Patent ID: 6623602
Filing Date: 2003-09-23
Classification: C10B,C10G,Y02P

Abstract:
A method for reclaiming volatile products and non-volatile residue through the pyrolysis of a volume of polymeric material in a reactor having an input chamber and a residue removal chamber affixed thereto, comprising:placing a first volume of polymeric material in the input chamber; evacuating the input chamber; establishing an initial oxygen deficient atmosphere in the reactor; transferring the first volume of polymeric material from the input chamber into the reactor; placing the first volume of polymeric material in the reactor between a first and a second surface; heating at least one of the first and the second surfaces; linearly moving at least one of the first and the second surfaces toward one another to simultaneously compress and heat the first volume of polymeric material to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the first volume of polymeric material to reduce the volume of the first volume of polymeric material and to produce volatile products and non-volatile residue; the continuing linear movement of at least one of the first and the second surfaces toward one another continuing to further compress and heat the reduced volume of the first volume of polymeric material to further reduce the reduced volume of the first volume of polymeric material and to produce additional volatile products and non-volatile residue until essentially all of the first volume of polymeric material is transformed into volatile products and non-volatile residue; linearly moving at least one of the first and the second surfaces away from one another for removing the non-volatile residue from the reactor; retaining a portion of the volatile products within the reactor for maintaining the oxygen deficient atmosphere in the reactor; removing a portion of the volatile products from the reactor; transferring the non-volatile products from the reactor into the residue removal chamber; placing a second volume of polymeric material in the input chamber; evacuating the input chamber; and transferring the second volume of polymeric material from the input chamber into the reactor thereby continuing the pyrolysis of a second volume of polymeric material.