METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONTROLLED REDUCTION OF ORGANIC MATERIAL

Abstract: There is provided a new and useful method for the controlled reduction of organic material comprising subjecting the material to microwave radiation in a reducing atmosphere. An apparatus for carrying out the method comprises an airtight microwave chamber, means for feeding the organic material into the chamber, at least one microwave generator in the chamber, means for removing gaseous products from the chamber and means for removing solid residue from the chamber.

Description: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE CONTROLLED REDUCTION OF ORGANIC MATERIAL This application relates to a method and apparatus for the reduction of organic materials using microwave radiation. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are numerous instances in diverse areas where it is desirable that organic materials be reduced. Such a requirement may arise in the processing of raw materials, as, for example, in the extraction of oil from oil shales, or in the treatment of waste materials. The waste treatment category will arise in an endless number of situations. This may be due to the useful life of the product having been completed. For example, huge quantities of worn out tires are in existence. The waste may also arise from normal industrial processes. Refinery sludge and pulp mill effluents are examples. Municipal sewage and garbage are other sources of large quantities of organic waste. Various considerations dependent on the particular waste type mandate that the waste be treated. In the case of municipal sewage, for example, the waste is a health and environmental hazard and its toxicity must be neutralized. In the case of tires the emphasis is on recycling of the very substantial amounts particularly of oil and carbon black which are the major components of tires. The treatment of various of these waste types as, for example, by burning, may itself lead to environmental pollution problems. There is therefore an ongoing need for more efficient treatment and recycling methods for organic materials. Against this background the present invention is directed toward the use of microwave energy in a method and apparatus which is applicable in a very general sense to a very wide range of organic materials. PRIOR ART Applicant is unaware of any prior use of microwave energy in the treatment of organic materials for reduction purposes. Canadian Patent No. 1,158,432, issued December 13, 1983, to Tillitt, suggests the use of microwave energy in drying bulk materials such as grains. The patent offers no aid to the reduction problem discussed above. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION It has now been determined that a wide variety of organic materials can be treated with microwave energy for controlling toxicity, for recycling purposes and for various processing purposes. Thus the invention provides a method for the controlled reduction of organic materials which method comprises subjecting the materials to microwave radiation in a reducing atmosphere. In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a method for the breakdown of longer chain molecules in organic materials which method comprises subjecting molecules to microwave radiation in a reducing atmosphere. In a further embodiment there is provided an apparatus for the controlled reduction of organic material by microwave radiation comprising a microwave chamber, means for feeding the organic material into the chamber, at least one microwave generator in the chamber, means for removing gaseous products from the chamber and means for removing solid residues from the chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The drawing illustrates schematically the method according to the invention. While the invention will be described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals. The method and apparatus of the invention can be applied to an almost limitless variety of organic materials. It is believed that the microwave energy results in the severing of weaker molecular bonds in longer chain molecules to reduce those molecules to simpler forms. This is in effect a de-polymerization process. A general schematic of the invention is illustrated in the drawing. Materials are fed into a hopper 10 or into a similar means suitable to the particular feed material. The material is then fed via an air lock 12 into a microwave chamber 14. The material is irradiated by microwave energy from magnetrons 16. Gaseous products are taken off to a condenser 18 and condensed to liquid products, generally oils and sulfur. Solid residues exit the chamber 14 through a second air lock 20. These products are than separated, as by screen 22, into various groups. Carbon black will normally comprise a substantial part of these products. Others would include, for example, steel in the case of tire reduction. Optimum process conditions and apparatus configuration will be selected for a given material after an initial analysis of that material. Several types of analyses are preferably carried out with differing objectives. Thus, an initial analysis of shape and structure may be made with a view to adapting the microwave chamber and the feeder means to that material. For example, the toroidal shape of tires suggests a different feeder and chamber design than, say, a cube of compressed plastic scrap. A further analysis is then preferably performed on the material to determine its composition. For example, in treating material which might be categorized essentially as PVC, one would also like to know the quantities of extenders and other such components which might be present. The results of this analysis will provide information as to the products which are likely to be obtained from the breakdown of the material, the quantities of each such product that might be expected and the order in which the products are likely to be obtained. A further analysis is then carried out, generally by lab testing, to determine the energy requirement for the process. Having determined that requirement per unit of throughput material, and knowing the volume of material required to be processed, the total energy requirement can be calculated. The result of these analyses can then be used to optimize apparatus design and process conditions for -the various stages in the process. In the flow of material through the process the first area of concern is in the feeding arrangement. While the process can be carried out on a batch basis, it is much preferred that it be continuous. Accordingly, since the microwave chamber must be sealed, the feeding apparatus must meet this requirement. One such feeding apparatus design which is useful with a variety of feed material is a piston and cylinder arrangement. For solid feeds a feed hopper can be located above and toward one end of a cylindrical feed conduit to deliver feed material to the conduit. A piston may then be utilized to move the material along the conduit toward the microwave chamber. The continuous plug formed in the feed conduit by the feed material will serve to seal the inlet to the microwave chamber. A second preferred apparatus for bulk materials and relatively low temperature operations is in the form of an endless belt conveyor. The belt material must be permeable to microwaves and must not itself break down under conditions of use. For higher temperature operations another preferred feed apparatus comprises one or more stainless steel screw conveyors. For certain material configurations an airlock may be introduced at the entry to the microwave chamber. Similarly, in some cases an airlock will be necessary at the solids outlet from the microwave chamber. The next consideration in the flow of material through the process is the shape of the microwave chamber itself. Several factors will influence the physical characteristics of the microwave chamber into which the feed material is introduced. The overall shape of the chamber will generally be chosen based on the physical characteristics of the feed material and the type of feed apparatus utilized. For example, where the piston and cylinder feed arrangement is utilized, a cylindrical chamber may be chosen. Where an endless belt conveyor is utilized, a chamber of rectangular cross-section will generally be preferred. The overall shape is also influenced by the desire to obtain maximum microwave penetration into the material being processed. Having chosen an optimum overall shape for the chamber, additional factors may be considered to add to the efficiency of the operation. Thus, a resonant cavity may be chosen such that reflected microwaves will be reinforcing. For example, a typical installation of rectangular cross section might be 2 microwaves deep and 6 microwaves wide. Having determined total power requirements and a basic cross section for the chamber, other factors come into play for purposes of optimization. A number of variables in the process and apparatus can be predetermined for a given application or controlled in the course of carrying out the method. For a given application the objective is to obtain the most efficient operation in terms of energy applied per unit mass of material processed, always subject to various process constraints to be discussed. The manner of applying the total energy requirement in a given case is generally established by a balancing of factors. In order to supply sufficient energy to initiate the reaction in a reasonable time and then to obtain the desired products from the material in the desired sequence, one must appropriately control applied energy. Thus, the basic microwave generation may be obtained from multiple small wave generators rather than from a single magnetron. The output from the wave generators may be continuous, pulsed or otherwise varied. The strength of the microwaves generated can be varied by varying the power input to the generators. A typical chamber of rectangular cross section might include 4 transverse rows of 3 microwave generators each. In addition to the arrangement and power of the wave generators, the energy applied per unit mass of treated material will be affected by the time of exposure of the material to the microwave; that is, the dwell time of the material. The energy factors must at this point again be taken in context with chamber geometry. Thus, dwell time may be directly affected by the rate of feed of the material being processed, but, as well, the length of the chamber may be varied and the mass under bombardment may be varied by varying the capacity of the microwave chamber. Furthermore, the focus of the microwaves contributes markedly to efficiency, and parabolic wave guides have been developed to provide a point focus for the waves from a given generator. A series of wave guides may be used with a series of wave generators to provide an overlapping series of microwave curtains to allow very good control of the amount of energy applied to the material. The surface temperature of the material strongly affects microwave absorption by the material, so it is highly preferable that the surface temperature be monitored and that the power input to the microwave generators be adjusted as required to obtain optimum surface temperature. Thus, as the reactions proceed as the material moves through the microwave chamber, less energy input may be required to maintain optimum surface temperature, so that downstream microwave generators may be operated at lower power input. It is also useful to monitor the internal temperature of the material in the microwave chamber as a means of predicting what products are likely to be coming off the material at any time. The microwave chamber is preferably kept at slightly above- atmospheric pressure. The pressure facilitates removal of gaseous products. It has been found that the process works better in a more dense atmosphere. Accordingly, after the process is started up and run to the point where the first of the material fed into the chamber has been substantially broken down, the process is found to proceed more efficiently. In that regard the process must be carried out in a reducing atmosphere, and the concentration of reducing gases is increased as the material is broken down. It is theorized that the presence of additional reducing gases may tend to aid in further breakdown of the material, particularly at its surface. It may be preferable in some instances to utilize a two part chamber to isolate the wave generators from the reducing atmosphere. A horizontal microwave permeable gas impermeable barrier would be one solution, with the top and bottom parts of the chamber both being resonant. It may be necessary to add a reducing gas with the feed material. The purpose of the reducing gas is to damp out any oxidation which might otherwise occur with possible catastrophic results. An inert gas such as nitrogen might also be used, but any compatible reducing gas will do. It should be noted that it is not generally necessary that a reducing gas be added, but that the possibility exists in certain instances. It has been found that some catalysts enhance the efficiency of the process. Thus, the addition of carbon black to the input material in the case of tires results in the oils coming off the material more quickly and at lower temperatures. A further external factor will frequently be present which will be of primary concern in terms of the balancing of the internal factors. The physical space available in a plant to accommodate apparatus according to the invention is often limited, so all of the controllable factors must be balanced in the face of that restriction. The importance of this space consideration is highlighted by the fact that some installations may have a substantial overall length. For example, lengths in the order of 30 feet will not be unusual. In that regard a preferred approach is to utilize a series of modules connected end to end. This has several advantages. Among these is the ability to remove and replace a single module to carry out repairs, thereby avoiding downtime. A further advantage is in ease of manufacture and handling of smaller modules. A preferred module is about 4 feet in length. Power availability is a further external variable which may be beyond the control of a user, usually because of the particular location of the plant. The products of the process are obtained in the form of gaseous and solid material. The gaseous materials are recovered utilizing one or more aspirators on the microwave chamber. The solid products are in the form of residues conveyed through a microwave chamber outlet. The gaseous products are condensed to provide various hydrocarbon liquids. In that regard it may be necessary to provide heat to the exhaust system to prevent premature condensation. The solid products comprise carbon black in micron size and various inorganic materials which may have been present in the feed. For example, in addition to the various oils and carbon black obtained from tires, the residues will include steel, silica and the like components. For example, a typical PVC lab sample yielded 125 g s solid residue from 160 gms of the original PVC. The residue was almost entirely carbon black containing in total less than 3.159 ppm of the following elements and compounds: As; Ba;. B; Cd; Cr; Pb; Se; U; N0 2 + N0 3 ; N0 2 ; Ag; Hg; CN(F) ; F. As a further example, typical tires will yield per tone of tires, 3 to 4 barrels of oil, 575 to 700 lbs. of carbon black, 85 to 100 lbs. of steel and 70 to 80 lbs. of fibre.

Claims: THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS: 1. A method for the controlled reduction of organic material comprising subjecting said material to microwave radiation in a reducing atmosphere. 2. A method for the breakdown of longer chain molecules in organic materials comprising subjecting said molecules to microwave radiation in a reducing atmosphere. 3. A method for the controlled reduction of organic material by sequentially breaking down molecular bonds in longer chain molecules by subjecting said material to microwave radiation in a reducing atmosphere. 4. The method of claim 1 comprising continuously feeding a stream of said material through an airtight microwave chamber. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said method comprises feeding said material in an airtight manner relative to said microwave chamber. 6. The method of claim 5 wherein said method comprises feeding said material into said chamber through a cylinder and propelled by a piston. 7. The method of claim 5 including feeding said material into said chamber on an endless belt conveyor. 8. The method of claim 5 including feeding said material into said chamber by means of a screw conveyor. 9. The method of claim 4 comprising in addition controlling the degree of exposure of said stream to microwave radiation. 10. The method of claim 9 comprising controlling said degree of exposure by controlling the dwell time of said stream in said chamber. 11. The method of claim 10 comprising controlling said dwell time by controlling the rate of travel of said stream through said microwave chamber. 12. The method of claim 10 comprising controlling said dwell time by controlling the length of said microwave chamber. 13. The method of claim 9 comprising controlling said degree of exposure by controlling the power of said microwave radiation. 14. The method of claim 13 comprising controlling said degree of exposure by controlling, in addition . , the dwell time of said stream in said chamber. 15. The method of claim 9 comprising controlling said degree of exposure by predetermining the shape of said microwave chamber. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein said chamber is a resonant tunnel whereby microwaves reflected from the walls of said tunnel are in synchronization with said microwave radiation. 17. The method of claim 9 comprising controlling said degree of exposure by focusing said microwave radiation on at least one predetermined point in said stream. 18. The method of claim 1 comprising treating said material in a microwave chamber in which at least one microwave generating unit is disposed. 19. The method of claim 18 in which at least two said generating units are disposed. 20. The method of claim 19 comprising controlling the degree of exposure of said material to microwave radiation by selectively varying the microwave energy output of individual ones of said microwave generating units. 21. The method of claim 18 comprising continuously feeding a stream of said material through said chamber and controlling said microwave generating units to generate a higher level of microwave energy toward an inlet end of said chamber and a lower level of microwave energy toward an outlet end of said chamber. 22. The method of claim 4 wherein said material comprises tires. 23. The method of claim 4 wherein said material comprises municipal garbage. 24. The method of claim 4 wherein said material comprises oil shale. 25. The method of claim 4 including adding a reducing gas to said chamber. 26. The method of claim 4 including adding an inert gas to said chamber. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein said inert gas is Nitrogen. 28. The method of claim 4 wherein said chamber is maintained at a pressure above atmospheric. 29. The method of claim 28 wherein said pressure is in the range of 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water. 30. The method of claim 4 including the step of monitoring the surface temperature of said material in said chamber and controlling the degree of microwave exposure responsive to said monitored temperature. 31. The method of claim 4 including the step of adding a catalyst to said chamber. 32. The method of claim 31 wherein said catalyst is added to said material prior to feeding said material into said chamber. 33. The method of claim 31 or 32 wherein said catalyst is carbon black. 34. The method of claim 4 including the step of continuously removing gaseous products from said chamber. 35. The method of claim 34 wherein said gaseous products are removed sequentially from more volatile/lighter to less volatile/heavier gases. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the temperature of the material in the chamber is 'controlled to control the sequential production of gaseous products from said materials. 37. The method of claim 4 wherein said solid residues are continuously removed from said chamber. 38. A method for the controlled reduction of organic material comprising: continuously feeding a stream of organic material into a microwave chamber; maintaining a reducing atmosphere in said chamber; subjecting said material to microwave radiation; and continuously withdrawing gaseous and solid products from said chamber. 39. The method of claim 38 including the step of monitoring the surface temperature of said material. 40. The method of claim 38 including subjecting said material to sufficient microwave radiation to breakdown longer chain molecules in said material. 41. The method of claim 38 including the step of controlling the amount of microwave radiation to which said material is subjected by controlling at least one of: (i) the power input to the microwave generator, (ii) the number of microwave generators, (iii) the focus of the microwave generators, (iv) the orientation of the microwave generators, and (v) the shape of the microwave chamber. 42. The method of claim 41 including the step of controlling the amount of microwave energy to which said material is subjected by controlling at least one of: (i) the speed of said material through said chamber, and (ii) the length of said chamber. 43. An apparatus for the controlled reduction of organic material by microwave radiation comprising: an airtight microwave chamber; means for feeding said material into said chamber; at least one microwave generator in said chamber; means for removing gaseous products from said chamber; and means for removing solid residue from said chamber. 44. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein said chamber is cylindrical. 45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein said means for feeding comprises a piston and cylinder. 46. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein said chamber is a resonant cavity. 47. The apparatus of claim 43 including at least two said generators arranged in said chamber in an upstream and downstream relationship relative to the flow of said material. 48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said upstream generator is of greater power output than said downstream generator. 49. The apparatus of claim 43 including at least one parabolic wave guide for focusing the microwave output of said generator. 50. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein said chamber is of rectangular cross section. 51. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein said chamber includes 4 transverse rows of 3 microwave generators each.

Inventors: EMERY CHARLES L, EMERY, CHARLES, L.
Applicants: EMERY CHARLES L, EMERY, CHARLES, L.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B09B3
IPC codes: A62D3, A62D101, B01J19, B09B3, C10B19, C10B53, C10G1, H05B6