Abstract: Gaseous fuels are produced by a process which involves simultaneous gasification of coal and pyrolysis of organic solid waste materials in a pollution-free conversion system. According to this process, a mixture of coal and organic solid waste materials is fed to the top of a reaction vessel such as a vertical shaft furnace or a blast furnace, wherein the feed is dried by heat exchange with the gases rising from the lower section of the reactor. Steam and an oxidant gas containing at least 75 volume percent oxygen are introduced to the bottom of the reactor for partially combusting coke and char in a partial combustion zone thereby providing the thermal driving force for the reactions in the reactor. The organic solid waste materials are pyrolyzed and the volatile components of the coal destructively distilled simultaneously in the presence of hydrogen in a pyrolysis and coking zone of the reactor wherein the organic solid waste materials are converted into char and the coal is converted into coke.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating any type of organic waste such as sewage, garbage, weeds and surplus crops to convert them into useful products, having a treatment tank or plurality of such tanks, a conduit circuit for carrying a heating fluid therethrough; vibrators to vibrate the conduit to homogenize and mix the tank contents, a furnace for supplying heat to the conduit circuit with the fuel for the furnace being the gaseous product recovered from the treatment tank or tanks, and solar cells and microwave heating units to balance and maintain the supply of heat when the fuel supply to the furnace is low. Radiation diffusers may be positioned about the tank or tanks to assist in the conversion process.

Abstract: A process for simultaneously disposing of refuse and producing a useful fuel or synthesis gas and an inert inorganic residue by feeding shredded refuse, from which ferrous metal has preferably been magnetically separated, and which has been compacted into hard pellets, into an oxygen fed pyrolizing, slagging shaft furnace.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for the destructive distillation of organic waste materials. An insulated sealed distillator compartment is provided having a plurality of conveyor stages for transporting the waste material through the sealed compartment while subjecting the material to a plurality of increased zones of temperature in order to completely pyrolyze the material and evolve pyrolysis gases. An auger feed apparatus supplys a continuous supply of material to the sealed distillator, while an auger discharge apparatus removes a continuous supply of solid carbonaceous residue from the distillator. The residue can be classified and separated into usable products. The evolved gases may be converted into crude oil and natural gas. A process for destructive distillation of the waste materials is also disclosed.

Abstract: A reactor for generating combustible fuel gases comprising a chamber, an inclined grate extending from adjacent the top of the chamber to near the bottom and sloping forwardly within the chamber from the top to the bottom, said grate dividing the chamber into a primary chamber at the forward side of the grate and an antechamber at the rear side, a conveyor for delivering a solid fuel such as wood chips and other chopped-up woody material to the upper end of the grate at a rate to maintain a continuous bed of fuel from top to bottom, a blower for delivering primary air to a plenum chamber at the downwardly facing side of the grate to sustain combustion of the fuel at the lower end of the bed and to generate sufficient heat above the place of combustion to effect destructive distillation of a portion of the fuel in the bed above the place of combustion said primary air at said place of combustion converting the charcoal remaining after distillates have passed off descending from the place of distillation to CO

Abstract: A process for the production of combustible gas from waste materials and other combustible materials, in which the charge is dried, its combustible parts are subjected to low-temperature carbonization and the low-temperature carbonization gases are converted to combustible gas in a hot reaction bed. The charge is subjected to low-temperature carbonization at a temperature of from 300.degree. to 600.degree. C with the exclusion of air, the resulting solid low-temperature carbonization residues are separated and the low-temperature carbonization gases are continuously drawn through a reaction bed at a temperature of from 1000.degree. to 1200.degree. C formed from a solid carbon vehicle and a preheated fresh-air supply, and are converted to high-energy combustible gas in said reaction bed.

Abstract: This invention relates to improving the known process for disposing of refuse while simultaneously producing a useful gaseous product and an inert solid residue in a shaft furnace in which refuse is fed into the top portion of said furnace, an oxygen containing gas is fed into the base, and in which the organic portion of the refuse is pyrolized to char, oils and gas containing a high concentration of CO and H.sub.2, and the inorganic portion of the refuse is fluidized and tapped from the base of the furnace.The improvement in the above-described process comprises removing a portion of the char from the furnace while retaining a sufficient amount of combustible materials in the furnace to satisfy the energy requirements of the process. The improvement permits a reduction in the oxygen requirements of the process and has a beneficial effect on the specific heating value of the fuel gas produced.

Abstract: Solid waste is fed to a confined zone under pressure and contacted with hydrogen containing gas. Partial conversion of the solid waste to methane occurs and the methane containing gas mixture is removed from the confined zone; it is subsequently purified and methanated so as to be a replacement for natural gas. The remainder of the solid waste is discharged from the confined zone as a carbon containing char which is delivered to a separate reaction zone where it is contacted with steam and oxygen under pressure to convert it to synthesis gas (a mixture of hydrogen, water vapor, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide). The synthesis gas is drawn from the reaction chamber and serves as the hydrogen feed gas into the confined zone. Between the two zones, metal and glass are separated from the char by virtue of their much higher density than the carbonaceous char by entrainment of the char in a jet of steam.

Abstract: There is disclosed herein a method and an apparatus for converting organic materials into a high quality fuel product. The process involves introducing the organic materials into a stream heated to a temperature of about 1600.degree. - 2000.degree. F and comprised of a carrier gas and a hard, particulate material. The organic material is rapidly converted into a fuel product which is then separated from the stream. The process can be used to form either a liquid or gaseous fuel product.

Abstract: Waste material is disposed of and its usable constituents recovered by feeding the waste material downwardly through a vertical shaft in which its temperature is progressively raised thereby driving off volatile matter and thermally degrading appropriate portions of the material to provide a gaseous discharge suitable for use as a fuel. Material such as metal and other non-volatilizable substances eventually reach a furnace chamber which has a temperature of at least 1600.degree. C where they are liquified and tapped from the chamber. The heavier metal component is tapped from a point lower than the point at which other liquid residues are tapped to enable the metal to be recycled.

Abstract: Organic solid wastes represented by the general chemical formula C.sub.X H.sub.Y O.sub.Z are reacted with steam at elevated temperatures to produce H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2. The overall process is represented by the reactionC.sub.X H.sub.Y O.sub.Z + 2(X-Z/2)H.sub.2 O.fwdarw..sup..delta.XCO.sub.2 + [(Y/2) + 2(X-Z/2)] H.sub.2 . (1)reaction (1) is endothermic and requires heat. This heat is supplied by a tower top solar furnace; alternatively, some of the solid wastes can be burned to supply heat for the reaction. The hydrogen produced by reaction (1) can be used as a fuel or a chemical feedstock. Alternatively, methanol can be produced by the commercial processCO.sub.2 + 3H.sub.2 .fwdarw. CH.sub.3 OH + H.sub.2 O . (2)since reaction (1) is endothermic, the system represents a method for storing heat energy from an external source in a chemical fuel produced from solid wastes.

Abstract: Methanol and synthetic natural gas are produced concurrently by introducing a carbonaceous material into a gasification zone, and thereafter, passing sequentially the synthesis gas thus formed through a water gas shift conversion zone, a sulfur compound and carbon dioxide removal zone, a methanol synthesis zone and a methanation zone.

Abstract: Carbohydrate waste materials are decomposed to form a gaseous fuel product by contacting them with a transition metal catalyst at elevated temperature substantially in the absence of water.

Abstract: Apparatus for disposing of refuse by converting it to useful gaseous products and inert solid residue comprising a vertical metal shaft frusto-pyramidally shaped at the base, having vapor-tight inlet means for refuse and oxygen and outlet means for product gas and molten residue.

Abstract: A method for the treatment of rubber and plastic wastes, comprising in series the steps of1. heating and melting rubber and plastic wastes at a temperature (T.sub.1) to extrude the molten wastes with one or a plurality of extruders into one or a plurality of decomposing zones,2. heating the molten wastes in the decomposing zone at a higher temperature (T.sub.2) than the heating temperature (T.sub.1) in the extruder to prepare decomposed products while optionally separating residues therefrom,3. introducing the decomposed products into a dry-distilling zone while optionally heating the separated residues in a residue removal zone at an even higher temperature (T.sub.3) than the heating temperature (T.sub.2) in the decomposing zone to remove the residues from the residue removal zone when residues are separated in the decomposing zone,4. heating the decomposed products in the dry-distilling zone at a lower temperature (T.sub.4) than the heating temperature (T.sub.

Abstract: A process for producing hot combustible gas free of sulfur, halogens and particulate matter. The process comprises passing oxygen, steam and/or carbon dioxide through a reaction zone containing an alkali or alkaline earth metal oxide, hydroxide, bicarbonate or carbonate and a carbonaceous fuel such as coal. The sulfur and halogen in the carbonaceous fuel are removed resulting in a combustible gas substantially free of sulfur, halogens and particulate matter.

Abstract: A continuous process for converting particulate carbonaceous solids to gaseous hydrocarbons (from 1 to 7 carbon atoms per molecule of gas) by the rapid pyrolysis and in situ conversion of a portion of the pyrolysis product comprising heating a turbulent high velocity gaseous stream composed of carrier gas, carbonaceous solids and at least 2.0 weight percent water based upon the weight of carbonaceous solids and heating said stream in a pyrolysis zone at a temperature ranging from between about 1200.degree. F. to about 2400.degree. F. until at least a portion of said solids are converted to the desired gaseous hydrocarbons.