High protein organic materials as fuel and processes for making the same

A process for converting hazardous polyfluoro compounds to less hazardous substances comprising the following steps:

• Pre-Combustion Steps
• 1) Providing a non-auto-combustible organic material, wherein the organic material is a high protein organic material having a protein content of about 10% to about 20%, on a dry weight basis (DWB);
• 2) Mechanically removing liquid and soluble components from the high protein organic material and combustion targeted components;
• 3) Applying heat to dry the organic material and combustion targeted components to reduce its moisture content to ten percent (10%) or less by weight;
• 4) Pulverizing the high protein organic material to obtain a reduced particle size of the high protein organic material,
• wherein the pre-combustion steps of 2) mechanically removing liquid and soluble components from the high protein organic material and combustion components, 3) applying heat to dry the organic material and combustion components to reduce its moisture content to ten percent (10%) or less by weight and, 4) pulverizing the high protein organic material to reduce the high protein organic material to a particle size of less than 2 mm may occur in any order;
• 5) Separating particles of the high protein organic material during a combustion phase to inhibit their cohesion into an integrated mass by spraying the particles into a combustion chamber;
• 6) Optionally, drying combustion air and injecting dehydrated combustion air having a moisture content of less than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) into a first zone of the combustion chamber;
• 7) Injecting steam in a controlled manner into a second zone of the combustion chamber to enhance combustion characteristics of the high protein organic material;
• 8) Allowing protein thermal decomposition by-products to react with nitrogen oxides (NOX) within the combustion chamber to form water (H2O) and nitrogen (N2);
• wherein aggregate nitrogen oxide (NOX) production ranges from about 100 parts per million (ppm) to about 350 parts per million (ppm);
• wherein protein thermal decomposition by-products remaining after or produced during combustion include ammonium, nitrogenous hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides (SOX), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen ions (H+), hydroxide ions (OH−), ozone (O3) carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), nitrogen free radicals, nitrogen cations, nitrogen anions, oxygen free radicals, hydrogen free radicals, carbon free radicals, silicone free radicals, sulfur free radicals, phosphorous free radicals, metal free radicals comprising metal cations, wherein the metal cations comprise at least one of calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, silica, manganese, aluminum, titanium, iron, magnesium, sulfur, strontium, ammonium, lithium, rubidium, cesium, radium, zirconium, mercury, silver, copper, nickel, chromium, cobalt, vanadium, scandium, boron, gallium, platinum, cadmium, molybdenum, tantalum, palladium, gold, tin, lead, bismuth, cerium, beryllium, and barium in the combustion gasses;
• 9) Controlling protein thermal decomposition by-products produced during combustion within the combustion chamber including nitrogen oxide (NOX) production, sulfur oxide (SOX) production, hydrogen ion (H+) production, hydroxide ion (OH−) production, ozone (O3) production, nitrogen free radicals, nitrogen cations, nitrogen anions, oxygen free radicals, hydrogen free radicals, carbon free radicals, silicone free radicals, sulfur free radicals, phosphorous free radicals, metal free radicals comprising metal cations, wherein the metal cations comprise at least one of calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, silica, manganese, aluminum, titanium, iron, magnesium, sulfur, strontium, ammonium, lithium, rubidium, cesium, radium, zirconium, mercury, silver, copper, nickel, chromium, cobalt, vanadium, scandium, boron, gallium, platinum, cadmium, molybdenum, tantalum, palladium, gold, tin, lead, bismuth, cerium beryllium, barium and carbon monoxide (CO) production;
• 10) Combusting the processed non-auto-combustible high protein organic material and incinerating polyfluoro compound impurities which may be present or may be added within the processed non-auto-combustible high protein organic material in the combustion chamber at a temperature of less than 1,400° C. and/or adding polyfluoro compounds as an additive to a traditional fuel within the combustion chamber to be incinerated with the combustion of non-auto-combustible high protein organic material at a temperature of less than 1,400° C., wherein the protein thermal decomposition by-products functions as a reactive species to incinerate polyfluoro compounds to degrade hazardous polyfluoro compounds into less hazardous substances.