Process for decomposition of sulfuric acid waste materials

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE DECOMPOSITION OF SULFURIC ACID WASTE MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES, (A) FEEDING SULFURIC ACID WASTE MATERIAL INTO AN ENLARGED REACTION ZONE, THE ACID WASTE MATERIAL HAVING A MOLE RATIO OF AVAILABLE HYDROGEN TO SULFURIC ACID EQUIVALENT WITHIN THE RANGE OF AT LEAST 1:1 TO ABOUT 6:1, (B) SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID ZONE A RECYCLED STREAM OF HEAT TRANSFER OIL NONREACTIVE TO THE ACID WASTE INCLUDING THE SULFURIC ACID CONTENT, (C) REGULATING THE HEAT TRANSFER OIL TO ACID WASTE IN SAID ZONE IN THE RATIO OF AT LEAST 3:1 BY WEIGHT, (D) INTRODUCING INTO THE REACTION ZONE RECYCLED SUSPENDED CARBONACEOUS PARTICLES SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE CONCENTRATION OF CARBONACEOUS PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE WITHIN THE RANGE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 6% BUT LESS THAN ABOUT 35% BY WEIGHT OF THE HEAT TRANSFER OIL, (E) SAID TRANSFER OIL BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE BODY OF ACID WASTE AND TRANSFER OIL WITHIN SAID ZONE AT A DECOMPOSITION TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 300-550*F., (F) MAINTAINING SAID BODY OF ACID WASTE AND TRANSFER OIL IN THE REACTION ZONE FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 3-60 MINUTES TO DECOMPOSE SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE SULFURIC AND SULFONIC ACID CONTENT OF THE ACID WASTE BY REDUCTION WITH THE HYDROGEN CONTENT OF THE ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS OF THE WASTE WHILE CONVERTING SAID ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS TO SOLID CARBONACEOUS PARTICLES AND AGGLOMERATING PARTICLES IN THE REACTION ZONE TO FORM LARGER PARTICLES, (G) RELEASING FROM THE REACTION ZONE A GASEOUS STREAM OF SULFUR DIOXIDE AND WATER VAPOR PRODUCED BY THE DECOMPOSITION, (H) WITHDRAWING FROM THE REACTION ZONE A LIQUID PRODUCT STREAM COMPOSED OF NON-REACTIVE TRANSFER OIL AND SUSPENDED CARBONACEOUS PARTICLES, (I) SEPARATING A PORTION OF LARGER CARBONACEOUS PARTICLES ABOVE 150 MESH FROM SAID LIQUID PRODUCT STREAM, (J) REHEATING THE STREAM OF TRANSFER OIL CONTAINING UNSEPARATED PARTICLES OF SMALLER SIZE, AND (K) RETURNING SAID REHEATED STREAM OF NON-REACTIVE HEAT TRANSFER OIL CONTAINING CARBONACEOUS PARTICLES TO THE REACTION ZONE.