Method for recycling building materials

Abstract

A method of recycling building materials is described, including the steps of introducing the building material into a cement kiln or a boiler, and combusting a combustible portion of the building material as a fuel within the kiln or boiler. The noncombustible portion of the building material is incorporated into a clinker material within the kiln or used to reduce emissions form the boiler.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of recycling building materials into a fuel and useful residue material, comprising: 
 introducing the building materials into a combustion chamber;    combusting a combustible portion of the building materials as a fuel within the combustion chamber; and    using the noncombustible portion of the building materials as one of a clinker material or an emissions reduction material.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein an organic portion of the building materials is combusted and an inorganic portion of the building materials is incorporated into the clinker material or used as an emissions reduction material.  
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the building materials comprises a shingle, the recycling process further comprising the steps of: 
 combusting an asphalt material from a glass substrate of the shingle; and    incorporating said substrate into said clinker material as a source of minerals for said clinker material or using a filler in said asphalt as an emissions reduction material in a boiler.    
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein said method comprises feeding said shingle into as a fuel to a fluidized bed boiler having a fuel feed system and a lime feed system, and wherein the amount of lime fed into the boiler is reduced based on the amount of lime in the asphalt filler.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein the asphalt is filled with a limestone or dolomitic material and the limestone or dolomitic material provides a source of lime to reduce the amount of sulfur emissions from the boiler.  
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5 , wherein the shingle further comprises surface granules, said granules providing a source of bed material in said boiler.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein said shingle comprises scrap from the manufacture of roofing shingles.  
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein said shingle is removed from a building along with further building materials selected from the group consisting of nails, wood, felt paper, ice shield, and roofing accessories, and wherein each of said further building materials provides fuel or bed materials for said boiler.  
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the building materials comprise shingles.  
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the shingles comprise asphalt and wherein the recycling process further comprising the steps of combusting said asphalt and an organic substrate of the shingle.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein the shingle further comprises an asphalt filler and wherein said lime comprises surface granules, said granules providing a source of lime for said clinker material or as an emissions reduction material in a boiler.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , further comprising the steps of: 
 combusting said asphalt from the glass substrate of the shingle; and    incorporating a noncombustible portion of the shingle in the bed of the boiler.    
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the shingle comprises a filled resinous material, the recycling process further comprising the steps of: 
 combusting said resin from a filler material of the shingle; and    using said filler as an emissions reduction material in a boiler.    
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 removing the building materials from a building before introducing the building materials into a cement kiln or a boiler.    
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 14 , wherein the building materials comprise siding.  
     
     
         16 . A method of recycling building materials comprising a filled asphalt into a cement material or combusting a portion of said building materials in a boiler, comprising: 
 introducing the asphalt into a cement kiln or a boiler;    combusting the asphalt as a fuel; and    incorporating the asphalt filler material into a clinker material within the kiln or using said filler material as an emissions reduction material in said boiler.    
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein the building materials comprises asphalt shingles, wherein said filler material of the asphalt is incorporated as a source of lime into a clinker material within the kiln or as an emissions reduction material in the boiler.  
     
     
         18 . A method of recycling asphalt shingles according to  claim 17 , wherein the boiler comprises a fluidized bed boiler and the filler material reduces emissions from the boiler.  
     
     
         19 . A method of recycling asphalt shingles according to  claim 18 , further comprising the step of incorporating a surfacing granule as a bed material in said boiler.  
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein the fluidized bed boiler comprises a system for feeding an amount of lime into the boiler, and wherein the amount of lime is reduced based on the amount of lime in the shingles.  
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein the fluidized bed boiler comprises a system for feeding an amount of lime into the boiler, and wherein the amount of lime is reduced based on the amount of shingles fed into the boiler as fuel.  
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein the fluidized bed boiler comprises a system for feeding an amount of lime into the boiler, and wherein the amount of lime fed from the lime feed system is reduced by at least five percent due to the filler material.  
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein the boiler combusts an amount of fuel, and wherein an amount of lime fed into the boiler comprises at least five percent by weight of the fuel, and wherein the shingles contribute at least ten percent of said lime.  
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein the fluidized bed boiler comprises a system for feeding an amount of lime into the boiler, and wherein the amount of lime fed from the lime feed system is reduced by at least five percent due to the filler material.  
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the amount of lime fed from the lime feed system is reduced by at least fifteen percent due to the filler material.  
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the boiler combusts an amount of fuel, and wherein the bed includes approximately twenty percent lime by weight of the fuel, and wherein the asphalt contributes at least one of said approximately twenty percent lime.  
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein the asphalt contributes at least approximately three of said approximately twenty percent lime.  
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 27 , wherein said asphalt comprises at least approximately ten percent of said fuel.  
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 27 , wherein said asphalt comprises asphalt shingles, and wherein said asphalt shingles comprise at least approximately ten percent by weight of said fuel.