In-situ landfill pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification

The process or the present invention serves to remediate and reduce the volume of waste materials in a landfill site and increases the useful life of the treated landfill. The process steps involve drilling a series of holes into the waste material mass at proper spacing, inserting and operating a plasma arc torch in each drilled hole to pyrolize, remediate and vitrify the waste materials and allowing the melted materials to cool and harden. During the process, a gaseous by-product is produced and collected in a hood which is attached to scrubbing and chemical cleaning apparatus. The resultant gases are commercially useful as fuel gas and the vitrified residue is significantly smaller in volume than the original waste material volume, thus substantially extending the useful life of the landfill site and ultimately providing a firm foundation for construction.

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Claims

3. A method for in-situ pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification of waste materials collected in a landfill as claimed in claim 1 in which said formed borehole is substantially vertical.

4. A method for in-situ pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification of waste materials collected in a landfill as claimed in claim 3 in which the step of collecting a gas by-product is accomplished in a gas collecting hood covering the top of said formed borehold.

5. A method for in-situ pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification of waste materials collected in a landfill as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of vitrifying waste material by repeating the method claimed in a plurality of boreholes formed in the landfill.

6. A method for in-situ pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification of waste materials collected in a landfill as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of selecting the distance between adjacent holes so that respective melted and solidified columns coalesce together.

7. A method for in-situ pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification of waste materials collected in a landfill as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of operating said plasma torch in a non-transferred mode.

Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
4376598 March 15, 1983 Broums et al.
4776409 October 11, 1988 Manchak
5004373 April 2, 1991 Carter
5011329 April 30, 1991 Nelson et al.
5076727 December 31, 1991 Johnson et al.
5100259 March 31, 1992 Buelt et al.
Foreign Patent Documents
063338 September 1978 SUX
0685762 September 1979 SUX
0905370 February 1982 SUX
914715 March 1982 SUX
958590 September 1982 SUX
977570 November 1982 SUX
Other references
  • Technical Paper entitled "An Innovative Process For The In Situ Waste Destruction and Vitrification of Buried Hazardous and Mixed Wastes".
Patent History
Patent number: RE35782
Type: Grant
Filed: Dec 19, 1994
Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
Inventors: Louis J. Circeo, Jr. (Atlanta, GA), Salvador L. Camacho (Raleigh, NC)
Primary Examiner: Dennis L. Taylor
Law Firm: Olive & Olive, P.A.
Application Number: 8/358,869
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: 405/128; Heating (405/131); 405/258; Solidification, Vitrification, Or Cementation (588/252); In Situ Vitrification (588/253)
International Classification: E02D 300; E02D 311; A62D 300;