# US 9,045,337 B2 · Waste material, coal, used tires and biomass conversion to alternative energy and synthetic fuels solutions system with carbon capture and liquefaction

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- Number: US 9,045,337 B2
- Document ID: US9045337B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/169,326
- Filed: 2011-06-27
- Published: 2012-02-09
- Granted: 2015-06-02
- Earliest claimed: 2010-08-09
- Applicants: Lai O. Kuku
- Inventors: Lai O. Kuku
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9045337B2

## CPC

- C01B 3/52: by contacting with liquids; Regeneration of used liquids
- C01B 3/342: {with the aid of electrical means, electromagnetic or mechanical vibrations, or particle radiations}
- C01B 3/48: followed by reaction of water vapour with carbon monoxide
- C01B 3/56: by contacting with solids; Regeneration of used solids
- C10K 1/003: {of acid contaminants, e.g. acid gas removal}
- C10K 1/007: {of metal compounds}
- C10K 1/10: with aqueous liquids {(alkaline reacting aqueous liquids C10K1/12)}
- C10K 1/205: {Methods and apparatus for treating the purifying masses without their regeneration (recovering of sulfur C01B17/00; recovering of cyanide compounds C01C3/00)}
- C10K 3/04: reducing the carbon monoxide content {, e.g. water-gas shift [WGS]}
- C01B 2203/0283: containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step
- C01B 2203/0415: Purification by absorption in liquids
- C01B 2203/047: the impurity being carbon monoxide
- C01B 2203/0475: the impurity being carbon dioxide
- C01B 2203/048: the impurity being an organic compound
- C01B 2203/0485: the impurity being a sulfur compound
- C10J 2300/093: Coal
- C10J 2300/0943: Coke
- C10J 2300/0946: Waste, e.g. MSW, tires, glass, tar sand, peat, paper, lignite, oil shale
- C10J 2300/1238: by plasma
- C10J 2300/1606: Combustion processes
- C10J 2300/1612: CO2-separation and sequestration, i.e. long time storage
- C10J 2300/165: integrated with a gas turbine or gas motor
- C10J 2300/1659: to liquid hydrocarbons
- C10J 2300/1671: with the production of electricity
- C10J 2300/1678: with air separation
- C10J 2300/1684: with electrolysis of water
- Y02E 20/16: Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
- Y02E 20/18: Integrated gasification combined cycle [IGCC], e.g. combined with carbon capture and storage [CCS]
- Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
- Y02E 50/30: Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
- Y02P 20/133: Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
- Y02P 20/145: the feedstock being materials of biological origin
- Y02P 30/00: Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry
- Y02P 80/20: using renewable energy
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- C10K: PURIFYING OR MODIFYING THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE
- C10J: PRODUCTION OF PRODUCER GAS, WATER-GAS, SYNTHESIS GAS FROM SOLID CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL, OR MIXTURES CONTAINING THESE GASES (synthesis gas from liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons C01B; underground gasification of minerals E21B43/295); CARBURETTING AIR OR OTHER GASES
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

The system contained within this application for non-provisional patent protection provides the ability to convert municipal solid waste materials, used tires, various biomass including wood chips and other agricultural waste, and the addition of coal into synthesis gas (syngas), with oxygen as plasma gas. The system will accommodate the possibility for variation in feedstock co-gasification of the various materials with plasma torches that will be embedded in a plasma gasification unit. One converted into synthesis gas (syngas), the syngas will be cleaned of acid gases and carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide will be captured and converted for various industrial applications instead of being released into the atmosphere. Clean syngas generated by the system will become the gas fuel for various energy solutions including clean electricity, as substitute for natural gas, and ultra clean FT synthetic fuels.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for producing clean syngas from exhaust gas being emitted from a power plant that uses a variety of feedstock materials, comprising the process steps of:
providing a gasification vessel using various plasma torches oriented at various positions within the gasification vessel to produces temperature therein up to generally 8000 degrees centigrade;
directing the feedstock materials into the gasification vessel where the intense heat therein gasifies the feedstock materials to produce a synthesis gas (hereafter called syngas) containing hydrogen, carbon monoxide, water and nitrogen with carbon dioxide, traces amounts of hydrochloric acid and other acids while vaporing other undesirable elements;
cooling the syngas as it exits the gasification vessel;
directing the cooled syngas to one of an electrolysis process and a water-shift process to enrich the hydrogen content of the syngas to achieve a predetermined ratio between the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide to a lever of 0.6 or higher;
directing the syngas through sequential steps to clean the syngas of various acids and unwanted particulate matter:
step 1; passing the syngas through pack bed wet scrubbers containing a sodium hydroxide solution;
step 2; passing the syngas through an absorber vessel used for gas purification to control hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide; and
step 3; passing the syngas through dry scrubbers with sorbent injectors that introduce one of limestone and hydrated lime into the syngas to control any traces of sulfur and nitrogen oxides;
directing the syngas from step 3 through a Rectisol wash containing cold methanol to dissolve any trace of methane and separate carbon dioxide from the syngas;
capturing the carbon dioxide gas from the exhaust gas;
converting the carbon dioxide gas to a liquid by cooling and pressurizing the captured carbon dioxide gas to a respective predetermined temperature and a predetermined pressure level;
storing the liquefied captured carbon dioxide in storage tanks at the predetermined pressure and temperature levels; and
directing the clean syngas that contains proportional amounts of hydrogen and carbon monoxide to other processes for renewable energy solutions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a gasification vessel a source of oxygen is added to the gasification vessel to enhance the combustion therein.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the feedstock may contain one or more of municipal solid waste, coal, biomass, pet coke, and used tires.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein, in the step of directing the cooled syngas the ratio of the hydrogen to the carbon monoxide is preferably greater than one.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4 wherein, the cooled syngas is directed through the water-shift process.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4 wherein, the cooled syngas is directed through the electrolysis process.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein, in the step of directing the syngas through sequential steps, in step 3 thereof limestone is injected through the sorbent injectors.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein, in the step of directing the syngas through a Rectisol wash the separated carbon dioxide gas is compressed to convert the gas to a liquid, stored under pressure and commercially sold.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein, in the step of directing the clean syngas, the clean syngas is directed to one or more of Fisher-Tropsch Reactor for making fuel, a combustion chamber and turbine for producing electricity, and a substitute for natural gas.