Apparatus for recovering materials from waste tires
AssigneeClean Technologies International Corporation
InventorAnthony S. Wagner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A waste tire processing apparatus (10) reacts waste tires (26) with a molten reactant metal (19) to recover primarily carbon and stainless steel. The apparatus (10) includes a tire positioning arrangement (20) for positioning the waste tires (26) in the molten reactant metal (19) for a reaction period. After the reaction period, the tire positioning arrangement (20) removes from the molten metal non-reacted solids remaining after the reaction. The non-reacted solids comprise primarily stainless-steel included in the waste tires. As the waste tires (26) are reacted in the molten reactant metal (19), a gas recovery arrangement (14) collects process gases released from the molten metal. The gas recovery arrangement (14) recovers primarily carbon, metal salts, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
Claims11
An apparatus for recovering materials from waste tires, the apparatus including:
- (a) a reactor vessel for containing a molten reactant metal;
- (b) a heater for heating the reactant metal to a molten state and maintaining the reactant metal in the molten state;
- (c) a tire carrier for carrying at least one waste tire;
- (d) a carrier lift structure for positioning the tire carrier alternatively in a loading position removed from the molten reactant metal and a reaction position in which the carrier is submerged within the molten reactant metal;
- (e) a tire contactor member adapted to reside in a first position above the surface of the reactant metal and a second position below the surface of the reactant metal, the contactor member in the second position extending across an area directly above the tire carrier in the reaction position so as to press each waste tire carried on the tire carrier into the molten reactant metal;
- (f) a contactor actuator for moving the tire contactor member between the first position and the second position;
- and
- (g) a gas recovery arrangement for collecting process gases released as each waste tire reacts with the molten reactant metal.
An apparatus for recovering materials from waste tires, the apparatus including:
- (a) a reactor vessel containing a molten reactant metal at a reaction temperature no less than approximately 850 degrees Celsius, the reactant metal including predominantly aluminum;
- (b) a heater for heating the reactant metal to the reaction temperature and maintaining the reactant metal at the reaction temperature;
- (c) a tire carrier for carrying at least one waste tire;
- (d) a carrier lift structure for positioning the tire carrier alternatively in a loading position removed from the molten reactant metal and a reaction position in which the tire carrier is submerged within the molten reactant metal;
- (e) a tire contactor member adapted to reside in a first position above the surface of the reactant metal and a second position below the surface of the reactant metal, the contactor member in the second position extending across an area directly above the tire carrier in the reaction position so as to press each waste tire carried on the tire carrier into the molten reactant metal;
- (f) a contactor actuator for moving the tire contactor member between the first position and the second position;
- and
- (g) a gas recovery arrangement for collecting process gases released as each waste tire reacts with the reactant metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.