Claims
- 1. A process for treating feedstock materials to remove contaminants therefrom and to produce a volumetrically reduced, stabilized disposable solid product and/or commercially valuable solid, liquid or gaseous byproducts, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) thermally treating said feedstock and oxidizing organic contaminants present in a rotary kiln, and outputting solids, liquids and gases;
- (b) vitrifying, refining and separating solids exiting said rotary kiln and outputting said stabilized products and gases;
- (c) reacting gases from steps (a) and (b) in a gaseous thermal treat and outputting gases; and,
- (d) treating said gases from said step (c) by removing particulate contaminants therefrom and selectively recycling said contaminants to said step (a), (b) or (c).
- 2. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said step 1 (d) comprises the treatment steps of:
- (a) subcooling said gases from said step (1) (d) to remove dirty water therefrom;
- (b) passing said subcooled gases from step (a) through an absorption unit to separate carbon dioxide from said recycled contaminants; and,
- (c) passing said recycled contaminants from step (b) through a membrane separation system to remove remaining by-product gases from said recycled contaminants.
- 3. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein said step 2 (b) comprises the further steps of:
- (a) passing said subcooled gases from step (2) (b) through an absorber operatively coupled to at least one stripper to separate carbon dioxide from said recycled contaminants;
- (b) passing said separated carbon dioxide from step (a) through a dense phase membrane to separate industrial grade carbon dioxide from said contaminants; and,
- (c) storing and testing said industrial grade carbon dioxide from step (b).
- 4. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein said step 2 (a) comprises the further step of passing said dirty water through a porous membrane for separating water from said recycled contaminants.
- 5. The process as defined in claim 2 wherein said membrane separation system comprises a first and second dense phase membrane separation units.
- 6. The process as defined in claim 1 wherein said step 1 (a) comprises the steps of:
- passing said feedstocks internally through a generally cylindrical combustion chamber;
- rotating said kiln about a longitudinal axis;
- thermally treating feedstock tumbling through said chamber with a multiple purpose manifold supported within said treatment chamber substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, said manifold establishing a plurality of separate, independently operable and longitudinally successive treatment zones for independently inserting admixtures, coolants, recycled flue gases, fuels and oxidants for establishing separate and distinct thermal operating parameters;
- fueling said manifold within said plurality of longitudinally successive treatment zones;
- delivering oxidizer to said manifold within said plurality of longitudinally successive treatment zones; and,
- independently establishing ignition within said zones to activate said rotary kiln.
- 7. The process as defined in claim 6 including the step of pivoting the multiple purpose manifold about an axis of rotation, and spacing said axis of rotation a selected distance away from said longitudinal axis.
- 8. The process as defined in claim 7 including the step of providing each of said treatment zones with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart burners for achieving said thermal parameters, each of said plurality burners defining a plurality of independent, spaced apart tips.
- 9. The process as defined in claim 6 including the steps of:
- positioning said multiple purpose manifold a selected distance away from said longitudinal axis of said treatment chamber and above said feedstocks to be thermally treated; and,
- directing flame or gases produced by said ignition step substantially perpendicularly away from said multiple purpose manifold and substantially tangential with respect to said cylindrical wall, thereby creating a selected swirling or non-random helical-like gas stream within said treatment chamber.
- 10. The process as defined in claim 9 including the step of pivoting said multiple purpose manifold about an axis of rotation spaced a selected distance away from said longitudinal axis.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of my prior patent application Ser. No. 08/435,572, filed May 5, 1995, entitled: APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CHEMICAL TREATMENT WITHOUT TOXIC EMISSIONS.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
435572 |
May 1995 |
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