Method and apparatus for recovering useful products from waste streams
AssigneeRostoker, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Rostoker, deceased, Gareth Rostoker, Julius J. Bonini, Gary W. Klimczak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Waste materials containing metal oxides and/or metals and their salts are converted to useful products. The waste materials are combined in such proportions that when heated, they form a composite that becomes molten and pourable at temperatures below about 1600.degree. C. Provision is also made for converting some of the metal oxides in the molten material to free metal which is then separated from the molten material. A modified cupola can be used to generate the temperature and reducing conditions suitable for carrying out the process.
Claims29
A method for recovering useful materials from solid streams comprising the steps of:
- (a) mixing a plurality of solid waste streams in such proportions that the amounts of the combined A, B and C components of the mixture are within the area enclosed by lines joining points, a, b, C, g and h in FIG. 1 and that they form a composite that becomes molten and pourable below about 1600.degree. C.;
- (b) heating the mixture obtained in step (a) to a temperature sufficient to cause fusion thereof to form a molten and purable solution of oxides;
- and
- (c) cooling said solution of oxides to form a stable solid, useful as a filler,
- wherein A is the sum of the percentages by weight of the sodium, potassium, calcium, barium, boron and phosphorus compounds in the mixture measured as their oxides, wherein B is the sum of the percentages by weight of the silicon and aluminum compounds in the mixture measured as their oxides, and wherein C is the sum of the percentages by weight of the iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc, lead, titanium, manganese, cadmium, vanadium, arsenic, magnesium, chromium, tin, tantalum, silver and zirconium compounds in the mixture measured as their oxides.
A method for processing a plurality of solid waste streams of variable composition comprising the steps of:
- (a) analyzing each solid waste stream to determine the amount of its A, B and C components;
- (b) mixing said solid waste streams in such proportions that the amounts of the combined A, B and C components of the mixture are within an area enclosed by lines joining points a, b, C, g and h in FIG. 1 and that they form a composite that becomes molten and pourable below about 1600.degree. C.;
- (c) heating the mixed streams from step (b) to produce a molten and pourable solution of oxides;
- and
- (d) solidifying the solution of oxides to form a stable solid, useful as a filler,
- wherein A is the sum of the percentages by weight of the sodium, potassium, calcium, barium, boron and phosphorus compounds in the mixture measured as their oxides, wherein B is the sum of the percentages by weight of the silicon and aluminum compounds in the mixture measured as their oxides, and wherein C is the sum of the percentages by weight of the iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc, lead, titanium, manganese, cadmium, vanadium, arsenic, magnesium, chromium, tin, tantalum, silver and zirconium compounds in the mixture measured as their oxides.
An apparatus for processing a plurality of waste streams of variable composition, said apparatus comprising:
- means for blending said waste streams in such proportions that the amounts of the combined A, B and C components of the blended waste stream are within the area enclosed by lines joining points a, b, C, g and h in FIG. 1;
- means for pelletizing said blended waste stream to give a pelletized waste stream;
- means for conveying said pelletized waste stream to a furnace;
- furnace means for heating said pelletized waste stream to a temperature sufficient to melt said pelletized waste stream to convert it to a molten and pourable material;
- and
- means for conveying said molten and pourable material from said furnace means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.