System And Method For Recycling Of Carbon-Containing Materials

A system for recycling carbon-containing material comprising used vehicles tyres, the system comprising:

• (i) a heating arrangement (12) including heating means comprising a rotary kiln having an inclined rotary drum (28) having upstream (14) and downstream (16) ends, the upstream end being higher than the downstream end, for anaerobically heating the carbon-containing material to produce by pyrolysis carbon-containing gases, solid carbon and metal fragments;
• (ii) a feed arrangement for introducing carbon-containing material comprising shredded vehicle tyres with lateral dimensions up to about 300 mm and including metal reinforcement into said upstream end (14);
• (iii) a discharge arrangement for discharging solid material produced as a result of heating the carbon-containing material at the downstream end (16);
• (iv) a condensing arrangement for condensing a proportion of the carbon-containing gases to provide condensed gases including at least one oil fraction and non-condensed gases;
• (v) a recirculating arrangement (48) for recirculating the non-condensed gases into the interior of the rotary drum (28) of the heating arrangement and operable to preheat the carbon-containing feed before its introduction into the heating arrangement;
• (vi) means for controlling the temperature in the heating arrangement to a temperature of greater than 400° C. and less than 800° C., operable to control the amount of non-condensed gases recirculated to the heating arrangement during pyrolysis of the carbon-containing material;
• (vii) means for controlling the amount of non-condensed gases recirculated to the heating arrangement to control the pressure in the heating arrangement to approximately atmospheric pressure ±7500 Pa;
• (viii) a solids outlet for obtaining carbon-containing solids from the discharge arrangement;
• and
• (ix) means for separating metals from the carbon-containing solids.

A method for recycling carbon-containing material comprising used vehicle tyres, the method comprising:

• (i) introducing, after preheating, carbon-containing material comprising shredded vehicle tyres with lateral dimensions up to about 300 mm and including metal reinforcement into the upstream end (14) of a heating arrangement;
• (ii) anaerobically heating the carbon-containing material in a heating arrangement (12) including heating means and comprising a rotary kiln having an inclined rotary drum (28) having upstream (14) and downstream (16) ends, the upstream end being higher than the downstream end, to produce by pyrolysis carbon-containing gases, solid carbon and metal fragments;
• (iii) discharging solid material produced as a result of heating the carbon-containing material at the downstream end (16);
• (iv) condensing a proportion of the carbon-containing gases to provide condensed gases including at least one oil fraction and non-condensed gases;
• (v) recirculating via a recirculating arrangement (48) the non-condensed gases into the interior of the rotary drum (28) of the heating arrangement (vi) controlling the temperature in the heating arrangement to a temperature of greater than 400° C. and less than 800° C., including controlling the amount of non-condensed gases recirculated to the heating arrangement during pyrolysis of the carbon-containing material;
• (vii) controlling the amount of non-condensed gases recirculated to the heating arrangement to control the pressure in the heating arrangement to approximately atmospheric pressure ±7500 Pa;
• (viii) obtaining carbon-containing solids from the discharge arrangement;
• and
• (ix) separating metals from the carbon-containing solids.