Method for waste treatment

A method for treating hazardous waste contained in barrels (1), in which method the barrels (1) are cut up and/or crushed in a shearing device (9) so that the created waste mass can be pumped into a kiln furnace (4) by means of a paste pump.

The present invention relates to a method for treating waste, particularly 
the so-called hazardous waste. More particularly, the invention relates to 
the treatment of waste contained in bulk receptacles such as barrels and 
other such waste containers. The waste contained in barrels is transported 
in a charging conveyor. The desired amount of waste is measured by 
employing for example a balance, and the waste is burned in a suitable 
furnace, for instance a kiln furnace. 
In the prior art methods for treating waste, the procedure may be for 
example as follows. The barrels containing waste are transported, by means 
of a conveyor or equivalent, to an opening checkpoint. Here each vessel is 
opened, and the contents are examined at least ocularly. Hazardous waste 
may contain easily evaporated, harmful liquids and/or gases, and therefore 
the vessels are generally covered by a plastic hood. Before the covering, 
it may be necessary to reduce the waste contained in the barrel roughly by 
half. This is due to the fact that the amount of waste contained for 
instance in a 200 liter barrel may create a powerful pressure impulse when 
entering the furnace. The pressure impulse easily brings about a dangerous 
gas leak even if there are no mechanical damages. Moreover, it has been 
observed that the emptying and burning of waste containers is not always 
carried out successfully. Every once in a while it may happen that a 
barrel complete with waste manages to pass through the burning chamber 
practically unburnt. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the capacity of a 
kiln furnace remains remarkably poor in the above described prior art 
method. 
In order to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks, the present invention is 
characterized by the novel features mainly enlisted in the claim 1. 
Among the advantages of the present invention, as compared with the prior 
art methods, the following can be distinguished. By means of the 
invention, the capacity of a waste disposal plant is multiplied. 
Irrespective of this, the charging of waste into the kiln furnace can be 
regulated accurately and steplessly. The danger of possible pressure 
impulses is essentially reduced, and in practice almost completely 
eliminated. Thus also harmful gas discharges into the surrounding factory 
facilities or nature can be more effectively prevented. At the same time, 
the burning/processing time of the waste is shortened. By aid of the 
invention, process can be automated in an essentially easier fashion. 
Consequently, the amount of required personnel is smaller than with the 
prior art methods. The homogenization of the feed is likewise remarkably 
easier than in the conventional methods. Respectively, the cutting up of 
solid waste into smaller particles also means an essential improvement in 
the processing.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The hazardous waste is transported in the barrel 1 by means of the charging 
conveyor 2. In the prior art method, the barrels 1 are then shifted to the 
balance 3 and further into the kiln furnace 4. On the side of this 
charging path, there is installed the transversal conveyor 5 according to 
the invention. The transversal conveyor 5 may be for instance an elevator 
which moves within the gas-sealed liftshaft 7 closed by the closing traps 
6. The running path can be chosen either directly into the kiln furnace or 
via the transversal conveyor 5, the centre of operations being the control 
unit which is not illustrated in the drawing. 
At the top end of the transversal conveyor 5, the barrels are disposed, 
through the fire door 8, into the shearing device 9. The shearing device 9 
comprises two parallel shafts operated by intermediation of a gear 
assembly. On the shafts there are attached single-dented shearing plates 
which crush and shear the barrels. 
Fire precautions in the shearing device are carried out so that an inert 
gas atmosphere is maintained therein. The ignition can be prevented 
beforehand by employing a slight nitrogen gas feed. 
The waste from the barrels crushed in the shearing device 9 is conducted 
into the compensation basin 10. The compensation basin ensures an 
uninterrupted feed into the furnace. The barrel feed into the shearing 
device can be adjusted by observing the amount of material contained in 
the compensation basin. 
From the compensation basin 10, the crushed contents of the barrel and/or 
barrel lumps are fed, by means of the paste pump 11, further into the kiln 
furnace 4. The paste pump 11 is a double-piston pump with a shearing 
clamping device. Thus the clamping device cuts up metal scrap, even studs. 
When desired, for instance steel scrap can be separated by means of the 
iron separator 12 and transported, by a specific conveyor 13, into the 
kiln furnace as well. Alternatively, also the metal scrap can be shifted 
directly into a storage bunker to wait for a separate further treatment. 
In the above description the invention is explained with reference to one 
preferred embodiment only. It is naturally obvious that the invention is 
not exclusively limited to the above described example, but many 
modifications therein are possible within the scope of the following 
claims. Thus for instance fire precautions can also be carried out by 
applying steam blasting in the shearing device. Instead of the shearing 
device described above, it is also possible to use an effective press 
which presses the barrels or other such solid particles into a space as 
small as possible. The essential point is that the packages, whether 
barrels or other corresponding items, are transformed into such a form 
that the waste can be treated by pumping in a paste pump.