# US 10,500,539 B2 · Emissions control system with CZTS sorbents, CZTS-based alloy sorbents, and/or carbon-based sorbents and method of use > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,539 B2 - Document ID: US10500539B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/042,494 - Filed: 2018-07-23 - Published: 2018-11-15 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-25 - Assignees: Chemical and Metal Technologies LLC - Applicants: Chemical and Metal Technologies LLC - Inventors: Hal Stuhler; Lori Stuhler; Van T. Walworth; Scott Drummond - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500539B2 ## CPC - B01D 53/12: according to the "fluidised technique" - B01D 47/10: Venturi scrubbers - B01D 53/83: with moving reactants - B01J 8/26: with two or more fluidised beds, e.g. reactor and regeneration installations - B01J 8/34: with stationary packing material in the fluidised bed, e.g. bricks, wire rings, baffles - B01J 8/36: with fluidised bed through which there is an essentially horizontal flow of particles - B01J 8/386: {internally, i.e. the particles rotate within the vessel} - B01J 19/006: {Baffles} - B01J 19/2415: {Tubular reactors} - B01J 20/0237: {Compounds of Cu} - B01J 20/0244: {Compounds of Zn} - B01J 20/0251: {Compounds of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb (B01J20/10 takes precedence)} - B01J 20/0285: {Sulfides of compounds other than those provided for in B01J20/045} - B01J 20/3416: {of sorbents or filter aids comprising free carbon, e.g. activated carbon} - B01J 20/3433: {of sorbents or filter aids other than those covered by B01J20/3408 - B01J20/3425} - B01D 2253/102: Carbon - B01D 2253/1122: Metals - B01D 2253/1128: Metal sulfides - B01D 2257/404: Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide - B01D 2257/406: Ammonia - B01D 2257/60: Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds - B01D 2257/602: Mercury or mercury compounds - B01D 2258/0283: Flue gases - B01D 2259/40084: by exchanging used adsorbents with fresh adsorbents - B01J 2219/00768: vertical - B01J 2219/00772: in a helix - B01J 2220/42: Materials comprising a mixture of inorganic materials (materials coated or impregnated on a carrier B01J20/32) - B01J 2220/56: Use in the form of a bed - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS ## Abstract An emissions control system including a fluidized bed apparatus containing a reactive sorbent material is disclosed for gaseous and non-gaseous contaminated emissions. The reactive sorbent material may be CZTS, CZTS-Alloy, or a carbon-based sorbent material. The fluidized bed apparatus is configured with one or more closed loop sorbent recycling subsystems. The sorbent recycling subsystems include the capability to separate sorbents from each other, separate contaminates from sorbents for disposal and/or recycling, clean and/or rejuvenate sorbents for return to the fluidized bed apparatus, dispose of spent and exhausted sorbents, and replace the spent and exhausted sorbents with new sorbent to maintain consistent sorbent function in the fluidized bed apparatus. Monitoring sensors provide information useful in a method for establishing and maintaining consistent process parameter controls. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An emissions control system including a fluidized bed apparatus for removing contaminants from emissions, comprising: a housing shaped as a reverse venturi, said housing including an entry portion for receiving the emissions at a pre-determined entry flow rate, an exit portion for expelling the emissions at a pre-determined exit flow rate, and an enlarged portion disposed between said entry portion and said exit portion of said housing for trapping the contaminants in the emissions; said entry portion, said exit portion, and said enlarged portion of said housing being arranged in fluid communication with each other; a mass of reactive material disposed within said enlarged portion of said housing; said mass of reactive material having a reactive outer surface disposed in contact with the emissions; said mass of reactive material including at least one sorbent; and at least one sorbent recycling subsystem disposed in fluid communication with said housing that receives sorbent from said housing via a sorbent discharge port and returns clean sorbent to said housing via a sorbent return port, said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem including a chemical reagent for separating contaminants from said at least one sorbent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus is permanently installed on-site. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus is transportable. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus includes a longitudinal plane that is oriented substantially horizontal when said fluidized bed apparatus is configured for gaseous emissions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus includes a longitudinal plane that is oriented substantially vertical when said fluidized bed apparatus is configured for non-gaseous emissions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem is external to said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem is internal to said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem has a closed loop configuration. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem includes a sorbent disposal station that separates spent and exhausted sorbent for disposal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem includes a contaminant disposal port that discharges the contaminants separated from the emissions for recycling or disposal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem includes a bulk refill station that supplies new sorbent to said sorbent return port to replace spent and exhausted sorbent. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem is configured to process a copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) sorbent. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem is configured to process a copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) alloy sorbent. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem is configured to process a carbon-based sorbent. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem includes: a first sorbent recycling subsystem connected in fluid communication with said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus at a first sorbent recycling subsystem location, wherein said first sorbent recycling subsystem is dedicated for processing a copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) sorbent; a second sorbent recycling subsystem connected in fluid communication with said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus at a second sorbent recycling subsystem location, wherein said second sorbent recycling subsystem is dedicated for processing a copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) alloy sorbent; and a third sorbent recycling subsystem connected in fluid communication with said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus at a third sorbent recycling subsystem location, wherein said third sorbent recycling subsystem is dedicated for processing a carbon-based sorbent. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a first monitoring sensor positioned inside said housing of said fluidized bed apparatus configured to monitor at least one process parameter of said fluidized bed apparatus; and a second monitoring sensor included in said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem, said second monitoring sensor configured to monitor at least one parameter of said sorbent in said sorbent recycling subsystem. ### Claim 17 An emissions control method for removing contaminants from emissions comprising the steps of: routing the emissions into a treatment system comprised of a reverse venturi shaped fluidized bed apparatus containing at least one sorbent that chemically binds with contaminants carried in the emissions; routing the emissions away from the reverse venturi shaped fluidized bed apparatus; selecting the at least one sorbent from a group of materials comprising at least one of a copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) sorbent, a copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) alloy sorbent, and a carbon-based sorbent; and routing the at least one sorbent through at least one sorbent recycling subsystem for chemical cleaning and rejuvenation. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The emissions control method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising the steps of: separating spent and exhausted sorbent from the sorbent routed through the sorbent recycling subsystem and disposing of the spent and exhaust sorbent; separating contaminants from the sorbent routed through the sorbent recycling subsystem and disposing of or recycling the contaminants; returning the recycled sorbent to the reverse venturi shaped fluidized bed apparatus; and routing new sorbent to the reverse venturi shaped fluidized bed apparatus to replace the spent and exhaust sorbent. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The emissions control system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said at least one sorbent recycling subsystem includes: a first sorbent recycling subsystem dedicated to processing of copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) sorbents; a second sorbent recycling subsystem dedicated to processing copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) alloy sorbents; and a third sorbent recycling subsystem dedicated to processing carbon-based sorbents. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The emissions control method as set forth in claim 19, further comprising the steps of: maintaining different sorbents separate from one another in the reverse venturi shaped fluidized bed apparatus; detecting at least one process parameter of the reverse venturi shaped fluidized bed apparatus with at least one monitoring sensor; routing the emissions through one or more of the different sorbents based on the at least one process parameter detected by the at least one monitoring sensor; routing copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) sorbents through the first sorbent recycling subsystem; routing copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS) alloy sorbents through the second sorbent recycling subsystem; and routing carbon-based sorbents through the third sorbent recycling subsystem.