Patent ID: 7285186

Claim:
A system for the conversion of organic waste essentially free of a halogenated synthetic resinous material into reusable hydrocarbons, the system comprising: a catalytic reactor comprising a vat having a bottom member terminating in opposed inlet and outlet endwalls, the inlet endwall terminating in a waste-charging end of the vat, and the outlet endwall terminating in a residue-discharging end of the vat; a feeding mechanism to feed the waste into the inlet or waste-charging end of the vat and onto a bath of molten lead located within the vat having a temperature in the range from about 400° C. to 600° C.; a residue-disposing mechanism cooperating with the residue discharging end of the vat; at least one heating array comprising plural heating conduits or ducts in the bath adapted to carry a heating fluid at a temperature above about 600° C. under the molten lead's upper surface near the waste-charging end of the vat; at least two rotatable drums each disposed for rotation about an axis essentially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the vat, and in vertically-spaced apart relationship with the molten lead's upper surface, the drum having a multiplicity of radially protruding mixing and urging fingers adapted to move the waste through the molten lead towards the residue-discharging end of the vat; a saddle having a grating disposed beneath the drum, the grating lying parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drum, the saddle being pivotably disposed about an axis coaxial with that of the drum and cooperating with the drum to reciprocate the grating, wherein the grating is raised and lowered between a position above the upper surface of the lead bath and a position below the upper surface of the lead bath thereby adapted to bathe the waste with the molten lead; a vault above the vat for collecting hydrocarbon vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other gases, the vault's lower edges being sealingly secured to the vat in gas-tight relationship therewith; and, duct means for removing gases from the vault.