Process for the treatment of contaminated metal residues and apparatus for implementing it

Process for the treatment of divided metal residues contaminated by one or more organic compounds, comprising:

• mixing, inside a chamber, of said metal residues with at least one calcium/magnesium compound capable of reacting exothermically with water;
• exothermic reaction of said at least one calcium/magnesium compound with water that the metal residues contain;
• rise in temperature of the metal residues subject to an exothermic reaction;
• dehydration of said metal residues during this exothermic reaction;
• oxidation of the organic compounds during said mixing, by bringing the metal residues contaminated by one or more organic compounds mixed with said at least one calcium/magnesium compound into contact with a gas stream containing at least partly oxygen;
• and
• removal from the chamber of a handleable dehydrated treated product having a residual content of organic compounds of less than 1% by weight of said treated product, the process being controlled so as to keep the temperature of the gas stream below 600° C.