US 7,513,371 B2Granted

System for controlling the level of potential pollutants in a waste treatment plant

AssigneeE.E.R. Environmental Energy Resources (Israel) Ltd.

InventorsValeri G. Gnedenko, Igor V. Goryachev, Sergei A. Dmitriev, David Pegaz

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Abstract

The invention is an apparatus and method for on-line sorting of waste matter, at the entrance to a waste processing plant, according to the level of specific chemicals, typically chlorine detected therein. The apparatus comprises a waste matter inlet that provides waste matter to a weighing module, preferably until a preset limit is reached. Then, this control volume of waste is introduced into a pulsed neutron material analyzer that is optimized for the determination of the content of the specific chemical in the control volume. A control means such as a computer then decides whether the level of the chemical in the waste control volume is above or below a preset threshold, and accordingly channels the waste into one or another of two channels. One of these channels accepts waste with low content of the given chemical, for introduction into the waste processing chamber. The other channel stores the waste until, for example, it may be mixed with other waste having a sufficient low content such that the overall amount of the chemical is still below the threshold value.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for the on-line sorting of waste according to its chemical composition and directing said waste into one of two or more channels according to predetermined criterion prior to the introduction of said waste into a waste processing plant or apparatus, wherein said apparatus comprises:

a loading unit, adapted to accept said waste from one or more external sources;
a weighing unit, adapted for accepting said waste from said loading unit in batches and determining the weight of each of said batches;
a detector module, adapted for accepting one of said batches from said weighing unit and determining the presence and amount of one or more specified chemical elements in said batch;
a diverter gate, adapted to accept said batch of material from said detector module and to direct said batch into one of said two or more channels;
and
a controller, adapted to control the activation and the timing of the activation of the elements of said apparatus and to perform calculations and store data necessary for the operation of said apparatus;
characterized in that:
said waste is not presorted prior to entering said loading unit;
said detector module comprises elements for performing a neutron activation analysis technique to determine the presence and amount of said one or more specified chemical elements in said batch;
that the results of said determination is used to decide into which of said channels said batch is to be directed;
and said predetermined criteria, is whether the amount of said specified chemical is less than or greater than a predetermined threshold value;
wherein said detector module comprises:
a neutron moderator casing, made from a suitable hydrogenous material, said casing having an upper and a lower opening that can be selectively opened or sealed by doors;
an inner chamber whose shape and dimensions are defined by the inner walls of said casing and said upper and lower openings;
a suitable neutron generator for emitting neutrons to irradiate a batch of waste in said inner chamber;
and
a suitable spectrometric gamma detector for detecting gamma quanta;
wherein, said emitted neutrons interact with different nuclei within said material thus producing excited nuclei, said excited nuclei decay emitting gamma quanta of different energies that are characteristic of said nuclei, and said detector detects said gamma quanta emitted by said nuclei and measures their intensity as a function of their energy.

15 more elements

A system for processing waste, said system comprising apparatus for the on-line sorting of waste according to its chemical composition and directing said waste into one of two or more channels according to predetermined criterion prior to the introduction of said waste into a waste processing plant or apparatus, wherein said apparatus comprises:

a loading unit, adapted to accept said waste from one or more external sources;
a weighing unit, adopted for accepting said waste from said loading unit in batches and determining the weight of each of said batches;
a detector module, adapted for accepting one of said batches from said weighing unit and determining he presence and amount of one of more specified chemical elements in said batch;
diverter gate, adapted to accept said batch of material from said detector module and to direct said batch into one of said two or more channels:
and
a controller, adapted to control the activation and the timing of the activation of the elements of said apparatus and to perform calculations and store data necessary for the operation of said apparatus;
wherein:
said waste is not presorted prior to entering said loading unit;
said detector module comprises elements for performing a neutron activation analysis technique to determine the presence and amount of said one or more specified chemical elements in sad batch;
that the results of said determination is used to decide into which of said channels said batch is to be directed;
and said predetermined criteria, is whether the amount of said specified chemical less than or greater than a predetermined threshold value, said system further comprising:
a waste processing plant or apparatus;
a waste receiving bin into which waste from a plurality of sources is initially dumped, awaiting transport to said sorting apparatus and eventual processing by a waste processing plant or apparatus;
and
a suitable transport system for transporting waste from said bin to said sorting apparatus and from said sorting apparatus to said waste processing plant or apparatus or to some other location;
wherein said sorting apparatus has three functions:
the first function being to divide said waste into substantially equal-volume batches, the second function being to measure the mount of chlorine present in each of said batches of the third function being to feed each of said batches of waste into one of two channels according to said measured mount of chlorine and use of said system insures that the amount of chlorine containing compounds introduced into said plant or apparatus for the conversion of waste does not exceed a predetermined value,
wherein the waste processing plant or apparatus process the waste by using a thermal treatment process.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/593,869Filed 17 Mar 2005
Priority: IL 16101122 Mar 2004
Published: US 2008/0006562 A110 Jan 2008
Granted: 7 Apr 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

B29B 17/02
Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics: separating plastics from other materials
B03B 9/06
General arrangement of separating plant, e.g. flow sheets: specially adapted for refuse
B03B 13/06
Control arrangements specially adapted for wet-separating apparatus or for dressing plant, using physical effects: using absorption or reflection…
B07C 5/346
Sorting according to other particular properties: according to radioactive properties