Patent US4794871A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4794871A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method and installation for the treatment of material contaminated with toxic organic compounds

Assignee: Environment Protection Engineers Inc
•
Filing: 1988-03-18
•
Granted: 1989-01-03
•
Expires: 2008-03-18
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract Method and installation or apparatus for the treatment of material contaminated with toxic organic compounds in which the material is subjected to a thermal treatment to destroy or decompose the toxic compounds, the thermal treatment being carried out in two stages, i.e. a first stage in which the contaminated material is heated to a temperature of not more than 500° C. under pyrolysis conditions in an indirectly heated rotary furnace, and a second stage in which the solid residue remaining in the first stage is heated in a second furnace to a temperature of at least 500° C. until the concentration of toxic organic compounds in the residue is in the ppb range and preferably 1 ppb or less, and in which the gaseous reaction products of the first and second stages are supplied to a combustion chamber and there burnt at a temperature which is sufficient to completely destroy all the toxic organic compounds contained therein.

Inventors

  • 👤 Rudiger Schmidt
  • 👤 Kurt Kugler

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 08:20
CPC Classifications
C; C10; C10B; C10B57/00; C10B57/02; C10B53/00; F; F23; F23G; F23G5/00; F23G5/02; F23G5/027; F23G5/0273; F23G2203/00; F23G2203/60; F23G2203/601

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim 169 words
Method for the thermal treatment of earth, rock, water, waste materials, waste waters, sludges, and mixtures thereof contaminated with polychlorobiphenylenes, dioxines, tetrachlorobenzodioxin, furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof, wherein the thermal treatment of the contaminated material is conducted in two stages, comprising the steps of heating said contaminated material in a first stage in an indirectly heated rotary drum reactor with substantial exclusion of oxygen to a temperature of not more than 500° C. and simultaneously drying said material, and in a second stage separately heating solid residue remaining after the treatment of the material in the first stage to a temperature of at least 500° C. until the concentration of toxic organic compounds in the residue has reached a value in the parts per billion range, and delivering gaseous reaction products both of the first and of the second stages to a combustion chamber and burning said gaseous reaction products in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to completely destroy all toxic organic compounds contained therein.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 169 words
Method for the thermal treatment of earth, rock, water, waste materials, waste waters, sludges, and mixtures thereof contaminated with polychlorobiphenylenes, dioxines, tetrachlorobenzodioxin, furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof, wherein the thermal treatment of the contaminated material is conducted in two stages, comprising the steps of heating said contaminated material in a first stage in an indirectly heated rotary drum reactor with substantial exclusion of oxygen to a temperature of not more than 500° C. and simultaneously drying said material, and in a second stage separately heating solid residue remaining after the treatment of the material in the first stage to a temperature of at least 500° C. until the concentration of toxic organic compounds in the residue has reached a value in the parts per billion range, and delivering gaseous reaction products both of the first and of the second stages to a combustion chamber and burning said gaseous reaction products in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a temperature sufficient to completely destroy all toxic organic compounds contained therein.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 24 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein the contaminated material is heated in the first stage to a temperature of between 200° to 500° C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 26 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein the second stage of the thermal treatment is carried out in an indirectly heated rotary drum reactor under pyrolysis conditions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 32 words
Method according to claim 3, wherein the solid residue is heated in the second stage to a temperature of at least 600° C., preferably to a temperature between 700° and 850° C.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein the second stage of the thermal treatment comprises a burning of the solid residue originating from the first stage.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 20 words
Method according to claim 5, wherein the burning of the solid residue is carried out in a directly heated furnace.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 27 words
Method according to claim 6 wherein the burning of the solid residue is carried out in a directly heated rotary drum reactor or a fluidized bed furnace.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 23 words
Method according to claim 6 wherein the solid residue is heated in said second stage to a temperature of at least 900° C.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 29 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein said rotary furnace used in the first stage is indirectly heated by means of flue gases obtained by burning said gaseous reacting products.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 22 words
Method according to claim 1, wherein the contaminated material is subjected prior to the thermal treatment to a mechanical and/or chemical pretreatment.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 41 words
Method according to claim 10, wherein the mechanical pretreatment is effected by comminuting, sorting and/or classifying the material and wherein the chemical pretreatment is effected by adding basic or acidic substances which serve as means for adjusting a desired pH value.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3627289A Cited
US3848548A Cited
US4245571A Cited
US4153411A Cited
US4232614A Cited
US4232614B1 Cited
US4274342A Cited
US4395958A Cited
US4541346A Cited
US4517906A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1992-01-03 1992-07-04 1993-01-03 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1996-01-03 1996-07-04 1997-01-03 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2000-01-03 2000-07-04 2001-01-03 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag