Waste treatment process and apparatus

• Main Authors: SAEED ISMAIL, CHRIS DAVID CHAPMAN, DAVID OVENS, DAVID DEEGAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 12.11.2008
• Subjects: AIR; BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES; CONSUMING WASTE PRODUCTS BY COMBUSTION; CREMATION FURNACES; DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF CARBONAGEOUS MATERIALS FORPRODUCTION OF GAS, COKE, TAR, OR SIMILAR MATERIALS; DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; FUELS; HEATING; LIGHTING; LUBRICANTS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; METHODSOR APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION USING FLUID FUELOR SOLID FUEL SUSPENDED IN; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINED SOIL SOIL; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

A process for the treatment of waste, the process comprising: (i) either: (a) a gasification step comprising treating the waste in a gasification unit (1) in the presence of oxygen and steam to produce an offgas and a non-airborne, solid char material; or (b) a pyrolysis step comprising treating the waste in a pyrolysis unit to produce an offgas and a non-airborne, solid char material; and (ii) a plasma treatment step comprising subjecting the offgas and the non-airborne, solid char material to plasma treatment in the presence of oxygen and, optionally, steam, wherein the plasma treatment is conducted in two plasma treatment units (4) to separately treat the offgas and the non-airborne, solid char material, and wherein the plasma treatment units (4) are separate from the gasification unit (1) or the pyrolysis unit.