Process and plant for conversion of waste material to liquid fuel

A process for the conversion of waste plastic materials into diesel fuels including the steps of:

• a) delivering the comminuted waste plastic material to a hot-melt in-feed system to form a molten material;
• b) transferring the molten waste plastic material through the hot-melt in-feed system to one or more pyrolysis chambers to partially fill the said one or more pyrolysis chambers with the molten waste plastic material;
• c) further heating the molten waste plastic material in the one or more pyrolysis chambers to a temperature in the range of 390° C. to 410° C. to effect pyrolysis of material into a gaseous state in a substantially oxygen purged and pressure controlled environment;
• d) continuously agitating the molten waste material in the one or more pyrolysis chambers with a rotating agitator within the pyrolysis chamber during the heating to effect the pyrolysis so as to promote uniform heating in the molten waste material;
• e) continuously mechanically dislodging char from internal upright side walls of the pyrolysis chamber during the pyrolysis process by use of the agitator;
• f) continuously transferring the molten material by the hot-melt in-feed system into the one or more pyrolysis chambers as the pyrolysis therein generates gases;
• g) continuously transferring the gaseous material from the pyrolysis to a catalytic converter means wherein the molecular structure of the gaseous material is altered;
• and
• h) transferring gases from the catalytic converter means to condenser means to cool and separate the gaseous material into fractions to form a majority by weight diesel fuel.

A plant for the conversion of plastic materials into diesel fuels, said plant including:

• a) comminuting means for breaking said plastic material into particulate matter;
• b) a hot-melt in-feed system for receiving and melting said particulate plastic material to form a molten plastic material and for transferring the molten plastic material therethrough;
• c) a pyrolysis chamber for receiving the molten plastic material from said hot-melt in-feed system until said pyrolysis chamber is partially filled with the molten plastic material, said pyrolysis chamber operative to:
• i) seal the chamber from the environment and to purge air-borne oxidants from said pyrolysis chamber by the introduction of a non-oxidising gas;
• and
• ii) further heat said molten plastic material to a temperature in the range of 390° C. to 410° C. to effect pyrolysis of said plastic material into a gaseous state in a substantially air-borne oxidant-free and pressure-controlled environment;
• iii) continuously agitate the molten plastic material in the pyrolysis chamber with a rotating agitator within the pyrolysis chamber during the heating to effect the pyrolysis so as to promote uniform heating in the molten plastic material, the agitator within the pyrolysis chamber being further operative to continuously mechanically dislodge char from internal upright side walls of the pyrolysis chamber during the pyrolysis process;
• iv) continuously receive the molten plastic material fed thereto by the hot-melt in-feed system as the pyrolysis therein generates gases;
• d) catalytic converter means operative to continuously receive and crack said gaseous material whereby the molecular structure of said gaseous material is altered;
• and
• e) condenser means operative to receive, cool and separate said cracked gaseous material into fractions to form a majority by weight diesel fuel.

A process for the thermocatalytic conversion of waste organic materials into reusable fuels, comprising the steps of:

• a) delivering waste material to a hot-melt in-feed system to melt the waste material and form a molten material and feeding the molten material into a pyrolysis chamber by the hot-melt in-feed system to partially fill the pyrolysis chamber with the molten material to a liquid level;
• b) further heating said molten waste material in the pyrolysis chamber to a temperature in the range of 390° C. to 410° C. to effect pyrolysis of said material into a gaseous state in a substantially oxygen purged and pressure controlled environment;
• c) continuously agitating the molten waste material in the pyrolysis chamber with a rotating action during the heating to effect the pyrolysis so as to promote uniform heating in the molten waste material;
• d) continuously feeding the molten material by the hot-melt in-feed system into the pyrolysis chamber as the pyrolysis therein generates gases;
• e) continuously transferring gases resulting from the pyrolysis to a catalytic converter means wherein the molecular structure of the gaseous material is altered;
• f) transferring gases from the catalytic converter means to one or more condenser means to distil and cool gases into fractions for recovery as reusable fuels;
• and
• g) continuously mechanically dislodging char from internal upright side walls of the pyrolysis chamber during the pyrolysis process by use of an agitator, wherein said agitator has one or more blades adapted to continuously remove char from the pyrolysis chamber wall surface during the pyrolysis process, the one or more blades having edges providing a close tolerance between the pyrolysis chamber wall surface and the respective blade.