TW201500107A - Improvements in waste processing - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention proposes an apparatus for pyrolysing or gasifying material containing an organic content. The apparatus comprises an oven (10) mounted for rotation on at least one support (12, 14). The oven (10) comprises a main processing chamber (16) for heating the material in a low or zero oxygen atmosphere to gasify or pyrolyse its organic content. A secondary processing chamber (18) for receiving processed material from the main processing chamber (16) is also provided. An eddy current separator (22) is positioned adjacent or in the secondary processing chamber (18) and is located such that as the oven rotates, material in the second processing chamber repeatedly passes it. The eddy current separator (22) is orientated such that, in use, it ejects non-ferrous metals from the secondary processing chamber (18).

Description

Improvement of waste treatment

The present invention relates to the pyrolysis and/or gasification of materials, particularly materials such as municipal solid waste containing a mixture of organic materials and metals.

Gasification and pyrolysis of organic compounds is a known technique in which materials are heated in anoxic (pyrolysis) or in a low oxygen environment (gasification) to produce syngas. An example of this occurs in waste to energy systems where waste materials, such as municipal solid waste, are pyrolyzed/gasified to produce syngas that is subsequently used to generate electricity. However, when a material having a large amount of low calorific value organic material such as wood (compared to a material such as a plastic having a high calorific value) is pyrolyzed, a carbonaceous residue is associated with an inert ash-like material and a non-organic substance such as glass, metal, or the like. Stay together. The carbonaceous residue is a coke or coking coal material, collectively referred to herein as coke.

After the pyrolysis reaction is completed, the coke still contains a recoverable energy source and can be recovered by a gasification reaction that consumes oxygen. These reactions occur at high temperatures and tend to oxidize any metal present in the retained material due to temperature and oxygen present. This degrades the metal that can be recovered and recovered if it is preserved in good condition. For this reason Energy is trapped in coke, or recyclable high-value meals (such as aluminum) become oxidized and unrecoverable or significantly degraded by oxidation, and systems that perform these procedures operate at lower overall efficiency than expected.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for treating waste.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for pyrolyzing or gasifying a material containing an organic content, the apparatus comprising an oven mounted for rotation on at least one support member, wherein the oven comprises: a main Processing the chamber for heating the material in a low or zero oxygen atmosphere to vaporize or pyrolyze its organic content; the primary processing chamber for receiving the treated material from the main processing chamber; a vortex separator Relocating adjacent to or within the secondary processing chamber and positioned such that as the oven rotates, material in the second processing chamber repeatedly passes through the vortex separator; wherein the vortex separator is oriented In use, it causes non-ferrous metals to be ejected from the secondary processing chamber.

As the equipment separates the non-ferrous metal from the treated material, the remainder of the treated material can then be gasified without oxidizing the non-ferrous metal. In general, non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, copper, brass, etc., are metals having high monetary value when recycled metals, so that if they can be separated, the most valuable materials can be prevented from becoming oxidized. Once the non-ferrous metal has been separated, a hot gas (up to 300 ° C) containing a low oxygen level (up to 12% mass flow) can be introduced into the secondary processing chamber to vaporize the coke therein to release carbon monoxide.

A selectively openable lanyard can be disposed between the main processing chamber and the secondary processing chamber. This prevents material from passing from the main processing chamber into the secondary processing chamber before processing of the main processing chamber is completed.

The apparatus can further include a separation chamber and a vortex generator can be provided to inject non-ferrous metal into the separation chamber.

In one configuration, the secondary processing chamber can be adjacent to the primary processing chamber. In another configuration, the secondary processing chamber can be separated from the main processing chamber by a separation chamber.

The apparatus may further comprise an electromagnet arranged to pass material within the oven through the electromagnet for rotation of the ferrous metal from the treated material as the oven rotates.

In this way, the ferrous metal can be separated from the treated material. As it passes through the electromagnet it will become attracted to and separated from the rest of the treated material. It is preferred to have this effect prior to the separation of the non-ferrous metal so that there is no magnetic interaction between the ferrous metal and the vortex separator.

In one configuration, the electromagnet is disposed in one of: a main processing chamber, a secondary processing chamber, or a separation chamber. If disposed in the main processing chamber, the ferrous metal can be separated during or after the main processing cycle before the treated material is transferred to the secondary processing chamber. If placed in the separation chamber, the material will pass into the separation chamber, the oven rotates and the magnet is activated to attract the ferrous metal, and then the rest of the treated material (excluding the ferrous material) can be Transfer to the secondary processing chamber, after which non-ferrous metal can be ejected from the secondary processing chamber back into the main processing chamber.

The equipment is provided with a mechanism for heating the main processing chamber and heating the secondary processing chamber. This may include the provision of a hot gas supply to the first processing chamber and the provision of a hot gas supply to the secondary processing chamber. The hot gas supply to the secondary processing chamber can have a higher oxygen content than the hot gas provided to the primary processing chamber. The hot gas supply to the main processing chamber may be substantially free of oxygen. In this way, the reaction in the main processing chamber can be a pyrolysis reaction that produces syngas and a coke. And the procedure in the secondary processing chamber can be a gasification reaction that reacts coke with oxygen to produce carbon monoxide.

The apparatus includes a mechanism for dividing the secondary processing chamber into a first portion and a second portion having a vortex separator coupled thereto. The mechanism can be a gate or a closable opening. Hot gases can be supplied to the second portion of the secondary processing chamber. In this manner, the eddy current separator is protected from heat and the heat is retained in a section of the secondary processing chamber that is not open on the separation chamber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for pyrolyzing or gasifying a material comprising an organic content and a non-ferrous metal, the method comprising: in a low or zero oxygen environment in a rotating oven Heating a material containing an organic content to a first temperature in the processing chamber to treat it to release syngas; transferring the treated material from the main processing chamber to a primary processing chamber of the oven; And using a vortex separator to separate non-ferrous metals from the remainder of the treated material.

After the material processing in the first processing chamber is completed, the method may further include: selectively opening a gate between the main processing chamber and the secondary processing chamber; and moving the oven to cause processed material from The main processing chamber leads to the secondary processing chamber.

A separation chamber can be provided, and the method can further include operating the vortex separator to move the non-ferrous metal into the separation chamber.

The method may further comprise: providing an electromagnet on the oven; and rotating the oven 俾 as the oven rotates to cause the material in the oven to pass through the electromagnet, thereby separating the ferrous material therefrom. The ferrous material is separated after the material in the main processing chamber has been treated.

The method can include heating the material in the secondary processing chamber. The material in the secondary processing chamber can be heated to a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature. Heating system can be packaged Included: providing a hot gas stream to the main processing chamber to heat the material therein in a first stage of processing; and providing a hot gas stream to the secondary processing chamber for a second stage of processing Heat the material in it. The hot gas flow system for the secondary processing chamber can have a higher oxygen content than the hot gas flow provided to the primary processing chamber. Preferably, the step of separating the non-ferrous metal from the treated material is prior to the step of heating the material in the secondary processing chamber.

After separating the non-ferrous metal from the treated material in the second chamber, the method can further include: dividing the second chamber into a first portion having a vortex separator coupled thereto and a second portion containing the material; And heating the material in the second portion of the secondary processing chamber.

10‧‧‧ oven

12,14‧‧‧Support

16‧‧‧Main processing chamber

18‧‧‧Secondary processing chamber

20‧‧‧Separation chamber

22‧‧‧ eddy current separator

24‧‧‧Removable filling box

26‧‧‧ Entrance

28‧‧‧Export

30‧‧‧ brake

32‧‧‧Electromagnet

34‧‧‧ pivot bearing

35‧‧‧ openings

38‧‧‧Ramp edge

40‧‧‧second gate

42,44,46,48‧‧‧Valves

50, 52‧‧‧ gas analyzer

A‧‧‧Separation force/arrow

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A specific embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an oven equipped; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a valve arrangement of the equipment; A schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative oven.

Referring to Figure 1, a rotary roaster 10 of the present invention is shown. The oven 10 is rotatably mounted on the two supports 12, 14. The oven 10 includes a main processing chamber 16, a primary processing chamber 18 and a separation chamber 20. A vortex separator 22 is mounted adjacent to the secondary processing chamber 18 such that the separation force exerted on the non-ferrous metal is in the direction indicated by arrow A.

In use, the material is loaded into the main processing chamber 12 of the oven 10. This can be done in several ways. An openable door can be placed in the oven, or a section of the oven 10 can form a removable loading bin 24 that can be loaded with material to be treated and subsequently attached to the remainder of the oven 10. A stream of hot gas is then provided to the inlet 26, which then enters the main processing chamber 12 and exits via outlet 28. As the material is heated by the hot gas stream, the oven 10 rotates on its supports 12, 14. The hot gas contains substantially no oxygen and has a temperature in excess of 300 °C. The organic content of the material is pyrolyzed and releases a syngas containing a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

Once all of the organic matter has been pyrolyzed, the first step of processing is complete and the hot gas flow can be stopped. The completion of the pyrolysis reaction can be determined by monitoring the exit gas from the main processing chamber 16. When it is sensed that the hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide levels fall below a certain level or the changes in carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen have stabilized, then the process is determined to be complete. The treated material will contain inorganic contents such as metals, ceramics, glass, etc., inert fully pyrolyzed residues, and certain cokes that still contain significant amounts of carbon.

An electromagnet 32 is then energized and the oven 10 continues to rotate, causing the ferrous material to be attracted to and magnetically held by the electromagnet 32 to separate from the remainder of the treated material. While the top of the oven 10 (when it is not rotated) is depicted, it will be appreciated that the electromagnet 32 can be positioned at any position relative to the main processing chamber 10, with the proviso that the material is rotated as the oven rotates. It is sufficient to pass the electromagnet 32.

Once the ferrous material has been separated from the remainder of the treated material, a gate 30 for separating the main processing chamber 16 from the separation chamber 20 and the secondary processing chamber 18 is opened. The oven 10 is then pivoted about a pivot bearing 34 and selectively rotated to cause the material in the main processing chamber 12 (excluding ferrous metal) to pass through the gate 30 into the secondary processing chamber 18, thereafter Gate 30 is closed.

The oven 10 returns to the position shown in Figure 1 and rotates. The electromagnet 32 can be deactivated at this point, or the option remains on during the rest of the program.

As the oven rotates, the vortex separator 22 is activated, causing a force in the direction depicted by arrow A to be applied to the non-ferrous metal passing through the separator. Metals such as aluminum, copper, etc. will be forced through the opening 35 by the separator and will pass into the separation chamber 20. The two ramped edges 38 help prevent material in the rotary oven 10 (excluding non-ferrous metals) from entering the separation chamber 20 from the secondary processing chamber 18 as the oven rotates. In this manner, the non-ferrous metal can be separated from the material in the second processing chamber.

When the non-ferrous metal has been separated, a second gate 40 in the secondary processing chamber is closed with the material at the bottom of the cavity 18 with the oven substantially in the position shown in FIG. The material is thus trapped in a processing section of the secondary processing chamber 18 surrounded by the gate 40.

Subsequent processing of the coke in the material in the secondary processing chamber 18 is then initiated. The hot gas containing an oxygen mass flow rate between 3 and 12% then passes through the processing section of the secondary processing chamber 18. The gas has a temperature in excess of 300 ° C, preferably in excess of 500 ° C. The temperature and oxygen are reacted with coke in a gasification reaction to oxidize to release carbon monoxide. If steam is also present in the hot gas, the gasification process can also release hydrogen. As non-ferrous metals are isolated from hot gases, they are protected from heat and oxygen and are not oxidized. During the secondary treatment, the vortex separator 22 can be severed or the optionality continues to be activated to prevent any non-ferrous metals of the piece from re-entering the secondary processing chamber 18 as the oven 10 rotates.

The hot gas system entering the secondary processing chamber 18 can enter and exit the oven 10 via the same inlet 26 and outlet 28. Referring to Figure 2, a valve action configuration of the oven 10 is shown in which the main process chamber 16 and the secondary process chamber 18 are connected in parallel and the valve 42, 44 and 46, 48 control the inlet and outlet flows from the inlet 26 and outlet 28 of the oven 10 to the main 16 and secondary 18 processing chambers, respectively. The valves 42, 44, 46, 48 and the conduit between the process chamber and the processing chamber may all form part of the oven structure.

As the coke is fully vaporized, the carbon monoxide levels and hydrogen levels sensed by the gas analyzers 50, 52 indicate that the process is complete and the process can be stopped.

The fully processed and separated material can then be removed from the oven. The load box 24 can be detached from the remainder of the oven 10, and the separated material will be in three different sections, the ferrous material will be located in the section forming the portion of the main processing chamber 16, non-ferrous metal An inert, fully treated residue that will be located in the section of the portion that forms the separation chamber and that includes ash, fully treated organic material residues, and non-metallic non-organic materials (eg, glass, ceramics, etc.) Located in the portion of the loading bin 24 that forms part of the secondary processing chamber 18.

The oven may be a drum shaped oven, but may also be substantially rectangular in cross section.

A variation of the design shown in Figure 3 simply omits the separation chamber 20. The ferrous material is separated from the material by electromagnets 32 after the main treatment is completed. The gate 30 is then opened and the material transferred to the secondary processing chamber 18 as detailed above.

As the gate 30 is opened, the oven 10a is rotated with the eddy current separator 22 activated to eject non-ferrous metal back into the main processing chamber 16. Gate 30 is then closed and secondary processing begins. When the oven is unloaded after the program is completed, the electromagnet 32 can be maintained until the non-ferrous metal is removed, after which the electromagnet 32 can be deactivated to release the ferrous material.

In other respects, the oven and program are operated in the same manner as described above with respect to Figures 1 and 2.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing is only an example of the invention, and other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the separation chamber 20 is not necessarily disposed between the main 16 and secondary 18 processing chambers, for example, the secondary processing chamber 18 may be disposed between the main processing chamber 16 and the separation chamber 20. . Other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the claims.

10‧‧‧ oven

12,14‧‧‧Support

16‧‧‧Main processing chamber

18‧‧‧Secondary processing chamber

20‧‧‧Separation chamber

22‧‧‧ eddy current separator

24‧‧‧Removable filling box

26‧‧‧ Entrance

28‧‧‧Export

32‧‧‧Electromagnet

34‧‧‧ pivot bearing

35‧‧‧ openings

38‧‧‧Ramp edge

40‧‧‧second gate

A‧‧‧Separation force/arrow

Claims (23)

An apparatus for pyrolysing or gasifying a material containing an organic content, comprising an oven mounted for rotation on at least one support, wherein the oven comprises : a primary processing chamber for heating the material in a low or zero oxygen atmosphere to vaporize or pyrolyze its organic content; a primary processing chamber for receiving processed material from the primary processing chamber a vortex separator positioned adjacent to or within the secondary processing chamber and disposed such that material in the second processing chamber repeats as the oven rotates Passing through the vortex separator; wherein the vortex separator is oriented to eject non-ferrous metals from the secondary processing chamber in use. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a selectively openable gate between the main processing chamber and the secondary processing chamber. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a separation chamber, and wherein the vortex generator is configured to inject non-ferrous metal into the separation chamber. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the secondary processing chamber is adjacent to the main processing chamber. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the secondary processing chamber is separated from the main processing chamber by the separation chamber. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an electromagnet configured to cause the inside of the oven to rotate as the oven rotates The material passes through the electromagnet for separating the ferrous material from the treated material. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electromagnet is located in one of the main processing chamber, the secondary processing chamber, or the separation chamber. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7 further comprising a mechanism for heating the main processing chamber and heating the secondary processing chamber. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mechanism for heating the main processing chamber and heating the secondary processing chamber comprises providing a hot gas supply to the first processing chamber And a mechanism for providing a hot gas supply to the secondary processing chamber. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mechanism for heating the main processing chamber and heating the secondary processing chamber is configured to have a hot gas supplied to the main processing chamber A hot gas supply of a higher oxygen content is provided to the secondary processing chamber. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a first portion and a second portion for dividing the secondary processing chamber into a vortex separator having a coupling therewith The organization. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the hot gas is supplied to the second portion of the secondary processing chamber when attached to item 9 of the scope of the patent application. A method for pyrolyzing or gasifying a material comprising an organic content and a non-ferrous metal, comprising: Heating a material containing an organic content to a first temperature in a low or zero oxygen environment in a main processing chamber of a rotary oven to treat it to release syngas; from the treated material The primary processing chamber is transferred to the primary processing chamber of the oven; and the non-ferrous metal is separated from the remainder of the treated material using a vortex separator. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising: selectively opening a main processing chamber and the secondary processing chamber after the material processing in the first processing chamber is completed And the moving the oven to cause the treated material to pass from the primary processing chamber to the secondary processing chamber. The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising: providing a separation chamber; and operating the vortex separator to move non-ferrous metal into the separation chamber. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, further comprising: providing an electromagnet on the oven; and rotating the oven to rotate the oven to rotate the oven The material passes through the electromagnet, thereby separating the ferrous material from it. The method of claim 16, wherein the ferrous material is separated after the material in the main processing chamber has been treated. The method of any of claims 13 to 17, further comprising: heating the material in the secondary processing chamber. The method of claim 18, comprising heating the material in the secondary processing chamber to a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature. The method of claim 18 or 19, comprising: providing a hot gas stream to the main processing chamber to heat the material therein in a first stage of the treatment; and placing a hot gas A stream is provided to the secondary processing chamber to heat the material therein in a second stage of processing. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing a hot gas supply to the secondary processing chamber in the second mode of operation comprises comparing the heat provided to the primary processing chamber A stream of hot gas having a higher oxygen content of the gas stream is provided to the secondary processing chamber. The method of any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein the step of separating the non-ferrous metal from the treated material is prior to the step of heating the material in the secondary processing chamber. The method of claim 22, after the step of separating the non-ferrous metal from the material in the second chamber, further comprising: dividing the second chamber into a first one having a vortex separator coupled thereto a portion and a second portion containing the material; and heating the material in the second portion of the secondary processing chamber.