Apparatus and method for fractionating alternative solid fuels

An apparatus for fractionating whole tires having tire beads of steel wire into a gaseous fraction, a coal fraction, and a non-coal fraction, which comprises:

• a) gasifying means including a first end and a second end;
• b) a feeding zone at the first end of the gasifying means;
• c) a whole tire feeding means, placed at the feeding zone of the gasifying means to control the feeding of the whole tires;
• d) a gasifying zone coupled to the feeding zone wherein partial combustion of the whole tires takes place;
• e) air feeding means connected to the gasifying zone for feeding air for the partial combustion of the whole tires, including a hot air input from a suitable source at the gasifying zone in order to control the temperature thereof;
• f) retaining means in the gasifying zone for controlling permeability and residence time of the whole tires in the gasifying zone, including cooling means located inside the retaining means to avoid melting of the whole tires on the retaining means;
• g) driving means for the retaining means adapted to completely put or withdrawn said retaining means for discharging the coal fraction and the non-coal fraction after complete separation of the gaseous fraction of the whole tires and for continuously discharging steel wire and other solids and avoiding formation of agglomerates in the gasifying means;
• h) a gas exhaust into which the gaseous fraction is discharged from the gasifying zone for further use;
• i) a discharging zone coupled to the gasifying zone;
• and
• j) discharging means at the discharging zone which receives the coal fraction and the non-coal fraction from the gasifying zone and which discharges the coal fraction and the non-coal fraction from the discharging zone;
• wherein the whole tire coal, solid and gaseous fraction follows a path inside the apparatus through the feeding zone, the gasifying zone and discharging zone, and wherein the air feeding means, provide a hot air current that is co-current with the solid fuels fractions path inside the apparatus.