Waste treatment gasification system

Abstract

The present specification discloses operation of a waste treatment system for treating a feed by bringing the feed into contact with a molten metal in a first vessel. A jet of air is ejected from a lance into the molten metal to react with the molten metal to form a layer of molten slag-oxide. The feed is selected from coal, coal-liquid slurry, biomass, waste-derived material, crude oil, tar sands, shale-derived material, or a combination thereof. The molten metal bath material comprises carbon, silicon, manganese, chromium, sulfur, phosphorus, aluminum and titanium. Exhaust gases evolving from the molten metal and molten slag-oxide layer are directed to a second vessel to treat the exhaust gases to a pre-determined proximate gas molar composition.

1 . A method for operating a waste treatment system for treating a feed by bringing the industrial feed into contact with a molten metal in a first vessel, wherein the first vessel contains a volume of the molten metal, comprising the steps of:
 (a) ejecting at least one jet of air from a lance positioned above the molten metal into the molten metal to react with the molten metal to form a layer of molten slag-oxide;   (b) continuing to eject at least one jet of air from the lance and thereby causing at least one jet of air to pass through from the molten slag-oxide layer into the molten metal;   (c) pumping the feed from a tubular conduit positioned above the molten slag-oxide layer to cause contact between the feed and the molten slag-oxide layer, wherein the feed is selected from coal, coal-liquid slurry, biomass, waste-derived material, crude oil, tar sands, shale-derived material, or a combination thereof,   wherein the molten metal bath material has the following composition:   Carbon in the range of 3.3 to 3.97 mass weight percent,   Silicon in the range of 1.5 to 1.95 mass weight percent,   Manganese in the range of 0.30 to 0.35 mass weight percent,   Chromium in the range of 0.05 to 0.1 mass weight percent,   Sulfur in the range of 0.005 to 0.02 mass weight percent,   Phosphorus in the range of 0.030 to 0.035 mass weight percent,   Aluminum in the range of 0.005 to 0.1 mass weight percent,   Titanium in the range of 0.015 to 0.05 mass weight percent;   (d) directing exhaust gases evolving from the molten metal and molten slag-oxide layer to a second vessel to treat the exhaust gases to a pre-determined proximate gas molar composition;   wherein a product syngas flowing from the molten metal is directed by one or more gas passage conduits configured in operational communication with the second vessel and with a powerplant for electric power generation, a first chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into a pre-determined hydrocarbon product, a second chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into anhydrous ammonia product, a third chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into methanol product, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein in step (a) at least one jet of air is ejected at a supersonic axial velocity of at least about Mach 1. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein in step (b) at least one jet of air is ejected at a supersonic axial velocity in the range of between Mach 1 to Mach 3.5. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the molten metal is inductively heated in the first vessel by one or more electromagnetic induction coil field. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the supersonic axial velocity of at least one jet of air ejected from the lance is controlled by a remote processor. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein CaCO.sub.3 is admixed into the industrial waste material to control the basicity of the molten slag-oxide layer to a pre-determined proximate range. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein CaCO.sub.3 is admixed into the industrial waste material in a quantity of at least 0.5 mass weight percent of the total mass weight of the molten metal in the first vessel. 
     
     
         8 . Method according to  claim 1 , comprising
 directing the feed into the vessel within which the molten metal bath material is disposed; the temperature of molten metal bath material inductively heated to at least 1300 degrees Celsius by one or more induction coil apparatus energized with one or more alternating current “AC” power waveform;   pressurizing the vessel to a pressure of at least 1 bar pressure absolute.   
     
     
         9 . Method according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 directing the feed into the vessel within which a molten metal bath material is disposed; the temperature of molten metal bath material inductively heated to at least 1500 degrees Celsius by one or more induction coil apparatus energized with one or more alternating current “AC” power waveform;   pressurizing the vessel to a pressure of at least 1.2 bar pressure absolute.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the molten metal bath is oxidized to cause formation of a molten slag-oxide layer on the surface of the molten metal bath. 
     
     
         11 . A device for operating a waste treatment system for treating a feed by contacting the feed into a molten metal in a first vessel, wherein the first vessel contains a volume of the molten metal, the device comprising:
 ejection means for ejecting at least one jet of air from a lance positioned above the molten metal into the molten metal to react with the molten metal to form a layer of molten slag-oxide and for continuing to eject the at least one jet of air from the lance and thereby causing the at least one jet of air to pass through from the molten slag-oxide layer into the molten metal;   a tubular conduit for connection to a feeder pump and for causing a contact between the feed and the molten slag-oxide layer, the tubular conduit being positioned above the vessel,   one or more gas passage conduits configured in operational communication with the vessel, the one or more gas passage conduits comprising   a gas passage conduit for directing exhaust gases evolving from the molten metal and molten slag-oxide layer to a second vessel to treat the exhaust gases to a pre-determined proximate gas molar composition; and the one or more gas passage conduits comprising   a gas passage conduit for directing syngas from the first vessel to the second vessel and to a powerplant for electric power generation, a first chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into a pre-determined hydrocarbon product, a second chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into anhydrous ammonia product, a third chemical catalytic reactor to chemically reform product syngas into methanol product, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         12 . The device according to  claim 11 , wherein the first vessel is made of a refractory-lined material comprising alumina Al.sub.2.O.sub.3 of at least 15 mass weight percent. 
     
     
         13 . The device according to  claim 11 , wherein the second vessel is connected to at least one of the one or more gas passage conduits, the second vessel being configured with a refractory-lined inner layer. 
     
     
         14 . The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the refractory-lined inner layer of the second vessel further comprises alumina Al.sub.2.O.sub.3 of at least 35 mass weight percent. 
     
     
         15 . The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the refractory-lined material has a material density of 3.5 Mg/m.sup.3. 
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 13 , wherein the vessel is refractory-lined with a refractory material comprising alumina Al.sub.2.O.sub.3 of at least 35 mass weight percent.