US 5,634,414 AGranted

Process for plasma pyrolysis and vitrification of municipal waste

AssigneePlasma Technology, Inc.

InventorSalvador L. Camacho

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Abstract

Municipal or other solid waste is delivered in loose form to a processing facility where it is compacted into a supply chute adjacent the upper portion of a reactor. The compaction serves to remove most of the air and some of the water from the waste as well as to seal the reactor against air infiltration. The supply chute is equipped with a number of pusher units which are capable of pushing a portion of the compacted waste in the form of a block into the reactor. The blocks of compacted waste are deposited in the top of the reactor in response to a signal related to the height of waste in the reactor. A pivotally and extendible mounted plasma arc torch is employed as a heat source to pyrolyze organic waste components to generate desired by-product gases. Air and steam are added in controlled quantities to improve the operational efficiency and the by-product gas composition. Residual materials which do not pyrolyze are melted and cooled into a substantially inert vitrified mass.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A process for the pyrolysis and vitrification of mixed solid waste, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing an upright reactor for processing waste having:
(i) an inlet for receiving mixed solid waste through an upper wall portion of said reactor;
(ii) a plasma torch mounted in said reactor and providing when energized a source of heat within a lower portion of said reactor:
(iii) a first outlet for extracting fuel gas through an upper wall portion of said reactor;
and
(iv) a second outlet for extracting slag through a lower wall portion of said reactor:
(b) providing a supply of loose, uncompressed mixed solid waste;
(c) converting said loose, uncompressed solid waste into compressed blocks of municipal waste;
(d) transferring a selected number of said compressed solid waste blocks into said reactor through said inlet;
(e) energizing said plasma torch so as to create said heat source;
(f) maintaining said plasma torch operative for sufficient time to convert said blocks of solid waste within said reactor to a fuel gas and slag;
(g) extracting said fuel gas through said first outlet;
and
(h) extracting said slag through said second outlet.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/677,988Filed 10 Jul 1996 · division
Priority: 29 Aug 1995
Granted: 3 Jun 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

C03B 5/005
Melting in furnaces; Furnaces so far as specially adapted for glass manufacture: of glass-forming waste materials
C03B 5/025
In electric furnaces , e.g. by dielectric heating: by arc discharge or plasma heating
C10B 19/00
Heating of coke ovens by electrical means
C10B 53/00
Destructive distillation, specially adapted for particular solid raw materials or solid raw