Multistage thermolysis method for safe and efficient conversion of treated wood waste sources

• US 10,640,711 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHZ Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: CHZ Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Brandhorst, Jr., Henry W., Engel, Ullrich H., Ludwig, Charles T., Zavoral, Sr., Ernest J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pregler, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US16/432,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20190367814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 3/40 involving thermal treatment, e.g. evaporation processes using mineral binders involving a melting or softening step B09B3/29; involving radiation B09B3/50
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 11/14 by treatment with steam or water
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 47/44 with conveyor-screws
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 53/02 of cellulose-containing material production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10B 57/02 Multi-step carbonising or coking processes
• CPC Class Codes: C10C 1/02 Removal of water by distillation C10C1/06 ; de-watering of hydrocarbon oils C10G33/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10K 1/085 two direct washing treatments, one with an aqueous liquid and one with a non-aqueous liquid
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/02 Combustion or pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/06 Heat exchange, direct or indirect
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/08 Drying or removing water
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/10 Recycling of a stream within the process or apparatus to reuse elsewhere therein
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/28 Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 3/00 Gaseous fuels; Natural gas; Synthetic natural gas obtained by processes not covered by subclass C10G, C10K; Liquefied petroleum gas
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/447 Carbonized vegetable substances, e.g. charcoal, or produced by hydrothermal carbonization of biomass
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/78 Recycling of wood or furniture waste

Abstract

Clean, safe and efficient methods, systems, and processes for utilizing thermolysis methods to processes to convert various treated wood sources, such as rail road ties, cross ties, RR crossing roadways, telephone poles, utility poles, cross arm members, bridge timbers, decking, walkways, dock timbers and wharf pilings, lake and ocean pier/pilings, landscaping timbers and edging, treated outdoor engineering structural and other reinforced wood composites, and other end-of-life treated wood materials, into a Clean Fuel Gas and Biochar are disclosed. The invention processes the treated wood sources using thermolysis methods to destroy and/or separate halogen and other dangerous components to provide a Clean Fuel Gas and Biochar source.

Claims

1. A method for converting a treated wood waste source to a Clean Fuel Gas and Biochar comprising:

inputting a treated wood waste source into a thermolysis system;

wherein the thermolysis system comprises a primary reactor and at least a secondary reactor, said reactors having a process temperature between about 300°

C.-1000°

C., at least two gas scrubbers, an oil/water separator, and an oil/tar cracker;

wherein the treated wood waste source comprises toxic compounds comprising inorganic and/or organic preservatives present in the waste source in an amount of at least 20 wt-%, wherein the inorganic and/or organic preservatives comprise one or more of creosote, chlorinated phenols, borates, copper, zinc, arsenic, chromium, pentachlorophenol (PCP), copper naphthenate, ammoniacal copper zinc, mixtures of coal tar oils, nitrides or other salts;

destroying and/or removing the toxic compounds in the waste source; and

generating outputs of the thermolysis system comprising Clean Fuel Gas and Biochar,

wherein the reactors generate tars and oils which are thereafter separated from the Clean Fuel Gas in the at least two gas scrubbers, thereafter, cracked in the oil/tar cracker, and sent back to the secondary reactor to generate more of the Clean Fuel Gas and no tars and oils remain in the outputs;

wherein the Clean Fuel Gas is substantially-free of halogenated organic compounds; and

wherein the Biochar is substantially-free of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins and furans.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the treated wood waste source comprises railroad ties, cross ties, RR crossing roadways, telephone poles, utility poles, cross arm members, bridge timbers, decking, walkways, dock timbers and wharf pilings, lake and ocean pier/pilings, landscaping timbers and edging, treated outdoor engineering structural and other reinforced wood composites, and/or other treated wood materials.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the toxic compounds in the treated wood waste source comprise halogenated dibenzodioxins, halogenated dibenzofurans, biphenyls, pyrenes, arsenic, chlorofluorocarbons, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the compounds destroyed comprise halogenated organic compounds, and wherein the method does not generate any toxic halogenated compounds in the process of converting the waste sources to the outputs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the Clean Fuel Gas source generated is provided back to the thermolysis system as a fuel source.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising an initial step of shredding or grinding the waste source to provide a substantially uniform size of the waste source, and optionally comprising an additional step of grinding the Biochar to provide substantially uniform particles between about 1-80 mm for desired applications of use.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the waste source is measured or the pressure in the reactor is measured and steam is injected into the reactor to increase moisture content of the waste source to about 5-20 wt-%, or the waste source is dried to decrease moisture content of the waste source to about 5-20 wt-%.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the Biochar with a dilute acid having a pH between about 1-6 in a holding tank to form a Biochar slurry for a period of time between 30 minutes and 6 hours, draining the acid solution from the tank, neutralizing the acidified Biochar with a mild base to precipitate chromium and/or arsenate contaminants from the Biochar, and separating the contaminants from the Biochar.

9. The method of claim 1 or claim 8, further comprising pelletizing the Biochar and activating the pelletized Biochar to increase the porosity by steam activation or chemical activation, wherein the pelletized Biochar has a porosity of at least about 200 m²/gram following the activation step.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein between about 15-40% of the weight of the treated wood waste source is converted into the Biochar.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising a first step of recovering creosote from treated wood waste sources comprising providing the treated wood waste source to a preheated chamber having a temperature between about 300-350°

C. for at least a few minutes to evaporate creosote compounds, condensing and removing the vapors containing the creosote compounds before the treated wood waste source is inputted into the thermolysis system.

12. The Clean Fuel Gas and Biochar produced by the method of claim 1 containing less than about 10 ppb of toxic halogenated compounds.

13. The Clean Fuel Gas and Biochar of claim 1, substantially-free of any one or more chemical compounds found in creosote.

14. The Clean Fuel Gas of claim 13, comprising syngas and biofuel.

15. The Biochar produced by the method of claim 1 containing less than about 10 ppb of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins and furans.

16. The Biochar of claim 15, wherein the Biochar is substantially-free or free of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and has a porosity of at least about 200 m²/gram.

17. A method of using the Biochar and/or Clean Fuel Gas produced by the method of claim 1 comprising:

(A) providing the Biochar as an input for use as a soil amendment, water treatment, filtration,

and/or other applications, and/or

(B) inputting the Clean Fuel Gas as a heat source.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the Clean Fuel Gas is provided as a heat source for the reactors of the thermolysis system.