Method for recovering carbon black from a waste rubber such as tires and the like and apparatus therefor

A method for recovering carbon black from waste rubber comprising the steps of:

• providing a gasification furnace having a lower gasification section and an upper pyrolysis section separated via a distribution plate;
• supplying waste rubber to said upper pyrolysis section;
• decomposing and fluidizing said waste rubber into a pyrolysis gas consisting essentially of aromatic hydrocarbon and carbonaceous material comprising carbon black while forming a fluidized bed above said distribution plate;
• producing a gasification gas in said lower gasification section and supplying said gasification gas to said upper pyrolysis section through said distribution plate, said gasification gas providing heat to said upper pyrolysis section for said decomposition and fluidization of said waste rubber;
• discharging a mixture of gas consisting essentially of the pyrolysis gas and the gasification gas from said gasification furnace and transporting said mixture of gas to a separating means;
• separating out solid phase carbonaceous material comprising carbon black from said mixture of gas in said separating means;
• supplying the separated portion of carbonaceous material to said lower gasification section;
• gasifying said separated portion of carbonaceous material in said lower gasification section by supplying an oxygen containing gas and steam to generate said gasification gas consisting essentially of CO and H.sub.2 ;
• introducing said pyrolysis gas and gasification gas remaining, after solid phase carbonaceous material has been separated out by the separating means, to a vapor phase carbon deposition section;
• burning off said gasification gas so that dehydrogenation and partial burning of the pyrolysis gas are effected;
• and
• cooling and collecting deposited vapor phase carbon to recover carbon black;
• wherein about 20-30% of the carbon black present in the waste rubber is recovered.