System for use of land fills and recyclable materials

• US 20060005572A1
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cool Clean Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cool Clean Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Turner, Jon R., Wikstrom, Jon P., Schiller, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/606
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/00 Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols, recovery of volatile solvents by condensation B01D5/00; sublimation B01D7/00; cold traps, cold baffles B01D8/00; working-up undefined gaseous mixtures obtained by cracking hydrocarbon oils C10G70/00; cleaning coal gas C10K; working-up of natural gas, or synthetic natural gas, C10L3/10; separation of difficult-to-condense gases or air by liquefaction F25J; for investigating materials G01N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/002 by condensation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/02 by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography solid sorbent compositions B01J20/00, preparation of inorganic compounds or elements C01
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/14 by absorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/22 by diffusion manufacturing semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00; form, structure or properties of semi-permeable membranes B01D69/00; material for semi-permeable membranes B01D71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/008 Processes carried out under supercritical conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0021 by liquid gases or supercritical fluids
• CPC Class Codes: B09B 1/00 Dumping solid waste
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/06 Integration with other chemical processes
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0022 Hydrocarbons, e.g. natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0027 Oxides of carbon, e.g. CO2
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 1/0283 Gas turbine as the prime mechanical driver
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2210/66 Landfill or fermentation off-gas, e.g. "Bio-gas"
• CPC Class Codes: F25J 2290/60 Details about pipelines, i.e. network, for feed or product distribution
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/54 using solvents, e.g. supercritical solvents or ionic liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 62/929 From natural gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]

Abstract

Gases are vented from a waste site such as a landfill, and the gases are separated into at least three streams comprising a hydrocarbon stream, a carbon dioxide stream, and residue stream. At least a portion of the carbon dioxide stream and hydrocarbon stream are liquefied or converted to a supercritical liquid. At least some of the carbon dioxide gas stream (as a liquid or supercritical fluid) is used in a cleaning step, preferably a polymer cleaning step, and more preferably a polymer cleaning step in a polymer recycling process, and most preferably in a polymer cleaning step in a polymer recycling system where the cleaning is performed on-site at the waste site.

Claims

1. A process for use of gases collected from a solid/liquid material waste site comprising:

collecting gases from the material waste site

separating the collected gases into at least three streams comprising a hydrocarbon stream, a carbon dioxide stream, and residue stream,

condensing at least a portion of the carbon dioxide stream or hydrocarbon stream to a liquid or supercritical liquid,

using at least a portion of the hydrocarbon stream to generate energy, and

using energy from the hydrocarbon stream to power two commercial processes one process comprising carbon dioxide liquefaction and the other commercial process selected from the group consisting of hydrogen production, carbon black production, cleaning with carbon dioxide as a cleaning material, molding polymeric materials, and pelletizing polymeric materials.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the solid material waste site comprises a landfill and the hydrocarbon gas stream is provided by pipeline to the commercial process to provide energy and the commercial process is selected from the group consisting of cleaning with carbon dioxide as a cleaning material and pelletizing polymeric materials.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the commercial process includes at least on-site cleaning use of liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a cleaning process.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a polymeric material cleaning process.

6. The process of claim 3 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a polymeric material cleaning process that is part of a solid polymer recycling process.

7. The process of claim 3 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a polymeric material cleaning process that is part of a polymer recycling process wherein venting of gases, separating of gases into at least three streams, burning of a portion of the hydrocarbon stream, and use of energy from burning to power a process that takes place within an 18 km radius from the separation of gases into at least three gas streams.

8. The process of claim 4 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a polymeric material cleaning process that is part of a polymer recycling process wherein venting of gases, separating of gases into at least three streams, burning of a portion of the hydrocarbon stream, and use of energy from burning the hydrocarbon stream in a process that takes place within an 18 km radius from the separation of gases into at least three gas streams.

9. The process of claim 5 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a polymeric material cleaning process that is part of a polymer recycling process wherein venting of gases, separating of gases into at least three streams, burning of a portion of the hydrocarbon stream, and use of energy from burning the hydrocarbon stream in a process that takes place within an 18 km radius from the separation of gases into at least three gas streams.

10. The process of claim 6 wherein the commercial process includes using liquid carbon dioxide or supercritical carbon dioxide in a polymeric material cleaning process that is part of a polymer recycling process wherein venting of gases, separating of gases into at least three streams, burning of a portion of the hydrocarbon stream, and use of energy from burning the hydrocarbon stream in a process that takes place within an 18 km radius from the separation of gases into at least three gas streams, at least one of which is a carbon dioxide stream.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein plastic is reduced in size to smaller segments of solid plastic during the polymer recycling process, and the smaller segments of plastic are cleaned with carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide stream.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the carbon dioxide stream used to clean the smaller segments comprises supercritical liquid carbon dioxide.

13. The process of claim 11 wherein a solvent is used to remove material from the smaller segments of polymer in advance of or at the same time as the use of carbon dioxide used to clean the smaller segments of polymer.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein the solvent is an organic solvent to assist in the dissolving of adhesive or glue on the smaller segments of polymer.

19. The process of claim 1 wherein at least some carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide stream is transported through a pipe system to an apparel cleaning facility and used in an apparel cleaning process.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein a carbon dioxide stream after cleaning of apparel is purified and recycled into the apparel cleaning process.

24. The process of claim 1 wherein at least some carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide stream is used in a polymeric cleaning process, and cleaned polymer from the polymer cleaning process is pellitized and label removed from pellitized polymer using a cosolvent system comprising at least a first cosolvent selected from the group consisting of terpenes, D-limonene and parafinnic hydrocarbons, and at least one second cosolvent selected from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl lactates.

25. The process of claim 1 wherein at least some carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide stream is used in a polymeric cleaning process, and cleaned polymer from the polymer cleaning process is pellitized and label removed from pellitized polymer using a system comprising a solvent from the group consisting of C1-C6 alkyl lactates.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

21. A system of combined processes operating from a source of at least three gas streams from a waste gas stream site are selected from the group consisting of:

a) energy production, carbon black production, and hydrogen production;

b) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, and apparel cleaning;

c) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, and plastic cleaning;

d) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, plastic cleaning and pellitization of cleaned plastic;

e) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, plastic cleaning, plastic pellitization, and plastic molding or extrusion;

f) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, and aluminum cleaning;

g) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, aluminum cleaning, and cleaned aluminum ingot/sheeting formation;

h) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, and glass/ceramic cleaning; and

i) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation, glass cleaning and glass melting processes,

j) energy production, carbon dioxide liquification, supercritical or liquid carbon dioxide formation and solvent distillation processes

wherein energy production comprises providing at least some energy derived from combustion of hydrocarbon gases from at least one of said three gas streams.

22. The system of claim 21 where the waste gas stream site comprises a site having distinct cells of landfill waste mass and controls are present so that waste gas stream sites may be opened and closed from selected cells to control waste gas flow through the system.

23. (canceled)