# US 11,306,255 B2 · Multistage thermolysis method for safe and efficient conversion of e-waste materials

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- Number: US 11,306,255 B2
- Document ID: US11306255B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/949,979
- Filed: 2020-11-23
- Published: 2021-03-11
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-12-31
- Assignees: CHZ Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Chz Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Henry W. Brandhorst, Jr.; Ullrich H. Engel; Charles T. Ludwig; Ernest J. Zavoral, Sr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306255B2

## CPC

- C10B 57/04: using charges of special composition
- B09B 3/35: Shredding, crushing or cutting
- B09B 3/70: Chemical treatment, e.g. pH adjustment or oxidation (involving an extraction step B09B3/80)
- C10B 47/00: Destructive distillation of solid carbonaceous materials with indirect heating, e.g. by external combustion
- C10B 47/44: with conveyor-screws
- C10B 49/02: with hot gases or vapours, e.g. hot gases obtained by partial combustion of the charge
- C10B 53/00: Destructive distillation, specially adapted for particular solid raw materials or solid raw materials in special form (wet carbonising of peat C10F)
- C10B 53/07: {of solid raw materials consisting} of synthetic polymeric materials, e.g. tyres (recovery or working-up of waste materials of organic macromolecular compounds or compositions based thereon by dry-heat treatment for obtaining partially depolymerised materials C08J11/10; production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from rubber or rubber waste C10G1/10)
- C10B 57/02: Multi-step carbonising or coking processes
- C10K 1/002: {Removal of contaminants}
- C10K 1/122: {containing only carbonates, bicarbonates, hydroxides or oxides of alkali-metals (including Mg)}
- C10L 3/00: Gaseous fuels; Natural gas; Synthetic natural gas obtained by processes not covered by subclass C10G, C10K; Liquefied petroleum gas
- C10L 5/447: {Carbonized vegetable substances, e.g. charcoal, or produced by hydrothermal carbonization of biomass}
- C10L 5/48: on industrial residues and waste materials {(C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence)}
- B01D 47/00: Separating dispersed particles from gases, air or vapours by liquid as separating agent (B01D45/10 takes precedence; fractionating columns or parts thereof B01D3/16)
- B29B 2017/0496: {Pyrolysing the materials}
- C10L 2200/0469: Renewables or materials of biological origin
- C10L 2290/02: Combustion or pyrolysis
- C10L 2290/04: Gasification
- C10L 2290/28: Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
- C10L 2290/545: Washing, scrubbing, stripping, scavenging for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
- C22B 7/00: Working up raw materials other than ores, e.g. scrap, to produce non-ferrous metals and compounds thereof; {Methods of a general interest or applied to the winning of more than two metals (briquetting of scrap C22B1/248; preliminary treatment of scrap C22B1/005)}
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- Y02E 50/30: Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
- Y02P 20/143: the feedstock being recycled material, e.g. plastics
- C10B: DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS FOR PRODUCTION OF GAS, COKE, TAR, OR SIMILAR MATERIALS (cracking oils C10G; underground gasification of minerals E21B43/295)
- B09B: DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- C10K: PURIFYING OR MODIFYING THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE
- C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS
- 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)
- B29B: PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
- C22B: PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS (electrolytic C25); PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Clean, safe and efficient methods, systems, and processes for utilizing thermolysis methods to processes to convert various e-waste sources into Clean Fuel Gas and Char source are disclosed. The invention processes e-waste sources, such as for example whole circuit boards, to effectively shred and/or grind the waste source, and then process using thermolysis methods to destroy and/or separate halogen and other dangerous components to provide a Clean Fuel Gas and Char source, along with the ability to recover precious metals and other valuable components from the Char.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A Clean Fuel Gas source and a Char source, wherein a process for producing the Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source comprises:
inputting an electric and electronic waste source into a thermolysis system to generate the Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source,
wherein the thermolysis system comprises at least two reactors, an oil/water separator, an oil/tar cracker, and at least two gas scrubbers;
wherein the reactors have a process temperature of about 300° C.−800° C. and generate tars and oils;
wherein all of the oils and tars are separated in the oil/water separator and at least two gas scrubbers, thereafter cracked in the oil/tar cracker, and sent back to the secondary reactor to generate the Clean Fuel Gas source; and
wherein the Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source are substantially-free of halogenated organic compounds and do not contain oils and/or tars.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source are free of halogenated organic compounds.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel and Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Char source is in the form of a metallic state that is fine, flake, and/or chip.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Char source comprises electronic metals, rare earth metals, precious metals, or combinations thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Char source comprises at least 50% recovery of the precious metals, electronic metals, and rare earth metals present in the electric and electronic waste source.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Char source comprises at least about 75% recovery of the precious metals, electronic metals, and rare earth metals present in the electric and electronic waste source.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Char source comprises at least about 95% recovery of the precious metals, electronic metals, and rare earth metals present in the electric and electronic waste source.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source are substantially-free of toxic chemicals.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source are free of toxic chemicals.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Char source comprises glass reinforcement, glass fibers, carbon particulates, or combination thereof.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Clean Fuel Gas source comprises hydrogen and/or methane.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The Clean Fuel Gas source and the Char source of claim 1, wherein the Clean Fuel Gas source comprises oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ethane, ethene, propane, propene, butane, and/or carbon monoxide.