Method and apparatus for treating solid municipal refuse and other cellulose containing material

• US 4,235,707 A
• Filed: 04/09/1979
• Issued: 11/25/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Burke Davoud & Associates
• Original Assignee: Burke Davoud & Associates
• Inventors: Burke, Jerry A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hill, Ralph J.
• Application Number:
  US06/028,605
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 209/930, 209/638, 209/639, 209/3, 209/10, 209/134-137, 209/142, 209/145, 162/4, 162/21, 162/22, 241/1, 241/301, 241/2, 241/DIG. 38, 241/24, 239/592-594, 422/184, 89/145 B, 99/323.4
• US Class Current: 209/3
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/02 Feed or outlet devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 1/06 by varying ambient atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B03B 9/06 specially adapted for refuse
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/52 Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 241/38 Solid waste disposal

Abstract

Solid Municipal Waste is loaded, or loaded and compacted, into a pressure vessel which has means for very fast opening for discharging the contents. The pressure vessel is pressurized, with steam, or a compressed gas such as compressed air. The pressure vessel can be fitted with a breech and a quick release muzzle cover and at the discharge end (muzzle) thereof is fitted with an orifice whose purpose is to promote a powerful turbulence and shock wave, through which the exiting solid material must pass to maintain pressure within the vessel during discharge, and to control the rate of discharge. The disruptive forces produced at the orifice, which can be either a sub-sonic, sonic, or supersonic flow orifice, are a function of the strength of the shock wave or the turbulence. The discharged material is then gravity separated in the wet or dry conditions and the separated materials are then employed in additional processes, or employed as landfill depending on its chemical and physical properties.

Claims

1. A method of treating solid municipal waste and other solid materials containing organic and inorganic substances comprising the steps:

(a) loading the solid materials into an elongated pressure vessel;

(b) pressurizing the loaded pressure vessel with compressed gas;

(c) causing the pressurized contents to rapidly discharge from the pressure vessel through a restricted orifice to thereby promote a powerful turbulence and shock wave;

(d) collecting the discharged material in a container having a volume substantially larger than the volume of the pressure vessel;

(e) maintaining the pressure in the container not substantially above ambient pressure;

(f) causing the discharged material in the container to separate into heavy and light fractions in either a wet or a dry condition; and

(g) separately removing the heavy and light fractions from the container;

said method further characterized in that the vessel is discharged horizontally over the surface of water in a tank and where the contents fall into the tank.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the orifice directs the ejected material against or into baffles which aid in the disruptive effect of ejection.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the water tank is enclosed in a vessel and is equipped with a moving belt at some distance below the surface of water.

4. The method defined in claim 1, where the pressurizing medium is compressed air, or compressed nitrogen.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the pressurizing medium is saturated steam, in equilibrium with saturated water.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the pressurizing medium is superheated steam.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the pressure vessel is loaded at one end, and discharged from the other.

8. The method defined in claim 3 whereby the heavy fraction of the discharge, having specific gravity effectively greater than one, settles onto the moving belt and is conveyed and removed from the tank.

9. The method defined in claim 8 whereby the light fraction of the discharged contents, having specific gravity effectively equal to or less than one, is removed by forced flow of the water in the tank, and separated from the heavy portion, and sheet plastic and unfragmented cloth and other unfragmented light fraction.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the pressure vessel is pressurized with a dry gas and discharged into a stream of gas moving in a direction substantially different from the line of discharge of the pressure vessel, effecting the separation of the heavier and lighter fractions by allowing the heavy fraction to settle substantially along the line of discharge of the pressure vessel, while the lighter fraction is blown from the line of discharge and settles at some distance from the line of discharge.

11. The method defined in claim 10 in which the heavy and light fractions are allowed to settle onto conveyors.

12. The method defined in claim 10 in which the light and heavy fractions, after primary separation, are each subjected to a second air separation process by allowing each to pass through an air stream which effects a more refined separation.

13. The method defined in claim 10 in which the residual energy contained in the compressed gases after size reduction is used to separate the light weight material from the heavy weight material.

14. Apparatius for treating solid municipal waste and other solid materials containing organic and inorganic substances comprising:

(a) means for loading solid materials into an elongated pressure vessel;

(b) means for pressurizing the loaded pressure vessel with compressed gas;

(c) means for rapidly discharging the pressurized contents from the pressure vessel through a restricted orifice to thereby promote a powerful turbulence and shock wave;

(d) means for collecting the discharged material in a container having a volume substantially larger than the volume of the pressure vessel;

(e) means for maintaining the pressure in the container not substantially above ambient pressure;

(f) means for separating the discharged material in the container into heavy and light fractions in either a wet or a dry condition; and

(g) means for separately removing the heavy and light fractions from the container;

said apparatus further including means to vent the container to prevent over-pressurization thereof and further means for releasing a vacuum from the interior of the container.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 further including means to spray-wash - tumble and spray, then tumble dry the heavy fraction to remove any adhered organic material and means to return the organic material to the slurry and further means to rotate the heavy fraction to remove water therefrom and to return the water to the container.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein a pool of water is maintained in the container.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 16 including means to stir the water in the container.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 14 including spray means in the container to condense the expanding gas.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein the means of clause c includes a nozzle.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19 wherein the nozzle has a plurality of steps.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein the last step of the plurality of steps is off-center in respect to the means for collecting the material discharged from the pressure vessel.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 14 including a gradually expanding section connecting the pressure vessel with container of clause d.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 22 wherein the means of clause c includes a nozzle.

24. The apparatus defined in claim 23 wherein the nozzle has a plurality of steps each of decreased cross dimension.

25. The apparatus defined in claim 23 wherein the nozzle is off-center in respect to the means for collecting the material discharged from the pressure vessel.