Process for recycling waste mineral material
AssigneeRockwool A/S
InventorsLars Elmekilde Hansen, Anders Williams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a mineral melt in a cupola furnace that comprises a plasma torch that heats mineral material and waste or recycled mineral material to form the melt, wherein the waste or recycled mineral 5 material is introduced into the furnace through a waste inlet located in the side wall of the furnace hot zone.
Claims20
A method for preparing a mineral melt in a cupola furnace, wherein the mineral melt is for formation of mineral wool, the cupola furnace comprising (i) a hot zone at a base of the cupola furnace, (ii) a melt outlet in the hot zone, (iii) at least one plasma torch that provides plasma heating to the hot zone, by way of a plasma jet that defines a cavity that is substantially void of solid material within the hot zone, and (iv) a waste inlet located in a side wall of the hot zone, and is configured to deliver waste mineral material to the cavity defined by the plasma jet, the method comprising:
- supplying mineral material and the waste mineral material to the cupola furnace via the waste inlet;
- and
- causing the mineral material and the waste mineral material to melt in the cupola furnace to form the mineral melt.
A method for manufacturing man-made vitreous fibres fibers (MMVF) comprising:
- forming a mineral melt by supplying mineral material and waste mineral material to a furnace via a waste inlet;
- fiberizing the mineral melt via an internal or external spinning process;
- and
- (iii) collecting formed fibres fibers.
A cupola furnace for preparation of a mineral melt, the cupola furnace comprising:
- a base;
- a hot zone at the base;
- a melt outlet in the hot zone;
- at least one plasma torch that provides plasma heating to the hot zone by way of a plasma jet that defines a cavity that is substantially void of solid material within the hot zone;
- and
- a waste inlet located in a side wall of a furnace hot zone, the waste inlet configured to deliver waste mineral material to the cavity defined by the plasma jet,
- wherein mineral material and the waste mineral material supplied to the cupola furnace via the waste inlet is melted to form the mineral melt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.