Pyrolysis of polymer waste materials
AssigneeMicrowave Solutions GmbH
InventorsAnnelie Stapela, Mathys Johannes Rossouw
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Abstract
A pyrolysis method and a pyrolysis reactor for thermal decomposition of polymer waste materials, particularly rubber and plastics waste materials, using a fast pyrolysis process, are disclosed. The waste material is delivered to a pyrolytic chamber, and is heated to a decomposition temperature of the waste material by microwave radiation.
Claims22
A pyrolysis method for thermal decomposition of a waste material comprising polymer materials and polymer waste materials comprising a plurality of differing material components, using a fast pyrolysis process, comprising:
- delivering the waste material to a pyrolytic chamber;
- heating the waste material to a decomposition temperature of the polymer waste material by microwave radiation;
- and
- subjecting the polymer waste material to a sequential thermal decomposition of said differing material components by successively applying differing temperatures corresponding to a target decomposition temperature of at least one of the plurality of differing material components,
- wherein a target decomposition temperature equals the decomposition temperature of a specific component of the polymer waste material,
- wherein the sequential thermal decomposition comprises a first heating step in which the waste material is heated to a first target decomposition temperature of a first material component and a second heating step, which is a subsequent step, for heating the waste material to a second target temperature above said first decomposition temperature of a second material component, and
- wherein the pyrolytic chamber comprises subsequent heat zones along a length of the pyrolytic chamber that are each heated to successively higher target decomposition temperatures, and differing exit ports arranged in intervals along a longitudinal axis of the pyrolytic chamber and corresponding to the subsequent heat zones.
A pyrolysis reactor for sequential thermal decomposition of a waste material comprising polymer materials and polymer waste materials comprising a plurality of differing material components, comprising:
- a pyrolytic chamber configured to receive the waste material;
- at least one heat source for heating the waste material to a decomposition temperature of a material component of the waste material,
- wherein the at least one heat source comprises a microwave radiation source;
- the pyrolytic chamber comprises subsequent heat zones along a length of the pyrolytic chamber at least comprising a first heat zone and a subsequent second heat zone, and differing exit ports arranged in intervals along a longitudinal axis of the pyrolytic chamber and corresponding to the subsequent heat zones, and
- a process control system is connected to at least one temperature sensor in the pyrolytic chamber for controlling a sequential thermal decomposition of differing material components by successively applying differing target decomposition temperatures in the subsequent heat zones of the pyrolytic chamber,
- wherein the subsequent heat zones are each heated to successively increased target decomposition temperatures, wherein the first heat zone is heated to a first target decomposition temperature of a first material component and the second heat zone is heated to a second target decomposition temperature of a second material component, and
- wherein a target decomposition temperature equals the decomposition temperature of a specific component of the polymer waste material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.