Treating waste materials to produce usable gases

The process of converting solid waste into useful fluids while preventing substantial air and water pollution which comprises the steps of:

• a. maintaining a retort, constituting part of a closed system, partly filled with shredded solid waste by charging such waste into the retort through an opening in the upper part thereof while preventing escape of gases through said opening,
• b. partially oxidizing and combusting said shredded solid waste in a combustion zone in the lower part of the retort and adjusting the heating value and composition of the resulting gases by controlling the temperature in said zone and by varying the volume and temperature of fuel and oxygen brought into said zone,
• c. volatilizing and distilling moisture and fluids on and in the shredded solid waste by conducting said gases from said zone up through and in intimate contact with said shredded solid waste thereabove,
• d. withdrawing from the upper part of the retort mixed gases including the gases resulting from the said oxidizing and combusting of said shredded solid waste and the volatilized and distilled moisture and fluids of the shredded waste,
• e. compressing gases withdrawn from said retort to about 50 psig and cooling them to an ambient temperature of about 20.degree.C.,
• f. passing the thus compressed and cooled gases through a chamber in intimate contact with heat absorbing means and separating them into their condensable and non-condensable components, and
• g. separating and removing the non-condensable component and revaporizing the condensed component.