Systems and methods for producing engineered fuel feed stocks from waste material

• US 10,626,340 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Repower IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Accordant Energy, LLC
• Inventors: Bai, Dingrong
• Primary Examiner(s): Francis, Faye
• Application Number:
  US15/487,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20170283726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/14 with more than one separator
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/18 Adding fluid, other than for crushing or disintegrating by fluid energy for tumbling mills B02C17/186; feeding devices B02C23/02
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/30 the applied gas acting to effect material separation B02C23/34 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0946 Waste, e.g. MSW, tires, glass, tar sand, peat, paper, lignite, oil shale
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 3/72 Other features
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0254 Oxygen containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/24 Mixing, stirring of fuel components
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/28 Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/30 Pressing, compressing or compacting
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/06 Methods of shaping, e.g. pelletizing or briquetting mechanical part of pressing briquettes B30B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/08 without the aid of extraneous binders briquetting peat C10F
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/363 Pellets or granulates
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/40 essentially based on materials of non-mineral origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/406 on plastic
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/46 on sewage, house, or town refuse C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/48 on industrial residues and waste materials C10L5/403, C10L5/406 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel

Abstract

Systems and methods for producing engineered fuels from solid waste material are described herein. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a waste stream at a multi-material processing platform and separating the waste stream to remove non-processable waste and marketable recyclables. The method further includes conveying processable materials to a material classification system and incorporating additives to produce an engineered fuel from the constituents of the waste stream.

Claims

1. A method of forming an engineered fuel feed stock from a solid waste stream, the method comprising:

removing non-processable waste from the solid waste stream;

shredding the solid waste stream to reduce the size of constituents of the solid waste stream to be less than a predetermined size to form a shredded solid waste stream;

removing additional non-combustible waste from the shredded solid waste stream to form a processable waste stream;

screening the processable waste stream to remove an undersized portion of the processable waste stream;

separating the processable waste stream into at least a plastic stream and a fiber stream; and

combining a quantity of the plastic stream and a quantity of the fiber stream to form the engineered fuel feed stock.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the solid waste stream on a tipping floor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined size is less than 12 inches.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processable waste stream is separated based on bulk density.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the processable waste is separated with an air separator.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the processable waste stream is separated with a cyclone separator.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein removing additional non-combustible waste from the shredded waste stream includes magnetic separation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein removing additional non-combustible waste from the shredded waste stream includes eddy current separation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein removing additional non-combustible waste from the shredded waste stream includes glass separation.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating ferrous metal from the shredded solid waste stream.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating non-ferrous metal from the shredded solid waste stream.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating glass from the shredded solid waste stream.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

optically separating materials from a waste stream.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mixing an additive with a waste stream.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a waste stream contains biogenic waste.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reducing the size of engineered fuel feed stock to be less than a second predetermined size.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

increasing the temperature of the engineered fuel feed stock.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compressing the engineered fuel feed stock to form a densified engineered fuel feed stock.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the undersized portion of the processable waste stream is a food waste.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid waste stream is a municipal solid waste stream.

21. A method of forming an engineered fuel feed stock from a solid waste stream, the method comprising:

removing non-processable waste from the solid waste stream;

shredding the solid waste stream to reduce the size of constituents of the solid waste stream to be less than a predetermined size to form a shredded solid waste stream;

removing ferrous metal from the shredded solid waste stream;

removing non-ferrous metal from the shredded solid waste stream;

removing food waste from the shredded solid waste stream;

separating the processable waste stream into at least a plastic stream and a fiber stream; and

combining a quantity of the plastic stream and a quantity of the fiber stream to form the engineered fuel feed stock.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving the solid waste stream on a tipping floor.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first predetermined size is less than 12 inches.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein removing food wastes from the shredded solid waste stream includes screening the processable waste stream to remove an undersized portion of the shredded solid waste stream.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the processable waste stream is separated based on bulk density.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the processable waste is separated with an air separator.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the processable waste stream is separated with a cyclone separator.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

removing additional non-combustible waste from the shredded waste stream to form a processable waste stream.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein removing additional non-combustible waste includes glass separation.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein removing ferrous metal from the shredded solid waste stream includes magnetic separation.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein removing non-ferrous metal from the shredded solid waste stream includes eddy current separation.

32. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

optically separating materials from a waste stream.

33. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

mixing an additive with a waste stream.

34. The method of claim 21, wherein a waste stream contains biogenic waste.

35. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

reducing the size of engineered fuel feed stock to be less than a second predetermined size.

36. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

increasing the temperature of the engineered fuel feed stock.

37. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

compressing the engineered fuel feed stock to form a densified engineered fuel feed stock.

38. The method of claim 21, wherein the solid waste stream is a municipal solid waste stream.

39. A method of forming an engineered fuel feed stock from a municipal solid waste stream, the method comprising:

receiving the municipal solid waste stream on a tipping floor;

removing non-processable waste from the solid waste stream;

shredding the solid waste stream to reduce the size of constituents of the solid waste stream to be less than 12 inches to form a shredded solid waste stream;

removing ferrous metal from the shredded municipal solid waste stream;

removing non-ferrous metal from the shredded municipal solid waste stream;

screening the shredded municipal solid waste stream to remove food waste;

separating the solid waste stream with an air separator into at least a plastic stream and a fiber stream;

combining a quantity of the plastic stream and a quantity of the fiber stream to form the engineered fuel feed stock.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

shredding the solid waste stream to reduce the size of constituents of the waste stream to be less than a second predetermined size.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

compressing the engineered fuel feed stock to form a densified engineered fuel feed stock.

42. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

optically separating materials from a waste stream.

43. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

mixing an additive with a waste stream.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein a waste stream contains biogenic waste.