Apparatus and method for disposal of hazardous waste material

Claim 1

In a waste disposal system for the combustion of waste material, having a rotary combustion unit with a charging end and a discharge end, with waste material charged to the combustion unit and subjected to combustion during passage therethrough, and with ash and hot combustion gases, containing residual solid waste constituents and uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents, discharged from the combustion unit, with ash deposited in a collection tank, the improvement wherein: a refractory lined filter housing encloses the discharge end of said combustion unit, said housing having a gas outlet wall at the upper end thereof and baffles on the interior surface thereof having downwardly sloping upper surfaces disposed between the discharge end of said combustion unit and a plurality of tubular ceramic elements; said plurality of tubular ceramic filter elements are disposed within the gas outlet wall of said housing and extend into said refractory lined filter housing having a catalytic material incorporated therein effective to decompose vaporous waste constituents present in said combustion gases such that hot combustion gases containing said residual solid waste constituents and said uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents are maintained at an elevated temperature within the filter housing for a period of time sufficient to affect combustion of the major portion of said residual vaporous waste constituents, and the hot combustion gases pass from said housing through the ceramic filters to affect removal of the remainder of said residual vaporous waste constituents and said residual solid waste constituents therefrom and to produce substantially uniformly high temperature resultant hot, waste-free gases; a jet pulse cleaning system to periodically discharge residual solid waste constituents from said ceramic filters; and a heat exchanger adjacent said filter housing into which said hot, waste-free gases are directed to recover heat values therefrom.

Claim 3

A method for the disposal of waste material by combustion wherein the waste material is subjected to combustion in a rotary combustion unit, with ash and hot combustion gases, containing residual solid waste constituents and uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents, produced comprising; discharging said hot combustion gases directly from the combustion unit into a refractory lined filter housing having a plurality of tubular ceramic filter elements disposed therein extending into said refractory lined filter housing having a catalytic material incorporated therein effective to decompose vaporous waste consituents present in said combustion gases; maintaining said hot combustion gases in said refractory lined filter housing, while directing said hot combustion gases along a tortuous path by baffles on the interior surfaces of said refractory lined filter housing between said discharge from the combustion unit and passage through said ceramic filters, for a period of time sufficient to affect combustion of the major portion of said uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents; passing said hot combustion gases, after combustion of the major portion of said vaporous waste constituents through said ceramic filters to remove the remainder of said residual vaporous waste constituents and said residual solid waste constituents therefrom and produce a substantially uniformly high temperature waste-free gas; periodically cleaning said ceramic filters using jet pulse cleaning to dislodge solids collected thereon into said filter housing; and recovering heat from said hot waste-free gas.

Claim 4

A method for the disposal of waste material by combustion wherein the waste material is subjected to combustion in a rotary combustion unit, with ash and hot combustion gases, containing residual solid waste constituents and uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents, produced comprising; discharging said hot combustion gases directly from the combustion unit into a refractory lined filter housing having a plurality of tubular ceramic filter elements disposed therein extending into said refractory lined filter housing having a catalytic material incorporated therein effective to decompose vaporous waste consituents present in said combustion gases; maintaining said hot combustion gases in said refractory lined filter housing, while directing said hot combustion gases along a tortuous path by baffles on the interior surfaces of said refractory lined filter housing between said discharge from the combustion unit and passage through said ceramic filters, for a period of time sufficient to affect combustion of the major portion of said uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents; passing said hot combustion gases, after combustion of the major portion of said vaporous waste constituents through said ceramic filters to remove the remainder of said residual vaporous waste constituents and said residual solid waste constituents therefrom and produce a substantially uniformly high temperature waste-free gas; periodically cleaning said ceramic filters using jet pulse cleaning to dislodge solids collected thereon into said filter housing; and recovering heat from said hot waste-free gas.

Claim 9

A method for the decontamination of soil contaminated with a toxic chemical waste by combustion comprising: charging said contaminated soil as a portion of a charge of combustible waste material to a rotary combustion unit; subjecting said charge to combustion within the combustion unit to decontaminate said soil by combustion of toxic chemical wastes therein; discharging ash, decontaminated soil, and hot combustion gases, containing residual solid waste constituents and uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents directly from the combustion unit into a refractory lined filter housing having a plurality of tubular ceramic filter elements therein extending into said refractory lined filter housing having a catalytic material incorporated therein effective to decompose vaporous waste constituents present in said combustion gases; maintaining said hot combustion gases in said refractory lined filter housing, while directing said hot combustion gases along a tortuous path by baffles on the interior surfaces of said refractory lined filter housing between said discharge from the combustion unit and passage through said ceramic filters, for a period of time sufficient to affect combustion of the major portion of said uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents; passing said hot combustion gases, after combustion of the major portion of said vaporous waste constituents through said ceramic filters to remove the remainder of said residual vaporous waste constituents and said residual solid waste constituents therefrom and produce a substantially uniformly high temperature waste-free gas; periodically cleaning said ceramic filters using jet pulse cleaning to dislodge solids collected thereon into said filter housing; and recovering heat from said hot waste-free gas.

Claim 10

A method for the decontamination of soil contaminated with a toxic chemical waste by combustion comprising: charging said contaminated soil as a portion of a charge of combustible waste material to a rotary combustion unit; subjecting said charge to combustion within the combustion unit to decontaminate said soil by combustion of toxic chemical wastes therein; discharging ash, decontaminated soil, and hot combustion gases, containing residual solid waste constituents and uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents directly from the combustion unit into a refractory lined filter housing having a plurality of tubular ceramic filter elements therein extending into said refractory lined filter housing having a catalytic material incorporated therein effective to decompose vaporous waste constituents present in said combustion gases; maintaining said hot combustion gases in said refractory lined filter housing, while directing said hot combustion gases along a tortuous path by baffles on the interior surfaces of said refractory lined filter housing between said discharge from the combustion unit and passage through said ceramic filters, for a period of time sufficient to affect combustion of the major portion of said uncombusted residual vaporous waste constituents; passing said hot combustion gases, after combustion of the major portion of said vaporous waste constituents through said ceramic filters to remove the remainder of said residual vaporous waste constituents and said residual solid waste constituents therefrom and produce a substantially uniformly high temperature waste-free gas; periodically cleaning said ceramic filters using jet pulse cleaning to dislodge solids collected thereon into said filter housing; and recovering heat from said hot waste-free gas.