Microwave-based recovery of hydrocarbons and fossil fuels

• US 7,629,497 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Greentech Energy Solutions, Ltd., Mobilestream Oil, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Global Resource Inc.
• Inventors: Pringle, Frank G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldarola; Glenn A
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCAIG, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US11/610,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20070131591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 208/402, 204/157.15, 204/157.43, 204/158.21, 588/310, 588/319, 588/405, 588408-409, 588/900, 588/219, 219/690, 219/748
• US Class Current: 585/241
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1815 using microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/126 Microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/1818 in series
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/1825 in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/20 in the form of helices, e.g. screw reactors
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/00006 Large-scale industrial plants
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0875 Gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0877 Liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0884 Gas-liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0886 Gas-solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/089 Liquid-solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1239 Means for feeding and evacuation
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/1275 Controlling the microwave irradiation variables
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal mechanical winning of oil from oil-shales, oil-sand, or the like B03B
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/04 by extraction
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/10 from rubber or rubber waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 15/08 by electric means or by electromagnetic or mechanical vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/802 for heating fluids methods of heating fluids in conventional microwave ovens H05B6/687

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for decomposing and extracting compositions for the recovery of petroleum-based materials from composites comprising those petroleum-based materials, comprising subjecting the compositions and/or composites to microwave radiation, wherein the microwave radiation is in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 18 GHz. The present invention also provides for products produced by the methods of the present invention and for apparatuses used to perform the methods of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for decomposing a composition comprising a petroleum-based material, comprising:

subjecting said composition to microwave radiation for a time sufficient to at least partially decompose said composition,

wherein said microwave radiation comprises at least one frequency component in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 18 GHz; and

recovering decomposed petroleum-based material at a pressure less than one atmosphere, wherein said composition is derived from a tire.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said composition is decomposed to form at least one of oil, gas, steel, sulfur, and carbon black.

3. A method for decomposing a composition comprising a petroleum-based material, comprising:

subjecting said composition to microwave radiation for a time sufficient to at least partially decompose said composition,

wherein said microwave radiation comprises at least one frequency component in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 18 GHz; and

recovering decomposed petroleum-based material at a pressure less than one atmosphere, wherein said composition comprises plastic.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said plastic comprises ethylene (co)polymer, propylene (co)polymer, styrene (co)polymer, butadiene (co)polymer, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, (meth)acrylic (co)polymer, or a mixture thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said composition is decomposed to form at least one monomer.

6. A method for decomposing a composition comprising a petroleum-based material, comprising:

subjecting said composition to microwave radiation for a time sufficient to at least partially decompose said composition, wherein the temperature of said composition does not exceed about 700°

F.;

wherein said microwave radiation comprises at least one frequency component in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 18 GHz; and

recovering decomposed petroleum-based material at a pressure less than one atmosphere.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to less than about 12% oxygen.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to less than about 8% oxygen.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to an inert gas atmosphere.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said microwave radiation comprises at least one frequency component in the range of from 4.0 GHz to about 12 GHz.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to less than atmospheric pressure.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to a pressure of less than about 40 Torr.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to a pressure of less than 20 Torr.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein said composition is exposed to a pressure of less than 5 Torr.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the temperature of said composition does not exceed about 500°

F.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the temperature of said composition does not exceed about 465°

F.

17. The method of claim 6, wherein said microwave radiation comprises one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies is in the range of from about 4.0 and about 7.2 GHz.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies is in the range of from about 4.0 and about 6.0 GHz.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein said microwave radiation comprises a sweeping range of microwave radiation frequencies.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the range of microwave radiation frequencies comprises a bandwidth of about 4 GHz.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the range of frequencies of said radiation is in the C-Band frequency range.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the range of frequencies of said radiation is in the X-Band frequency range.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the frequencies of said radiation is in the range of from about 5.8 GHz to about 7.0 GHz.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the frequencies of said radiation is in the range of from about 7.9 GHz to about 8.7 GHz.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the sweeping range of microwave radiation frequencies encompasses one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the range of microwave radiation frequencies is about +/−

2 GHz of the pre-selected microwave radiation frequency.