Systems and methods for processing a heterogeneous waste stream

• US 9,879,195 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• 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): McClellan, James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iannuzzi, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/486,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20120305688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 241 19, 241 20, 241 78, 241 79, 241 2412, 241 2428, 241 29, 241 75, 241 791, 209 3
• 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 processing and sorting a municipal solid waste stream are described herein. A system can include a processing sub-system configured to receive a municipal solid waste stream and to remove the non-processable waste, a processing apparatus configured and disposed to receive constituents of the municipal solid waste stream from the processing sub-system and reduce the size of the constituents of the waste stream to an average particle size of less than about ¾ inch, and separators configured to sort the waste stream into constituents based on density.

Claims

1. A system for processing and sorting a municipal solid waste stream, the system comprising:

a first processing sub-system configured to receive the municipal solid waste stream and to remove non-processable waste;

a processing apparatus configured and disposed to receive constituents of the municipal solid waste stream from the first processing sub-system and reduce a size of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to an average particle size of less than about ¾

inch;

a first separator configured and disposed to receive the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream from the processing apparatus and to separate portions of the municipal solid waste stream via a first air flow and remove waste constituents of a first type having a bulk density greater than about 15 lb/ft³, wherein the waste constituents of the first type are substantially all hard plastic;

a first blower configured and disposed to provide the first air flow to the first separator;

a second separator configured and disposed to receive the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream having a bulk density less than about 15 lb/ft³ from the first separator and to separate portions of the constituents of the municipal solid waste via a second air flow and remove waste constituents of a second type having a bulk density greater than about 4 lb/ft³ from waste constituents of a third type having a bulk density less than about 4 lb/ft³, wherein the waste constituents of the second type are substantially all fiber and the waste constituents of the third type are substantially all soft plastic;

a second blower configured and disposed to provide the second air flow to the second separator;

a first mixer configured and disposed to combine the hard plastic and the soft plastic in a first predetermined ratio to form an intermediate stream; and

a second mixer configured and disposed to combine the intermediate stream and the fiber in a second predetermined ratio.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third separator configured and disposed to receive the waste constituents of the third type having a bulk density less than about 4 lb/ft³ from the second separator and to separate and remove waste constituents of a fourth type having a bulk density greater than about 1 lb/ft³.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processing sub-system includes a shredder configured to reduce the size of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to less than about 4 inches.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the shredder is configured to reduce the size of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to less than about 1 inch.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processing sub-system includes a density separator configured to separate and remove the non-processable waste.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the density separator is a cyclone separator.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the density separator is a fluidized bed separator.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processing apparatus is a shredder.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the shredder is configured to reduce the size of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to less than about ½

inch.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the shredder is configured to reduce the size of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to less than about ⅜

inch.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the shredder is configured to reduce the size of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to less than about ¼

inch.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first separator is a cyclone separator.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the first separator is a fluidized bed separator.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the second separator is a cyclone separator.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the second separator is a fluidized bed separator.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second processing subsystem configured and disposed to deliver an additive to at least one of a conditioner, a mixer, a conveyer, a densifier, a granulator, a pulverizer, and a storage bunker containing at least one of the waste constituents of the first type, the waste constituents of the second type, or the waste constituents of the third type, after separation by the first separator or after separation by the second separator.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a densifier configured and disposed to receive and to compress the waste constituents from the mixer to form a densified engineered fuel feed stock.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a granulator configured and disposed to receive the densified engineered fuel feed stock from the densifier and to form a pulverized engineered fuel feed stock.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an optical sorter configured and disposed to separate a portion of the waste constituents.

16. A system, comprising:

a first shredder configured to receive constituents of a municipal solid waste stream and reduce sizes of the constituents of the municipal solid waste stream to less than about 4 inches;

a first density separator configured and disposed to receive a shredded waste stream from the first shredder and to separate and to remove non-processable waste;

a second shredder configured and disposed to receive constituents of processable waste from the first density separator and to reduce sizes of the constituents of the processable waste to less than about ½

inch;

a second density separator configured and disposed to receive constituents of processable waste from the second shredder and to separate and remove hard plastic material from non-hard plastic material;

a third density separator configured and disposed to receive the non-hard plastic material from the second density separator and to separate and remove fiber material from non-fiber material; and

a mixer configured and disposed to combine in a predetermined ratio the waste constituents of the hard plastic material and the fiber material after separation by the first density separator or after separation by the second density separator;

a densifier configured and disposed to receive and to compress waste constituents from the mixer; and

a granulator configured and disposed to receive waste constituents from the densifier and to form a pulverized engineered fuel feed stock.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a fourth density separator configured and disposed to receive the non-fiber material from the third density separator and to separate and remove soft plastic material.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a conditioner configured and disposed to deliver an additive to at least one of the waste constituents of the hard plastic material or the fiber material after separation by the first density separator or after separation by the second density separator.