal with a specially high absorption capacity is ob-tained. This activated coal is preferably pelletized in a pel-letizing device.
The flgures show advantageous embodiments according to the invention, which should not restrict the scope thereof, and they will be explained below:
Fig.l: Schematic flow diagram of the process according to the invention for combined waste utilization and clarification of 25 waste water;
Fig.2a and 2b: Combined process for waste utilization and clairification of waste water according to the invention;

Fig.3 which procedes Fig.2a and 2b: Schematic Elow dia-gram for the manufacture,utili~ation and regeneration of normal and activated filter coal according to the invention;
Fig.4: Frontal,view in cross-section, of the multireactor pile according to the invention;
Fig.5: Sideview, in cross-section, of the multireactor pile shown in ~ig.4 along the line 5-5;
Fig.6: Cracker device according to the invention.

Fig.l shows in a schematic flow diagram the material flow in treating solid and liquid waste within the waste utilization and waste water clarification installation (102), according to the invention. The installation comprises a multireactor pile 104.
The solid waste to be processed, which inter alia may be foodstuff residues, paper, synthetic materials, oil or tar residued, old tyres, wood, glass, ashes and the likel is so pretreated by mag-netic belt selection, shredding, and flotation in waste water that it consists substantially of organie components for further treat-ment. In the multireactor pile 104, the solid waste is pyrolyed in a first reactor in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, forming heat, combustible gas, and ashes.
The waste water can be either urban waste effluent or industrial waste water. A multistage coal flilter 106 serves to clarify the waste water, so that the latter can at least be used for industrial purposes. The coal filter 106 is preferably a two-25 stage filter, which consists of a coarse and a fine filter. Thefilter coal of the coarse filter is periodically regenerated in the pile 104 with the particles and sludge adhering to the coal, i.e.

it is subjected to heat treatment under exclusion of oxygen. The coal losses are compensated for by the newly-produced and regener-ated coal.
Fig. 2a and 2b, supplemented by ~ig. 3, show a general view of the process method used in the waste utilization and waste water clarification installation 102. A was-te water inlet conduit 108 takes waste water via a settling basin 110 and a sieve - - 112 to the roughing filter 114. Then in the fine filter 116 the final clarification of the water takes place, and it is emitted from the installation via the outlet conduit 118.
The roughing filter 114 consists of a multitude of roughing filter elements 120, which can exit from the roughing filter 113 by raising and lowering them for regeneration or for leading them back into the roughing filter.
~ach of the filter elements 120 is filled with normal filter coal of a suitable particle size, preferably with pelletized filter coal. The roughing filter elements are moved in counter-current to the waste water flow during operations from the end of filter 122 to the beginning of filter 124.
Fine filter 116 consists e~ually of a series of fine filter elements 126, which are equally moved by stages in counter-current to the waste water from the bottom end 128 to the top end 130. The fine filter can be cleaned by backwashing, optionally in the backwashing device 134 which is provided. Preferably the backwash water is taken direct from the outlet conduit 118/ and can for a time be stored in the reservoir 136, which is equipped with a heater coil 138. The water contaminated by the backwashing flows thxough the return conduit 140 back to the waste water inlet 108.
For processing the waste, the solid waste is unloaded into a bin 160, where by means of a magentic belt 162, the conveyor belt 166, and the shredding rollers 164 r a first treatment or sep-5 aration of the waste takes place. In the settling basin 110 thematerials with a density of 1 are deposited, and are removed with - the aid of the bucket elevator 168. A series of air jets provides for a thorough mixing of the waste water and waste, which facili-tates their separation into organic and inorganic components. A
conveyor 132 transports floating organic substances to the two storage chambers 172 of the multireactor pile 104. Moreover more waste can be continuously moved to the storage chambers via the -transport belts 174.
The multireactor pile 104, in which simultaneously both lS pyrolysis and thermolysis of the waste and/or sludge-charged fil-ter coal takes place in different reactors, is shown in Fig. 4 and 5. q'he reactors 1~8 serve for the incineration or pyrolysis of the waste and/or ~ilter coal charged with sludge. ~he thermolysis of saturated filter coal or waste takes place in reactor 186.
Casing 222 surrounds the interior of the pile 190. The shafts 224 are journaled on bearings 226, and are driven by the drive unit 228 with its motor 230. Via openings 232 for the fil-ling and emptying, with a door 234 and a door 236, with a further device for closing the doors, the furnace charge is filled or em-25 ptied into or out of the reactors. Doors 234 and 236 have hinges 262. ~oreover the reactors 178 are equipped with an air intake 238, combustihle gas outlet 240, and conve~ screens 242. Reactor 178 is also connected to the gas line 184, which has a one-way check valve 246 as well as cracker unit l92, washer 196, the combustion englne 202, generator 204, and the branch line 248 with the valve 250.
The release receptacle 252 for waste has a closure plate 254, which shuts off the cavity 256. At the lower end of cavity 256 there is a hinged pla-te 258 and the thermal insulation 260.

The cavity 264 which opens downwards is limited by a hinged plate 266. After thermolysis or pyrolysis the solid sub-stances from the reactors are deposited in the funnel-shaped hoppers 268, and 270. The latter are equipped with heat exchanger coils 272 and a damper 274. Under the containers 268, 270 is the conveyor belt 276.
Moreover an air supply can take place in the pile chamber 190 via the air inlet lead 278 and the valve 280. Above the therm-olysis reactor 186 is the ~as conduit 282 with valve 284. In ad-dition the thermolysis reactor 186 is e~uipped with a heat trans-fer conduit 288 The coal formed in reactor 186 is then sorted by meansof the screen 290 (Fig. 3). The bigger coal particles can be used directly in the roughing filter 114. The screened-out smaller coal particles and the coal dust are formed into pellets of the desired particle size in the pelletizer 292 (Fig. 3). These pellets are also used for filling the roughing filter elements 120. To pro-duce active coal, the filter coal emerging from reactor 186 is pretreated, i.e. it is finely crushed in in a crusher unit, then is ~< .

optionally pelletized and again crushed to the desired core size.
The activation t~kes place in the activator 29~, to which a further pelletizer 296 may be optionally connected. The active coal pro-duced serves as filling for the fine filter 116 or it can be used for commercial purposes.
The statements above show clearly that the waste utili-zation/waste water clarification installation 102 can be used for the production and regeneration of the normal coal and active coal which are required fox the clarification of waste water, to the fullest extent.
In Fig. 6 a cracker unit 192 is shown in a preferred em-bodiment according to the invention. The cracker unit consists of an upright double-walled container 298, in which an inner container 300 is suspended from the upper end of an outer, supporting vessel 304- The inner container has an upper end 306, which is covered by an openable closure plate 308. The lower end of the inner con-tainer 300 has a reduced throat 310 and a screen 312. Under that is another screen 316.
A circular air supply line 318 surrounds the reduced d;a-20 meter throat 310. This air line 318 has a multitude of air no-zzles 320, which serve to inject oxygen or combustion air into the interior of the inner vessel 300, directly over the screen 312.
The line 184 leads the gas to be split into the upper part of in-ner container 300 and ends in a downwardly facing head 322.
The interior of the container 300 is filled with relativ-ely large particles of a combustible material, preferably wood in such a way that the latter fills the larger part of the cavity L~d between the screen 312 and the gas discharge head 322. The wood which is located directly above screen 312 is ignited, and oxygen is supplied via the air nozzles for combus`tion, so that a high temperature zone forms, which nevertheless extends to a relatively small area above the screen,while the rest of the combustible material remains comparatively cool in the interior of container 300. After the high temperature, combustible gas or carbonization gas is introduced into the cracker unit via gas line 184 and the head 322. Moreover the blower 324 is operated, whereupon a slight vacuum forms in the outer vessel 304, whereby the gas fed in via the head 322 is drawn past the cool zone of combustible material and through the high temperature zone into the annular shaped space 326 between the vessels via the suction line 328 and the blower 324.

lS The split gas obtained can either be used direct in a combustion engine 202 or it can be liquified in the liquid gas plant 206, and optionally it can be separated into a gas on pre-ferably a methane base and liquid nitrogen.
. At periodic intervals the cracker device is supplied with fresh combustible`material via the closure plate 308. This supply can also take place continuously.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. Process for the combined waste products utilization and the clarification of waste water, whereby the waste is shredded in a device, the waste water is mixed with at least a part of the shredded waste, a separation into organic and inorganic components takes place, the waste water flow with the dissolved and suspended components of the waste products contained in it is then led through a two-stage filter operating in counter-current and composed of a first stage with non-activated and a second stage with activated coal, the solid waste or a part of the filter coal saturated by sewage is incinerated in a first reactor of a multi-reactor pile in the presence of oxygen input producing heat and combustible gas, the majority of the coal saturated with contaminants is thermally treated in a second reactor for regeneration, whereby the contaminants adher-ing to the filter coal are thermally decomposed producing coal and a carbonization gas, and the regenerated filter coal of the second reactor is led back into the waste water filter zone after being activated, thereby characterized in that the oxygen input in the first reactor of the multi-reactor pile takes place in a sub-stoichiometrical ratio so that the pyrolysis process is maintained, the temperature does not essentially rise above 800°C, whereby a combustible gas rich in hydrocarbons is produced and heat is released, which heats the second reactor;
the filter coal saturated with sludge is degassed in the second reactor in an atmosphere free of oxygen and the sludge which adheres to the filter coal is thermally decomposed, whereby a carbonization gas rich in hydrocarbons and more coal is obtained;

at least a part of the coal produced or regenerated in the second reactor is subjected either together or without any binding material to a pelletization process; and at least a part of the combustible or carbonization gas formed, which has a long-chain hydrocarbon composition, is split into short-chain hydrocarbons in a thermal cracker unit, while using the heat content of the gas by means of a heat exchanger, at least in part to heat the water for a back-washing of saturated coal.

2. Process according to claim 1, thereby characterized in that the first reactor is arranged below and directly adjacent to the second reactor in the multi-reactor pile.

3. Process according to claim 1, thereby characterized in that the second reactor is located in the upper part of the multireactor pile.

4. Process according to claims 1 to 3, thereby character-ized in that the reactors of the pile perform a continuous mixing motion, whereby the mixing takes place by rotation of the reactors around a horizontal axis.

5. Process according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, thereby characterized in that the multireactor pile comprises several reactors of the first and second kind.

6. Process according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, thereby characterized in that the incineration of the solid waste in the first reactor takes place at 500 to 800°C.

7. Process according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, thereby characterized in that the oxygen input in the first reactor of the multireactor pile amounts to 30 to 90% of the stoichiometrically necessary volume of oxygen, depending on the composition and the humidity content of the solid waste.

8. Process according to claim 1, thereby characterized in that the coal particles which are below a desired particle size and the coal dust are separated from coarser filter coal or regenerated coal which is produced in the second reactor, the separated fine coal is pelletized into coal pellets, and then the pelletized coal is mixed with the previously sorted coarser coal particles.

9. Process according to claim 8, thereby characterized in that the pelletized coal and/or the sorted coarser coal particles are used as filter coal in the first filtration section.

10. Process according to claim 1, thereby characterized in that the coal produced in the second reactor of the multireactor pile is activated after pretreatment and pelletized.

11. Process according to claim 10, thereby characterized in that the newly-produced or regenerated filter coal is finely pulverized and mixed with tar or pitch in a ratio of 10:1 to 5:1, the resulting mixture is compacted at high pressures and at temperatures which are just above the softening point of the tar or pitch, and then are ground to the desired particle size.

12. Process according to claim 10, thereby characterized in that the newly-produced or regnerated filter coal is finely ground before it is activated and mixed with tar or pitch in a ratio of 10:1 to 5:1, the resulting mixture is then pressed directly into briquettes of the desired size at high pressures and at temperatures which are just above the softening point of the binding material used, by means of extrusion presses.

13. Process according to claim 1, thereby characterized in that the combustible or carbonization gas is led through an oxygen-deficient high temperature zone at a temperature of at least 1300°C to split long-chain hydrocarbons into short-chain hydrocarbons.

14. Process according to claim 13, thereby characterized in that the splitting of the combustible or carbonization gases takes place under exclusion of oxygen.

15. Process according to claim 13, thereby characterized in that the said high temperature zone is produced by inserting combustible materials in an upright container, then incinerating them at the lower end of the container by injecting a measured volume of oxygen, and the combustible gas is led through the device in a downward direction, whereby the oxygen volume is so adjusted that a controlled incineration of the materials as well as the attainment of the desired temperature is ensured, and the gas passes through the device without any significant combustion or oxidation.

16. Process according to one of claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15, thereby characterized in that the combustible materials are inserted in adequate quantities into the container, so that during operations, a part of these materials show a relatively low temperature, whereby when the combustible or carbonization gas is led over these materials at lower temperature, the solid and liquid particles carried by the gases are caught, and the latter are also incinerated as soon as the said materials are in the high temperature zone.

17. Process according to claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15, thereby characterized in that the gases emerging from the high temperature zone are adequately cooled to liquify them, whereby liquefied nitrogen is separated from the residual liquefied, combustible, nitrogen free gas.

18. Process according to one of claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15, thereby characterized in that the gases coming from the high temperature zone are led into a gas combustion device for the production of energy.

19. Process according to claim 13, thereby characterized in that the exhaust gases arising from the first and second reactors are led via a heat exchanger, whereby the thermal energy is transferred from the exhaust gases to heat exchanger medium.

20. Process according to claim 19, thereby characterized in that at least a part of the thermal energy produced from the exhaust gases is used to support the measures for pyrolysis and for thermolysis in at least one reactor of the multi-reactor pile.

21. Process according to claim 19, thereby characterized in that the heat produced from the exhaust gases is used for the predrying of solid waste and/or of the filter coal saturated with sludge.

22. Process according to claim 19, thereby characterized in that the exhaust gas is led through a coal filter for the removal of particulate impurities.

23. Process according to claim 19, thereby characterized in that the heat from the exhaust gases transferred to a second heat exchanger serves to heat the water for the backwashing of the saturated active coal, to facilitate the desorption of the materials filtered out which adhere to the active coal.

24. Device, suitable for use in carrying out the process of claim 1, comprising waste shredding devices, a waste water conduit with settling tank, in which organic material is separated from the waste water, coarse and fine filter elements containing non-activated or activated coal to adsorb the contaminants contained in the waste water, a multi-reactor pile with at least a thermolysis reactor and at least a pyrolysis reactor, which are immediately adjacent to each other, as well as waste or filter coal predry-ing units, characterized in that a pelletizing device is located after the thermolysis reactor to pelletize the emerging coal therefrom, followed by crushing devices to crush the pelletized coal to the desired particle size, as well as a cracker device which is located after the thermolysis and pyrolysis reactor and which is used to split the long-chain hydrocarbons contained in the fuel gas and the carbonization gas coming from these reactors.