Patent ID: 7011800

Claim:
A method for removing nitrogen oxide groups from waste material, said method comprising: providing a waste material comprising a nongaseous waste containing nitrogen oxide groups; providing a reaction vessel containing a reaction bed and heating said reaction bed to an operating temperature, said reaction bed having a first zone and a second zone; providing an agitating gas and said waste material in said reaction bed wherein said agitating gas provides a gas velocity that agitates said waste material, and wherein said reaction bed is fluidizable and said agitating gas provides a gas velocity that fluidizes said reaction bed; providing a co-reactant in at least part of said reaction bed to form with at least one component of said waste material at least one mineral having a higher melting point than said waste component; and, operating at least one of said zones under reducing conditions so that said nitrogen oxide groups in said waste material are reduced at said operating temperature, thereby removing nitrogen oxide groups from said waste material and producing an inorganic residue and a gaseous effluent that together have substantially less nitrogen oxide groups than were present in said waste material.