CA3092349A1 - System for recycling waste and methods of use thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for providing solid material substantially free form contact with an organic compound. The method includes shredding a material with at least a known organic compound having a vaporizing temperature, separating all of or at least a quantity of liquid from the material after shredding, providing the material to a desorption unit and heating the desorption unit to desorb the known compound from the solid material by producing a gas comprising the known organic compound, condensing the gas, and collecting the known organic compound to form a substantially chemically uniform organic compound product composition.

Description

SYSTEM FOR RECYCLING WASTE AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to devices and systems for recycling waste material and methods of use thereof. Particularly, the disclosure relates to devices, systems, and methods for recycling solid waste material to produce useful and beneficial products.
BACKGROUND

[0002] Disposal of waste material has been an ongoing concern. In response to the need to prevent further contamination of the groundwater, the government enacted regulations that aim to protect the environment from such seepage of contam inants from waste material. Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a hierarchy of preferred waste management options. In the hierarchy, waste prevention is the most desirable goal, but when waste cannot be prevented, the EPA
recommends that the waste material be recycled. The EPA has stated that the disposal of waste material in landfills, the least desirable alternative, should be avoided if possible.

[0003] In response, systems have been developed to recycle waste material.
Recycling solid waste material and converting it into or reclaiming valuable products, such as solvents, is beneficial to the environment because it reduces pollution and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; reduces the need to extract and process raw materials to manufacture new products; and conserves natural Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 resources. Additionally, recycling is economical ¨ avoiding the costly procedure of waste material disposal.

[0004] Conventional systems for recycling waste material are inadequate because they fail to recycle a broad range of solid waste material into beneficial and useful products and/or are limited in throughput due to limitations of equipment within the system. Therefore, systems and methods are needed that can efficiently recycle solid waste material into beneficial and useful products such as organic solvents, while addressing the deficiencies of the prior art systems.
SUMMARY

[0005] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] In various aspects of the present disclosure, a method and apparatus for providing solid material substantially free of an organic compound is described. The method includes shredding a material, preferably a solid material, with at least a known organic compound having a vaporizing temperature, separating all of or at least a quantity of liquid from the material after shredding, providing the material to a desorption unit and heating the material to desorb or vaporize the known organic compound from the material producing a gas comprising the known organic compound, condensing the gas, and collecting the known organic compound to form a substantially chemically uniform organic compound product composition.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

[0007] In one aspect of the disclosure, a system for separating at least a known organic compound having a vaporizing temperature from a solid material is described.
The system comprises a shredder to reduce initial component size into a selected subcomponent size, a liquid separator to separate liquid that is separated from the solid material post shredding via the shredder, and a desorption unit for desorbing the known organic compound from the solid material by heating the material and producing a gas comprising the known organic compound, wherein the desorption unit is configured to output a solid material that is substantially free from the known organic compound. The system may further include a condensing system for condensing the gas so that the known organic compound can be collected to form a substantially chemically uniform organic compound product composition. The system may additionally include a control system to selectively control operation of at least one of the shredder, liquid separator, desorption unit, and condensing unit.

[0008] Additional advantages and novel features of these aspects will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or upon learning by practice of the present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The features believed to be characteristic of aspects of the present disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same numerals, respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and certain figures Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 may be shown in exaggerated or generalized form in the interest of clarity and conciseness. The present disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative aspects of the disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing an overview of an example system and method of the recycling system in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates one example of a recycling system in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 contains a representative diagram of example computer system components capable of carrying out various functionality described in example implementations of a control system and other processes in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of various example system components on a network for use in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details.
I. Terminology

[0015] The term "recyclable material" may be used throughout the specification and is intended to encompass at least materials that are hazardous and/or non-hazardous. Some non-limiting examples that may be treated processed and/or recycled in the present invention, include any one or a combination of paint waste such as cans and/or other containers that include paint residue or left-over paint, solvent-soaked rags or fabrics, resins, tires, polymers, production debris, refinery wastes, plastic parts, crop residue, municipal wastes, drill cuttings, scrap metals, cleaned metals, discarded commercial products, and/or electronic components. Recyclable material may include waste materials that are hydrocarbons or substituted hydrocarbons in a solid or liquid form, or waste material with hydrocarbons or substituted hydrocarbons combined, mixed, contained or associated with some type of solid carrier material. In one example, the recyclable material may comprise organic compounds capable of being volatilized or semi-volatilized at high temperatures (e.g., between about 200 C to about 900 C) and the organic compounds are associated with, coating, entrapped by, saturated, contained by, or integral to the material, may be removed from the material without the compounds undergoing oxidation or combustion. It is further noted that the use of the term hydrocarbon does not limit the constituents to only carbon and hydrogen. The organic compounds capable of being volatilized using aspects of the present disclosure may Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 corn prise hydrocarbon and substituted hydrocarbon corn pounds or molecules, and these terms may be used interchangeably throughout the specification.

[0016] Throughout the disclosure, the term "substantially," "about," or "approximately" and the like may be used as a modifier for either a geometric relationship, measurement and/or quantity. While the terms substantially or approximately are not limited to a specific variation and may cover any variation that is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to be an acceptable variation, some examples are provided as follows. In one example, the terms substantially or approximately may include a variation of less than 10% of the dimension, measurement, and/or quantity. In another example, the terms substantially or approximately may include a variation of less than 5% of the dimension, measurement, and/or quantity. In another example, the terms substantially or approximately may include a variation of less than 2% of the dimension, measurement, and/or quantity. These examples are not intended to be limiting and may be increased or decreased based on the understanding of acceptable limits to one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0017] The term "volatile" and/or "semi-volatile", as used herein, may refer to compounds that vaporize or evaporate at a relatively low temperature, and semi-volatile corn pounds may refer to corn pounds that vaporize or evaporate at higher tern peratu res .
The two terms may be used interchangeably throughout the disclosure unless otherwise indicated.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

[0018] The term "vaporize" as used herein, may refer to a state in which an element or compound is in or has undergone a phase transition and includes any one or a combination of evaporation, boiling and/or sublimation. As one example, a vaporization temperature, as used herein may refer to a tem perature at which an element or compound at least partially or fully vaporizes or begins to vaporize.

[0019] In this application, terms such as "a," "an," and "the" are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terms "a," "an," and "the" are used interchangeably with the term at least one. The phrases at least one of" and "comprises at least one of"
followed by a list refers to any one of the items in the list and any combination of two or more items in the list. All numerical ranges are inclusive of their endpoints and non-integral values between the endpoints unless otherwise stated.

[0020] The terms first, second, third, and fourth are used in this disclosure. It will be understood that, unless otherwise noted, those terms are used in their relative sense only. In particular, in some aspects certain components may be present in interchangeable and/or identical multiples (e.g., pairs). For these components, the designation of first, second, third, and/or fourth may be applied to the components merely as a matter of convenience in the description of one or more of the aspects of the disclosure.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 II. Overview

[0021] For context, a broad overview is provided of aspects of the present disclosure and the advantages the present disclosure provides. This overview, and the detailed description that follows, have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the present disclosure to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings, including a combination of the abovementioned aspects. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art.
The various aspects were chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the present disclosure and various aspects as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The scope of the present disclosure is, of course, not limited to the examples or aspects set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather, it is hereby intended the scope be defined by the claims appended hereto.

[0022] The present disclosure includes methods and systems for treating waste, including solid, liquid or mixtures, hazardous waste, and recycling organic compounds and rendering the waste substantially free from hazardous characteristics such as volatile hydrocarbons. Aspects of the present disclosure are related to methods and systems for obtaining compounds that become volatile once a certain temperate is reached.
A method and system in accordance with the current disclosure is capable of rendering a starting waste material substantially non-hazardous in that the volatile and semi-volatile compounds are substantially removed. The volatile and semi-volatile compounds, once Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 removed, may be capable of being recycled or otherwise reused. In addition, the solid materials may for example be re-usable for various industrial processes. In one aspect, the present disclosure makes use of indirect heating of a recyclable material in an anaerobic environment such that the volatile and semi-volatile compounds do not undergo combustion. In one example, solid materials remaining after treatment of recyclable materials in accordance with the present disclosure may have substantially reduced hazardous characteristics and thus result in a useful carbon and/or mineral end product that may be used for various industrial processes. One particularly useful aspect of the current disclosure is the efficient separation of at least the majority the semi-volatile and volatile components from the solid components of the recyclable material such that the remaining solid residue material no longer classified as having hazardous characteristics according to current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.

[0023]
As a broad overview, the system and method of treating a recyclable material in accordance with the current disclosure may include the following steps.
Recyclable material(s) may be collected and tested via an automated process and/or manually by technicians to determine the types of organic compounds associated with the recyclable material(s). The recyclable materials may then be sorted and a specific type of material may be selected for treatment. The recyclable material may then be provided to a shredder, which reduces the recyclable material to a generally uniform or smaller size. In one example, the size of the material may be determined either based on the size requirements of the tipping valve of the system, in that the valves must be capable Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 of moving the particularly sized material and/or based on the necessary surface area for exposure during heating for separation of organic constituents from the material.

[0024] Once the material is shredded, liquids that are either generated during the shredding process and/or liquids that are otherwise separated from the shredded recyclable material may be separated. The separation of liquid may be particularly advantageous in improving the efficiency and throughput of the system by decreasing organic loading when the organic constituents are separated in the next step of the process. The liquids separated during this step may be pumped into or otherwise provided to a holding area and/or may be re-fed through the system for further processing.

[0025] After separation of liquids from the solids post shredding, the solid waste material undergoes indirect heating (e.g., the material is never exposed to direct flame heating) at high temperatures to separate organic constituents. In one aspect of the disclosure, the solid material may be subject to indirect heating via a rotating heated container. In one aspect, the materials are subject to indirect heating within a container that is purged to achieve an anaerobic atmosphere designed to minimize the oxidation and combustion of hydrocarbon components as they are separated from the solid material. The aforementioned high temperatures may cause the volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds to be separated from the solids. A vacuum may then be used to remove the volatile and semi-volatile compounds continuously from the heated container.
Once removed from the container, the gases may be separately processed from the solids. The gasses generated during the aforementioned separation process may then be condensed. In one example, the gases may be condensed to form a water/organic Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 compound mixture that is sent to a water/organic compound separator to be processed.
The resulting organic compound may then be further processed to separate the individual components of the organic compound. For example, the organic mixture may be processed through a fractionation distillation process for reclaiming and recycling organic compounds into industrial processes.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of one method and system in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, of an embodiment of the present invention. It is noted that while specific steps are shown in the process diagram of Figure 1, additional steps may be added and/or steps that are shown may be emitted without departing from the scope of the current disclosure. Further, it is noted that anyone or a combination of the systems and processes may be automated via a computer system and/or monitored over a network as described in the example outlined in Figures 3 and 4.

[0027] In one example, recyclable material is provided as shown by reference 101.
It is noted that recyclable material may be provide either manually, e.g., by a worker or plurality of workers and/or may be provide via an automated system (e.g., via a conveyor or other transportation system). The recyclable material is introduced into the recycling system 100. The Recyclable material then directed, deposited, fed or otherwise conveyed into one or more shredders at step 103. In one example, an apparatus usable to shred the recyclable material may include a hopper or other container to hold and feed the recyclable material into the shredder or other device designed to render the size of the waste material to reduced size pieces, which may be relatively consistently sized. The Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 shredder is not limited to any particular type of shredder and may include any one or a combination of known shredders in the art.

[0028]
Once the material is shredded, liquids that are either generated during the shredding process and/or liquids that are otherwise separated from the shredded recyclable material in step 103 may be separated in liquid separation step 105. In one example, the liquid separation and conveyance of the materials may occur using a conveyor or series of upwardly tilted or angled conveyor(s) that causes any liquid to run down the conveyor while conveying the post shredded material upward into the desorption unit. The aforementioned conveyor may for example be a drag chain conveyor. In another example, the separating step may occur using any one or combination of an enclosed trommel screen and/or a drag chain conveyor. The separation of liquid may be helpful to improve the efficiency and throughput of the system by decreasing organic loading when the organic constituents are separated in step 107. The liquids separated during step 105 may be pumped into or otherwise provided to a holding area and/or may be re-fed through the system for further processing as described in the examples discussed with respect to Figure 2 below. It is noted that while any one or a combination of an enclosed trommel screen and/or a drag chain conveyor is provided as an example, any apparatus or system that is capable of separating liquids from solids post shredding may be implemented. In one example, the enclosed trommel screen may be In addition, a drag chain conveyor useable to accomplish step 105 of the current disclosure may be It is noted that in one example, liquids may only be partially separated from the solids in the liquid separation step. For example, the amount of liquid that is Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 separated from the solids post shredding may be optimized based on the throughput requirements of the system and/or the recyclable material. Further, the amount of liquid that is separated from the solids post shredding may be continually or periodically varied based on any one or a combination of the type of recyclable material, the throughput of the system, environmental factors and/or requirements, to name a few examples.
As noted in further detail below, the amount of liquid separation continually and/or periodically varied via an automated process. For example, the amount of liquid separation may be controlled based on outputs of sensors or other detection systems at various steps of the recycling process.

[0029] After separation of the liquids from the post shredded material, the waste material may then be subject to a separation step 107 for separation of organic constituents from the material. In one example, a desorption unit may be used to separate organic constituents from the post shredded material in separation step 107.
The desorption unit may include an Anaerobic Thermal Desorption Unit (ATDU). Thus, the terms desorption unit and ATDU may be interchangeably used throughout the disclosure.

[0030] In one example, after the liquid is separated from the solids post shredding, the material may be conveyed to a desorption via any one or a combination of comprise conveyor belts, including for example a dragline conveyor, bucket elevators, screw conveyors or other conveyance systems. The desorption unit may for example include a container such as a rotating drum. The desorption unit may further include a heating system designed to provide heat to the material. In one example, the material in the desorption unit may be heated in a manner such that the hydrocarbons in the post Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 shredded material undergo minimal to no structural modification due to either combustion or oxidation.

[0031]
The aforementioned desorption unit may for example include an inlet door and an outlet door, one or both of which may be automatic or otherwise automated via the systems described with respect to Figures 3 and 4 below. The inlet and/or outlet door may be configured to seal the container from the external environment after the waste material is conveyed into the container of the desorption unit. In addition, the desorption unit may further be configured to create an anaerobic atmosphere, e.g., by purging the interior of the container of oxygen and replacing the air volume of the container with any one or a combination of an inert gas, other gases, or steam. Oxygen may be purged from the desorption unit by any known system. Some examples of systems purging systems may include but are not limited a vacuum system for removal of atmospheric air, and a delivery system wherein a gas or steam is delivered into the container.
Further, as an example, the inert gas used to replace the oxygen in some aspects may include any one or a combination of argon, nitrogen, xenon, carbon dioxide, steam, to name a few non-limiting examples. In one example, the purging system and delivery system of an inert gas may for example be manually operated, fully automated, and/or partially automated.
The aforementioned example is not intended to be limiting as the purging of atmospheric oxygen and replacement of the oxygen may include any system known in the art.
In another aspect, the interior container of the desorption unit may be purged of atmospheric air and maintained in a vacuum without gas or steam replacement. The aforementioned Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 vacuum system and/or additional vacuum systems may be used to remove the volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds from the container after heating.

[0032] As mentioned above, the desorption unit may include a heating system. The heating system may for example include multiple burners that provide heat indirectly to the contents of the container of the desorption unit. Fuel for the heating system may comprise any known fuel. In one aspect, the system may use recycled liquid hydrocarbons or solid residue materials produced during the recycling process to fuel the heating system. The heating system does not need to directly heat the chamber, and may for example include burners or any other heat producing apparatus that is external to or remote from the container of the desorption unit. In the aforementioned example, heat may be transferred from the heat producing apparatus to the desorption unit via heat conductive coils or other methods of heat transfer known in the art. In another aspect, the container of the desorption unit may comprise electrical heating elements. In one preferred aspect, the desorption unit may be heated by the heating unit to temperatures ranging from about 200 C to about 900 C.

[0033] After separation of organic constituents in separation step 107, the recyclable material may be separated into solid residue material, which is subject to solids processing in solids processing step 109, and hydrocarbon gases, which are subject to hydrocarbon gas processing in gas processing step 111. At the solids processing step, solid residue material from the separation step 107 may or may not have hydrocarbons associated with the solid material. The solid residue processing step 109 may subject post separation to any one or a combination of drying, heat treatment of the solid residue Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 material, separation of ferrous materials, and/or milling or mixing of the solid residue material. Further, in some aspects an additional step may be implemented to remove any remaining organic or hydrocarbon compounds that are associated with the solid material resulting from treatment in the desorption unit during the separation step 107. In the aforementioned example, the solid material may be treated with a solution to remove the organic compounds prior to drying the solid material. For example, the solid material leaving the desorption unit may be subjected to steaming, with the wash material or condensate material being collected and subject to hydrocarbon gas processing in step 111. In one aspect, the solid residue material may be collected after solids processing in step 109 without further treatment or separation, and used for other applications such as for fuel. In any of the aforementioned examples, the solid residue material that is treated in the solids processing may be further processed, separated, or provided as fuel. In one example, the solids processed in step 109 may be separated manually by technicians or workers, and/or may be conveyed to a solid residue separation unit (not shown). The solid residue separation unit may for include a number of systems for separating the solids output from the solids processing step 109 based upon specific characteristics of the materials output from as a result of the solids processing step. In one example, a solid residue separation unit may separate the solids via a single or series of shaker screen separators to separate the components of the solid residue material based upon size or density. In another aspect, the solid residue separation may include a magnetic separator system to separate ferrous materials from non-ferrous materials. The solid residue separation unit may also comprise systems and components for resolving heterogeneous Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 mixtures of solid materials based upon size, density, metallic property, or other physical properties, to name some additional examples.

[0034]
Organic compounds recovered from the desorption unit in step 107 and/or during solids processing in step 109 may be subject to a condensing process in step 111.
The condensing process in step 111 may be accomplished via may comprise a number of components and systems as required and may be determined by the characteristics of the recyclable material entering the system. In one example, the condensing step 111 may be accomplished via use of one or more of a water quench scrubber, a venturi scrubber, through a demister, and/or a series of chilled tubes, wherein the gases are conveyed through one or more components of the condensation unit and some or all of the gases condense into liquids and are collected. The liquids resulting from the hydrocarbon gas processing/condensing step 111 may then be subject to liquid hydrocarbon separation in step 115. In some instances, components of the gases removed from the waste material may include gases that are not condensable.
Non-condensable gases may be subject to a non-condensable gas treatment step 113.
In one aspect, the non-condensable gas treatment unit 100 may comprise gas scrubbers, filters, or a combination of scrubbers and filters as would be known to one skilled in the art, or as may be required by specific environmental regulations. In a further aspect, the non-condensable gas treatment step may include treatment of non-condensable gases by forcing the gases through activated charcoal prior to venting the gases to the atmosphere.
The charcoal bed may be configured to remove absorbable gas, liquid or particulate material or may comprise an enclosed flare which combusts and destroys the non-Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 condensable gases. In one example, the system may be configured to generate power using the non-condensable gases (e.g., via a turbine system).

[0035]
Condensate that results from the hydrocarbon gas processing/condensing step 111, may include organic compounds and water. Thus, in one aspect of the disclosure, the condensate may be subject to a liquid hydrocarbon separation step 115.
In the liquid hydrocarbon separation step 115. In one example, the system liquid hydrocarbons may be subject to a liquid hydrocarbon separation step 115. In one example, liquids may be collected in a sump during the hydrocarbon gas/processing condensing step 111. The liquids collected in the sump may include water and liquid hydrocarbons. Liquid from the sump system may be subject to a liquid hydrocarbon separation step 115 via a liquid hydrocarbon/water separator unit, for example. In one example, the liquid hydrocarbon/water separator unit may include an over and under baffle system separator. The water resulting from treatment by the liquid hydrocarbon/water separator may be used or disposed of. For example, the water may be conveyed to a heat exchanger and cooling tower prior to conveyance into a water holding tank. The water may then be reused in various systems and components of the recycling system. In addition, in the liquid hydrocarbon separation step 115, the liquid hydrocarbons which have been separated from water by the liquid hydrocarbon/water separator unit may then be conveyed to a liquid hydrocarbon separator unit.
The liquid hydrocarbon separator unit may include a system capable of separating mixtures of liquid hydrocarbons based upon physical and chemical characteristics, as well as any requirements for the organic compound product compositions. In one example, the liquid Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 hydrocarbon separator unit may include a column distillation unit which separates organic compounds of the liquid hydrocarbon stream based upon the boiling points of the organic compounds therein. In one aspect of the disclosure, the operation of the distillation column is automated and programmed based upon the desired products to be collected from the distillation column. The mixed liquid hydrocarbon separator unit may include a process chromatography column which may separate the organic compounds of the mixed liquid hydrocarbon stream based upon molecular weight, hydrophobicity or physicochemical properties of the organic compounds. In another example implementation of the disclosed system, the mixed liquid hydrocarbon separator unit may include systems configured to separate the organic compounds based upon freezing point. In another example implementation of the disclosure, a mixed liquid hydrocarbon separator unit may separate the organic compounds based upon a chemical characteristic.

[0036]
It is noted that the aforementioned overview is provided for context and as a broad overview of example embodiments of the present invention, consistent with the spirit and content of the information disclosed herein, may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. The order of the steps may be altered in someembodiments, or particular steps may be omitted as required by the particular use of the present invention. Additional example implementations of the disclosure are described in the example below.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 III. Examples

[0037] Figure 2 shows one example of a system 200 in accordance with the present disclosure. The recycling system may include a shredder 202, a desorption unit 230, a condensing unit 250, and a liquid hydrocarbon separator unit 280. As mentioned above, while the compounds capable of being volatilized are referred to throughout the disclosure as hydrocarbons, this use is not meant to be limiting in the description of compounds that are processed in accordance with the current disclosure. Some examples of hydrocarbons include but are not limited to alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and alkynes, which may be straight chained, branched chain, cyclic, or a combination of straight, branched and cyclic structures, and/or hydrocarbon compounds which may comprise heteroatom or functional group substitutions, including but not limited to, halogens, oxygen, nitrogen and other appropriate heteroatoms.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, the recyclable material (not shown), which may hereinafter be interchangeably referred to as waste material, including hazardous and/or non-hazardous waste material, may be provided to the shredder 202. The shredder 202 may for example be any device designed to decrease the size of the hazardous and/or non-hazardous waste material to a generally uniform size suitable for further processing by the recycling system 200. The shredder 202 may further comprise additional components and features as required to efficiently provide size reduction to materials.
Such additional features may include but are not limited to heating, cooling, drying, mixing, and/or containment as necessary. In one example, the shredder 202 may reduce the hazardous and/or non-hazardous waste materials into pieces having an average Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 diameter or maximum dimension of two inches or less. In another example, the shredder 202 may reduce hazardous and/or non-hazardous waste material into pieces having a size an average diameter or maximum dimension ranging from two inches to ten inches.
One example of a shredder usable with the current disclosure may be hydraulic shredder (e.g., any one or a combination of a single shaft, two shaft, three shaft, or four shaft shredder) produced by 551 Shredding Systems Inc. of Wilsonville, OR.

[0039] In addition to reducing the recyclable hazardous and/or non-hazardous waste material into smaller pieces for further processing, the reduction of materials in the shredder 202 may result in the generation and/or separation of liquids from the materials reduced. The additional liquid generated during the shredding step may result in increased loading of the Anaerobic Thermal Desorption Unit (ATDU) unit during the separation of organic constituents (described in further detail below). Thus, in one aspect, a liquid separation system 210, may be implemented for separating liquids from the solids post shredding. In one example, the liquid separation system may include any one or combination of a single or plurality of trommel screen(s), such as a rotary trommel separation screen, and/or single or multiple drag chain conveyor(s) either for separating liquid from solids and/or for conveying the material from the shredder to a separator and/or the ATDU.

[0040] As shown in the example in Figure 2, the separation system 210 may receive solid and/or liquid material transported from the shredder 202 via a first conveyor 204. In one example, the first conveyor 204 may for example be conveyor. One example of a conveyor usable as the first conveyor 204 may for example be a single or series of Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 upwardly tilted or angled conveyor(s) that causes any liquid to run down the conveyor while conveying the post shredded material upward into the desorption unit.
The aforementioned conveyor may for example be a drag chain conveyor. It is noted that while a drag chain conveyor described as one example implementation of the disclosure, any type of conveyance for conveying material and/or liquid may be used. For example, the first conveyor 204 may include any one or a combination of a chute conveyor, a troughed belt conveyor, a magnetic conveyor, a slat conveyor, a gravity roller conveyor and/or a rotary or screw conveyor to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0041]
The first conveyor 210 may for example convey the materials post shredding to a post shredding liquid separation unit 206, which may hereinafter be interchangeably referred to as a liquid separation unit 206. In one example implementation of the disclosure, the liquid separation unit 206 may include a single or series of trommel screen separators. As a more specific example, the liquid separation unit may include a commercially available enclosed rotary trommel screen separator. It is noted that while any one or a combination of an enclosed trommel screen and/or a drag chain conveyor, any apparatus or system that is capable of separating liquids from solids post shredding may be implemented.

[0042]
In one example implementation of a liquid separator system 210 shown in Figure 2, the first conveyor 204 may be configured to feed material from the shredder to the liquid separator 206 via a gate 205. The gate may for example be configured to control the amount and/or rate at which material is fed to the liquid separator 205.
Thus in some examples, the material provided by the first conveyor 204 may either be fed through the Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 gate 205 and into the liquid separator via a first path 207a and/or may be conveyed so as to avoid the trommel screen separator 206 and/or avoid a portion of the trommel screen via a bypass path 207b. Via the aforementioned example implementation, liquids may only be selectively separated from the solids in the liquid separation step and/or some of the solids may not be subject to liquid separation. For example, the amount of liquid that is separated from the solids post shredding may be optimized based on the throughput requirements of the system and/or the recyclable material. Further, the amount of liquid that is separated from the solids post shredding may be continually or periodically varied based on any one or a combination of the type of recyclable material, the throughput of the system, environmental factors and/or requirements, to name a few examples.
As noted in further detail below, the amount of liquid separation continually and/or periodically varied via an automated process using a computer/processing system and/or network as described in further detail below. For example, the amount of liquid separation may be controlled based on outputs of sensors at various steps of the recycling process.

[0043]
Liquids removed from the solid material(s) conveyed to the separation system 210 may then be fed into a tank or storage unit 208. In one example, the tank or storage unit may be a heated homogenizing tank. Vapors from the homogenizing tank (e.g., light hydrocarbon tank vapors) may be vented from the storage unit 208 via a vapor ventilation apparatus 209 may be conveyed along path 218 and then may be treated, recycled or otherwise processed. In one example, the vapor ventilation apparatus 209 may include any one or a combination of vapor fan(s). Liquids from the homogenizing tank may be subject to any one or a combination of processes. In one example, the liquid Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 is tempered and provided to the ATDU at a controlled quantity and rate. For example, the liquids may be metered through metering pump 214 via a flow control valve 216 and variably fed into the ATDU. In one example, the flow of liquid into the ATDU
may be controlled so as to optimize throughput of the system. For example, the amount of liquid provided to the ATDU may be optimized based on the throughput requirements of the system and/or the recyclable material. Further, the amount of liquid provided from the ATDU from the storage unit 208 via the metering pump may be may be continually or periodically varied based on any one or a combination of the type of recyclable material, the throughput of the system, environmental factors and/or requirements, to name a few examples. As noted in further detail below, the amount of liquid provided to the ATDU
may be continually and/or periodically varied via an automated process using a computer/processing system and/or network as described in further detail below. For example, the amount of liquid separation may be controlled based on outputs of sensors at various steps of the recycling process. The liquid from the storage unit 212 may also be distilled and or fed into the oil water separator 208 (described in further detail below) via path 221. In another example the liquid may be distilled via path 220 and/or collected and stored for disposal. It is noted that any of the aforementioned examples may be used separately or in conjunction with one another. For example, a quantity of the liquid collected may be distilled and another quantity may be fed into the ATDU. As mentioned above, any one of or a combination of the possible implementations above may be constantly variably controlled and/or periodically controlled based on the requirements or operation of the system using a computer/processing system and/or network as described Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 in further detail below. For example, the amount of liquid separation may be controlled based on outputs of sensors at various steps of the recycling process.

[0044]
Post shredding, the solid material and/or liquid may be provided to the previously mentioned ATDU 230, which in one example may include a desorption unit.
The ATDU may comprise a container, such as a rotary drum, configured to be indirectly heated, such as by multiple burners fueled with natural gas, fuel oil or diesel fuel provided from fuel source 235 via a single or multiple fuel skids 135. In one aspect, the burners may be fed with combustion air directed to the multiple burners by a combustion air blower (not shown). The ATDU 230 may further comprise a system for heat exhaust 229 from the multiple burners. In another aspect, the ATDU 230 may be heated by electrical coils, to name another non-limiting example. The ATDU may be heated from temperatures ranging from about 200 C to about 900 C or more preferably from about 300 C
to about 800 C for a specified time. While not limited to a specific time, in one example the time of heating may be about 20 minutes to about 130 minutes. In another example, the heating time may be between about 30 minutes to about 120 minutes. The ATDU

may be operable over a temperature range that causes hydrocarbons to be volatized from the post shredded solid waste. In one example, the ATDU may be operable over a temperature range that allows the chemical structure hydrocarbons to be maintained while they are volatized from the post shredded solid waste. In yet another example, the ATDU 230 may be configured to function under substantially oxygen-free or anaerobic conditions such that oxidation reactions or combustion of the vaporized hydrocarbons is minimized. In the aforementioned example, the ATDU unit 230 may for example include Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 an inlet door and an outlet door, one or both of which may be automatic or otherwise automated. The inlet and/or outlet door may be configured to seal the container from the external environment after the waste material is conveyed into the container of the desorption unit. In addition, the ATDU 230 may be configured to create the anaerobic atmosphere by purging the interior of the container of oxygen and replacing the air volume of the container with any one or a combination of an inert gas, other gases, or steam.
Oxygen may be purged from the ATDU unit 230 by any known system. Some examples of systems purging systems may include but are not limited a vacuum system for removal of atmospheric air, and a delivery system wherein a gas or steam is delivered into the container. Further, as an example, the inert gas used to replace the oxygen in some aspects may include any one or a combination of argon, nitrogen, xenon, carbon dioxide, steam, to name a few non-limiting examples. In one example, the purging system and delivery system of an inert gas may for example be manually operated, fully automated, and/or partially automated via a computer system and/or network as described below. In another example, the ATDU 230 may be configured to operable at a slight negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure.

[0045]
The ATDU 230 may be connected to a condensing unit 250 that draws off the hydrocarbon vapors or gases from the ATDU 230. In one example, the gases drawn from the ATDU are conveyed with the aid of a vacuum from the condensing unit 250. The condensing unit 250 may comprise systems that condense the gases into liquid form. In one example, the condensing unit 250 may include a vapor recovery unit operated to draw the vaporized hydrocarbons from the ATDU 230 under a slight negative pressure.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 The vapor recovery unit may further include features to remove particulate from the gas stream and condense the hydrocarbon vapors, thus producing a liquid hydrocarbon/water stream. Water may be removed from the liquid hydrocarbon/water stream by an oil and water separator unit 280. The water thus removed by the oil and water separator unit 280 may be reused in the solid distillation system for quenching of the gas vapors or used to provide an inert vapor in the ATDU 230. The liquid hydrocarbon stream from the condensing unit 250 may be accumulated in a tank 272, and fed into liquid hydrocarbon separator system 290, which may comprise a distillation unit. In one example, the distillation unit may include a multi-stage, packed distillation column. The column may be operated to separate the hydrocarbons by boiling points to be determined by the type of product to be obtained from the liquid hydrocarbon stream. In the distillation unit, the organic compounds, separated from the hazardous material, are separated by methods known to those skilled in the art. Generally, the boiling point differences in compounds are used to separate the compounds into different products. For example, reclaimed organic compounds include, but are not limited to, aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, alcohols, glycols and glycol ethers, ethers, esters, ketones or aldehydes, such as acetones, acrylam ide, benzene, carbon disulfide, ethylene oxide, n-hexane, hydrogen sulfide, methane, methyl mercaptan, methyl-n-butyl ketone, methylene chloride (dichlorom ethane) organochlorines, organophosphates, perchlorethylene, styrene, toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane (methyl chloroform) trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanes, ethylene glycol, turpentine, white spirits (naphtha safety solvent), acetaldehyde, acetonitrile, Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 carbon disulfide, cyclohexenes, diethyl ether, ethanol, ethyl acetate, methanol, pentane, petroleum ether, propanol, pyridine, tetrahydrofuran, vinyl acetate, or propane.

[0046] As mentioned above, hydrocarbon vapors processed from the ATDU may be recovered through a condensation and cooling process in the condensing unit 250.
For the sake of clarity, a number of processes that may be implemented are not shown in detail. However, it is noted that a system in accordance with the disclosure may include any one or a combination of a water quench scrubber unit, a venturi scrubber unit, a demister unit, and/or a chilled condensing tube unit for lowering the temperature and allowing vapors to condense. The condensing unit 250 may further include a single or multiple process gas blowers to force process gases into the chilled condensing tube unit.
Chilled liquid, which has been chilled in the chiller unit, may then be circulated through the tubes of the chilled condensing tube unit. In another example implementation, the chilled liquid may be any suitable liquid that is capable of condensing gas vapors. The condensing unit 250 may further comprise a sump unit for collection of condensate comprising gas vapors which have condensed.

[0047] Further, In one aspect of the disclosure, the waste material may include hydrocarbons which do not result in gases that can be condensed in the condensing unit 250. In one aspect, the non-condensable gases may be vented from the chilled condensing tube unit and passed over activated charcoal before venting to the atmosphere.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

[0048] As mentioned above, solids that have been process in the ATDU 230 may be conveyed via a series of conveyance units 239 to a solid residue unit 240.
The solid residue unit 240 may cool the solid residue material. The solid waste material may then be sorted and fed to multiple containers. In a further aspect of the present invention, the waste material is containerized, such as in drums or other containers. In another aspect, the waste material may be provided as bulk material that is not containerized.
In one aspect, the solid residue material may be conveyed to a separation unit. In another example, the separation unit comprises may include a single or multiple magnetic separators to separate ferrous-containing material and non-ferrous material.
The separation unit may further include a shaker type separation unit to separate components of the solid residue. The recovered metal can be used as ferrous scrap.
Reclaiming the solid material is the process of treating a solid material to remove organic compounds from to solid material. Reclaiming the organic compounds to form organic compound product compositions may include treating a waste material comprising organic compounds associated with solid material to separate the organic compounds from the solid material and optionally, further processing the organic compounds.

[0049] Additional aspects of a recycling system usable with the current disclosure are described in U.S. Patent No. 7,642,394 and titled "Methods for Recycling Waste," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0050] As described above, aspects of the systems, devices, and methods of the present disclosure may include a control system for managing and/or controlling the monitoring, operation, and/or interoperation of the various systems and devices within the Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 disclosed recycling system shown in Figures 1 and 2, as well as overall operation of the system, may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. In one variation, various aspects are directed toward one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein. An example of such a computer system 300 is shown in FIG. 3. Computer system 300 includes one or more processors, such as processor 304. The processor 304 may be connected to a communication infrastructure 306 (e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or network). Various software aspects are described in terms of this example computer system. After reading this description, it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the aspects hereof using other computer systems and/or architectures.

[0051]
Computer system 300 may include a display interface 302 that forwards graphics, text, and other data from the communication infrastructure 306 (or from a frame buffer not shown) for display on the display unit 330. Computer system 300 also includes a main memory 308, preferably random access memory (RAM), and may also include a secondary memory 310. The secondary memory 310 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 312 and/or a removable storage drive 314, representing a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive 314 may read from and/or write to a removable storage unit 318 in a well-known manner.
Removable storage unit 318, may represent a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc., which is read by and written to removable storage drive 314. As will be appreciated, the removable Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 storage unit 318 may include a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data.

[0052] In alternative variations, secondary memory 310 may include other similar devices for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 300. Such devices may include, for example, a removable storage unit 322 and an interface 320. Examples of such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or programmable read only memory (PROM)) and associated socket, and other removable storage units 322 and interfaces 320, which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 322 to computer system 300.

[0053] Computer system 300 may also include a communications interface 324.
Communications interface 324 allows software and data to be transferred between computer system 300 and external devices. Examples of communications interface may include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via communications interface 324 may be in the form of signals 328, which may be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or other signals capable of being received by communications interface 324. These signals 328 may be provided to communications interface 324 via a communications path (e.g., channel) 326.
This path 326 may carry signals 328 and may be implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a telephone line, a cellular link, a radio frequency (RF) link and/or other Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 communications channels. In this document, the terms "computer program medium"
and "computer usable medium" are used to refer generally to media such as a removable storage drive 314, a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 312, and signals 328. These computer program products provide software to the computer system 300. Aspects of the invention are directed to such corn puter program products.

[0054] Computer programs (also referred to as computer control logic) are stored in main memory 308 and/or secondary memory 300. Computer programs may also be received via communications interface 324. Such computer programs, when executed, enable the corn puter system 300 to perform the features in accordance with aspects of the invention, as discussed herein. In particular, the corn puter programs, when executed, enable the processor 304 to perform such features. Accordingly, such corn puter programs represent controllers of the corn puter system 300.

[0055] In a variation where aspects of the present disclosure are implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 300 using removable storage drive 314, hard drive 312, or communications interface 324. The control logic (software), when executed by the processor 304, may cause the processor 304 to perform the functions as described herein. In another variation, aspects of the present disclosure are implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Implementation of the hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 art(s). In yet another variation, aspects of the present disclosure are implemented using a combination of both hardware and software.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4, in an example implementation of a system 400 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, various features for use in conjunction with systems and methods in accordance with aspects of present disclosure, including, but not limited to a control system for managing and/or controlling the monitoring, operation, and/or interoperation of various processing devices and processes within a recycling system 470 may, for example, be accessed by an accessor 460 (also referred to interchangeably herein as a "user") via a terminal 442, such as a personal computer (PC), minicomputer, mainframe computer, microcomputer, telephonic device, or wireless device coupled to a server 443, such as a PC, minicomputer, mainframe computer, microcomputer, or other device having a processor and a repository for data and/or coupling to a processor and/or repository for data, via, for example, a network 444, such as the Internet or an intranet, and couplings 445, 446, 447. The couplings 445, 446, 447 may include, for example, wired, wireless, or fiberoptic links. In another example implementation, a method and system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure may operate in a stand-alone environment, such as on a single terminal.

[0057] While the aspects described herein have been described in conjunction with the example aspects outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and/or substantial equivalents, whether known or that are or may be presently unforeseen, may become apparent to those having at least ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the example aspects, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all known or later-developed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and/or substantial equivalents.

[0058] Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather one or more." All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims.
Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for."

[0059] Further, the word "example" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as at least one of A, B, or C," at least one of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and/or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as at least one of A, B, or C," at least Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 one of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be A only, B only, C
only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. Nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

Claims (20)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for separating at least a known organic compound having a vaporizing temperature from an initial solid material, the method comprising:
a shredding step comprising shredding the initial solid material which comprises the known organic compound to form a shredded solid material;
a separating step comprising separating at least a portion of liquid from all or a part of the shredded solid material to form a separated solid material;
a desorption step comprising heating the separated solid material in a desorption unit to vaporize the known organic compound from the separated solid material, producing a gas comprising the known organic compound;
a condensing step comprising condensing the gas; and a collecting step comprising collecting the known organic compound to form a substantially chemically uniform organic compound product composition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid is separated from the solid material in the separating step after the shredding step and before the desorption step.

3. The method of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the desorption unit heats the separated solid material under anaerobic conditions.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the desorption step produces a material that is substantially free from the known organic compound.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

5. The method of any one of claim 1-4, wherein in the separation step, a conveyor is used to completely or partially separate a quantity of liquid from the material.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein at least part of the liquid collected during the separation step is fed into the desorption unit.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein at least part of the liquid collected during the separation step is fed into an oil/water separator.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein at least part of the liquid collected during the separation step is distilled in a distillation step.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein some of the shredded solid material bypasses the separation step before being provided to the desorption unit.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, further com prising a condensed gas separation step after the condensing step, wherein the known organic com pound is separated from the condensed gas resulting from the condensing step.

11. A system for separating at least a known organic com pound having a vaporizing temperature from a solid material, the system comprising:

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04 a shredder to reduce initial component size into a selected subcomponent size to form a shredded solid material;
a liquid separator to separate at least a portion of liquid from the all or part of the shredded solid material to form a separated solid material;
a desorption unit for desorbing the known organic compound from the separated solid material by heating the material and producing a gas comprising the known organic compound, wherein the desorption unit is configured to output a material that is substantially free from the known organic compound;
a condensing system for condensing the gas so that the known organic compound can be collected to form a substantially chem ically uniform organic compound product com pos ition; and a control system to selectively control operation of at least one of the shredder, liquid separator, desorption unit, and condensing system.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is configured to selectively control operation of at least two of the shredder, liquid separator, desorption unit, and condensing system.

13. The system of claims 11 or 12, wherein the liquid is separated from the solid material via the liquid separator after the material is shredded via the shredder and before being subject to desorption via the desorption unit.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

14. The system of any one of claims 11-13, wherein the desorption unit is configured heat the separated solid material under anaerobic conditions.

15. The system of any one of claims 11-14, wherein in the liquid separator comprises a an upwardly sloping conveyor to separate at least a portion of liquid from the shredded solid material.

16. The system of any one of claims 11-15, wherein the system is configured to collect a quantity of the liquid from the liquid separator and feed the liquid into the desorption unit.

17. The system of any one of claims 11-16, wherein the system is configured to feed a quantity of the liquid collected from the liquid separator into an oil/water separator.

18. The system of any one of claims 11-17, wherein the system is configured to distill a quantity of the liquid collected from the liquid separator.

19. The system of any one of claims 11-18, wherein the system is configured to controllably bypass the liquid separator via a gate so that at least some of the shredded solid material bypasses the liquid separation unit and is conveyed to the desorption unit.

Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04

20. The system of any one of claims 11-19, further comprising a condensed gas separator, wherein the condensed gas separator is configured to separate the known organic compound from a liquid resulting collected from the condensing system.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-09-04