WO2007106819A2

WO2007106819A2 - Method preventing toxic runoff in conjunction with plasma gasification

Info

Publication number: WO2007106819A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/063899
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick Herda; Boris Muchnik
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-13
Filing date: 2007-03-13
Publication date: 2007-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-13
Also published as: WO2007106819A3

Abstract

A method to implement the usage of runoff water for the transformation of tires and other waste into synthetic fuels, thereby reducing pollution and creating high-energy, useable methanol and ethanol. The plants are located near the tire and waste landfills and next to the runoff in order to reduce the cost of transporting the feedstock (waste) to the plant.

Description

INVENTION TITLE

A Method of Preventing Toxic Runoff in Conjunction with Plasma Gasification

DESCRIPTION

Heading

Field of the Invention

[Para 1 ] The present invention relates to a method of collecting wastewater and runoff and channeling it into a plasma converter for making ethanol and syngas.

Heading

Background of the Invention

[Para 2] Gasification can be broadly defined as the thermochemical conversion of a usually solid or liquid carbon-based material into a combustible gaseous product. Plasma is gas that has become ionized. An ionized gas is one where the atoms of the gas have lost one, or more, electrons and has become electrically charged. Passing an electrical discharge through gas forms plasma. Under normal circumstances gases will not conduct electricity, but when a very high voltage is applied, the insulating properties begin to break down. As electricity starts to flow through the gas, the gas heats up, and the gas begins to conduct more. Eventually, the gas becomes so hot that plasma is formed.

[Para 3] In plasma gasification, waste (feedstock) is placed in a chamber where plasma is present. When feedstock is exposed to the plasma it is heated to a very high temperature that causes the organic compounds in the material to dissociate into their separate molecules. Plasma gasification of waste is known and has in the past been used to create different high-energy alcohols, one of which is ethyl alcohol. There are numerous different gasification systems on the market.

[Para 4] In the past, such gasification systems have been placed on their own lots, and there has been a cost to bring the feedstock to the system, and then there has been a cost to move the resulting material from the plant where the gasification takes place.

[Para 5] By obtaining space at the actual dumps for the waste products, the cost of getting the feedstock to the system is eliminated. This also short circuits the permitting process which is normally very expensive. Dumps already have the necessary permits. The other option is to use land that is next to or near places where feed stocks is available, and is owned by the military or Native Americans where the permits are either not necessary or are limited in scope. Other companies using the same plasma technology are almost solely focused on creating electricity and they want only material with a high combustibility ratio. The other companies that are not focused on electricity are focused on the creation of a single product. This forces them to re-tool each and every time the economic environment changes and the product they are focused on is no longer needed. Further, waste dumps strip the land allowing the water falling on the dump to run through the waste and in to the surrounding areas. Such run off can be toxic. Applicant has instead used the entire plant site as a water gathering site, which prevents run off and then applicant is using the water gathered in the gasification system. [Para 6] There is a need for a method of reusing toxic water runoff to extract minerals that can then be used during gasification. The plasma technology in conjunction with the collected water from runoff can then create ethanol and syngas from any waste by adding more or less water. Applicant's primary goal is to use tires as the prime feed stock. In the past tires have not been used as they include a high amount of sulfur. There is a need for a method to use tires which are filling up our nations land fills. This need is emphasized by the fact that tires are made of rubber, a very high energy substance. Other types of feed stock can be used in conjunction with water or steam in order to balance the system.

Heading

Summary of the Invention

[Para 7] There are millions of tires being discarded around the world. Up until now no one has done anything with the used tires other than putting them in landfills. The present invention's method of situating the plants where these dumps are already located provides many years of feedstock for plasma gasification without any transportation costs. Additionally, water (toxic, waste and rain) - which may be environmentally hazardous - can be used in the present invention, as water is used in applicant's process. The present invention would collect such water and channel it into the plasma converter. Rain water does not need to be transported to the site. [Para 8] The present invention will be used in conjunction with Startech Environmental Corp.'s system, as it has no air emissions or any other pollutants. It has the ability to take any waste (feed stock) that has carbon content (the higher the better) and convert the feed stock into a synthesis of gasses (Syngas). This syngas can then be broken down in to numerous compounds. If tires were used as the main feed stock (as is expected and desired) then there will be a substantial amount of sulfur in the syngas. By adding either a known catalyst or creating the present invention's own catalyst, it can scrub the syngas (separate the sulfur and other chemicals in to their separate elements), and thereby use tires as feedstock. The use of tires is the present invention's primary goal and is one that has not been done before, because sulfur is very hard to remove. Tires have an extremely high carbon content and therefore have a lot of energy and can be turned into a lot of ethanol and/or other higher energy alcohols, which are automatically denatured (include trace elements making it so they cannot be drunk by humans).

[Para 9] It should also be noted that conventional methods of matter conversion involve using generally dry inputs into the system and heating the dry inputs to a certain temperature to derive energy. It is contemplated in the present invention that there is complete control over what feedstock is put in to the system, as there is not a focus on creating electricity. The present invention can manipulate the quality, volume and pressure of the system to suit the present invention's catalyst instead of having to find a catalyst that works with the material input. The present invention does not have to use a drying process, unlike the aforementioned plasma technology, and therefore can easily control the water in the system in order to obtain the correct (1 to 1 ) ratio. The recirculation of the water through the system is efficient, environmentally sound, and useful for extracting as many mineral elements as possible. Applicant's intention to go in to the chemical business and sell multiple chemicals which are the result of the scrubbing and lack of the desire to create large amounts of electricity means that the process may be run at lower temperatures and lower pressures which means the system can be made to run at the optimal level for the catalyst instead of a catalyst being forced to function at a particular heat and level. [Para 10] These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Head ing Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

[Para 1 l ] The present invention will create an alliance with Startech Environmental Corp. The reasons for using Startech are that they have a proven system, their technique is mature, since they have been in existence for 10 years; and their system, as they have created it for applicant, can accommodate multiple types of inputs simultaneously, and has the ability to focus on creating multiple different high energy alcohols and other chemical products, which tie to applicant's economic model which makes applicant capable of changing with the economic demand for product without retooling.

[Para 1 2] If a company can take multiple fuel inputs, then this lessens the dependence on the specific type of fuel input. There is also the ability to blend and control the chemistry of the syngas that is produced. For example, when utilizing tires, if pure tires are used, then in order to get the molecular ratios ideal or close to ideal for syngas, one would need to blend in additional water as there is extra carbon, and need to put in additional oxygen and hydrogen. Therefore, the water that would normally be runoff or available as waste water can be rechanneled through the system to aid in the taking of multiple fuel inputs and control the chemistry of the syngas. [Para 1 3] The present invention can also blend in municipal waste, hazardous waste, switch grass and anything else without any exceptions; each different input will give the syn gas different characteristics. Applicant intends to start out by optimizing the present invention for the production of ethanol. Syngas comes out of the gasification system, then that is bubbled through a slurry bubble column reactor, which holds the catalyst. Syngas (synthesis gas - carbon monoxide and H2) comes out of the plasma converter. The chemical reaction is facilitated by the catalyst making some reactions happening instead of other reactions.

[Para 14] The process for the present invention is as follows: o Co-locating - the placement of plants on locations which are either already permitted and or have low or no permitting and transportation costs for the original feed stock.

O Locate on-ground sites that have left permission issues such as existing waste processing facilities, Indian ground and military bases and Mexico. If waste is not there, then the present invention proposes bringing the waste material to the plant. It would be a new waste dump, but done for the purpose of being able to aquire the feedstock at zero cost or to be paid to receive it. o Using water that would otherwise be runoff or to use waste water to channel back into the plasma converter and aid in lessening the dependency upon a specific type of fuel input and to be more environmentally friendly and to have access to water either at no cost or to be paid to take the waste water instead of having to pay for it. o Transformation to synthetic fuels at the same place as the location of the feedstock. o Utilize a modular concept and multiple reactors that can take syngas and convert it in to any high-energy hydrocarbon or alchohol and blend them with each other. O Applicant can respond to the outside economic conditions based on the changing market o Use energy created from the heat of the process to continue the process

[Para 1 5] Previously, no entity has created a similar sytem. Usualiy they put together a facility that is designed to create one particular type of end result (a particular chemical end product or energy) as opposed to all different types of feed stock, and therefore applicant will have a hedge against changes in the market. The present invention is immune to supplier/cost fluctuations. It can treat raw sewage as well; wastewater can take the place of adding water with the tires. [Para 1 6] When building the plant as part of the present invention, there will be: o The creation of a catch basin for rainwater. Rainwater would otherwise be runoff, degrade the area due to the soil being dug up, thereby creating pollution in the surrounding area. Instead, the rainwater can be used in the present invention. Non-potable toxic water can also be used. o The use of some of the heat created by the process creates the electricity necessary to create the plasma needed. [Para 1 7] The use of the latter two points will make the plant completely self- sufficient. It will push a small amount of electricity back on to the grid and it will destroy the garbage (environmentally positive - turns material in to its separate elements), which is its feedstock, and create ethanol and other trace elements (sulfur, etc), which it can sell on the market.

[Para 1 8] Mineral-laden water is used to extract compounds used in the process. The present invention would collect wastewater and runoff and channel it into the plasma converter. Runoff does not need to be transported, as the site of the converter is near the runoff. A structure or collection system lets water run through so eventually the water could be channeled back into the system.

[Para 1 9] With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

[Para 20] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

[Claim 1 ] A method of preventing toxic water runoff, comprising: using water from plasma gasification; channeling the water back into the plasma converter; creating ethanol and syngas from the process.

[Claim 2] The method of claim 1 , further comprising using water obtained from a waste dump.

[Claim 3] A method of preventing toxic water runoff, comprising: channeling toxic water into a plasma converter.

[Claim 4] The method of claim 3, further comprising creating ethanol.

[Claim 5] The method of claim 3, further comprising creating syngas.

[Claim 6] The method of claim 3, further comprising sourcing the toxic water from a waste dump.

[Claim 7] The method of claim 3, further comprising locating the plasma converter at the site from which the toxic water is sourced.

[Claim 8] The method of claim 3, further comprising locating the plasma converter on land owned by the military.

[Claim 9] The method of claim 3, further comprising locating the plasma converter on land owned by Native Americans. [Claim 10] The method of clam 3, further comprising: creating ethanol; creating syngas; sourcing the toxic water from a waste dump; locating the plasma converter at the site from which the toxic water is sourced; locating the plasma converter on land owned by the military or land owned by Native Americans. [Claim 1 1 ] A method of preventing toxic water runoff, comprising: co-locating plasma converter plants at locations with toxic water runoff; creation of synthetic fuels at the locations with toxic water runoff. [Claim 12] The method of claim 1 1 , further comprising using some of the heat created by processing toxic water runoff to power the plasma converter.