Specialized metallurgical processes – compositions for use therei – Processes – Producing or purifying free metal powder or producing or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-27
2001-02-27
Wyszomierski, George (Department: 1742)
Specialized metallurgical processes, compositions for use therei
Processes
Producing or purifying free metal powder or producing or...
C075S403000, C029S403400, C029S017200, C156S345420, C156S583200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193780
ABSTRACT:
This is a National stage of PCT/ES97/00111, filed Apr. 29, 1997.
DESCRIPTION
1. Subject of the Invention
This specification refers to a process for the recovery of aluminum and energy from used packages and an oven for implementing such process; the obvious purpose is to obtain therefrom the recovery of the aluminum which is incorporated in the package itself, and at the same time the energy originating from the recovery process; another object of the invention is an oven for implementing the process that permits the recovery of the aluminum and the production of energy.
2. Field of the Invention
This invention has an application in the industrial field that is engaged in the recovery or treatment of polymer residues by treatment with dry heat, or with steam, as well as in the industrial field that is engaged in the manufacture of special equipment and machinery for implementing the aforementioned recovery of polymer residues, and it can also be used in the industrial field that is engaged in the destruction of solid wastes or transforming them into something useful and harmless, and it can also be used in the industrial field that is engaged in the destructive distillation of carbonaceous materials and for the recovery of aluminum from urban wastes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The applicant is aware that packages with various trade names, which are made of a material that is composed of a sheet of aluminum covered on both sides, by a film of plastic, usually low-density polyethylene, and an outer layer of paper, are currently being distributed in the marketplace. An exemplary package is sold under the trademark TETRA BRIK of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A., Pully, Switzerland. Such packages are generally known in the industry and are identified hereinafter as “tetrabrick” type packages.
These materials, which are designed to have great stability in order to prevent contamination of the foods that they will contain, usually liquids, are therefore, undesirably stable when they are converted to urban wastes.
While recovery of the external paper layer is relatively easy, the separation of the plastic and the metal presents serious obstacles, and this makes it difficult to profitably recover these materials or their derivative products.
The applicant is aware of the existence at the present time of Patent of Invention DE 4,305,964 relative to RECYCLING OF COMPONENT MATERIALS, wherein different temperature zones are used in order to provide different gas compositions as fractions, with further processing of the coke residue.
Patent of Invention DE 4,304,294 pertains to an invention intended for the RECOVERY OF USABLE MATERIAL ORIGINATING FROM ALUMINUM-POLYOLEFIN, which is achieved by the removal of cellulose and carbonization of the aluminum below its melting temperature, using the carbonization gas as the heat source.
Patent of Invention number DE 4,410,145 pertains to an invention relative to the CONTINUOUS SEPARATION OF METALIZED PAPER FROM PLASTIC SHEET, by heat treatment and pelletization which provides a clean recovery process, for example, for aluminum and polyethylene.
Patent of Invention EP-484,507 pertains to a PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF ALUMINUM AND POLYETHYLENE FROM METALIZED PACKAGING PAPERS, which includes separation of the printer's ink from the component materials in a separation column.
Patent of Invention EP-538,730 pertains to the RECOVERY OF POLYOLEFIN FROM MULTILAYER FILM, wherein the films or thin layers are cut into small pieces and are subjected to vigorous agitation in a solvent bath, in order to decrease the adhesive joint between the layers.
Patent of Invention EP-448,178 pertains to PROCESSING OF WASTES CONTAINING METALS AND COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS, which deals with the combustion and cracking of exhaust gases, subsequent washing with acid and alkali and precipitation of the metallic compounds from the washing solution.
Patent of Invention JP 5-345,894 pertains to CHEMICAL RECYCLING OF PLASTIC, which permits high speed decomposition, at low temperature, etc., and includes the thermal decomposition of plastic wastes containing olefin-type and similar plastics in the molten state, and provides a high quality oil or gas in an economic manner.
Patent of Invention EP-629,818 pertains to a METHOD FOR THERMAL CLEANING OF OBJECTS, for example plastic, wherein said objects are heated in an enclosed space until pyrolysis begins, after which the temperature is strictly regulated, using a sensor and reducing or cutting off the supply of air or oxygen.
Patent of Invention EP-501,893 pertains to the REMOVAL OF THE THERMOPLASTIC COATING FROM SUBSTRATES, particularly polyethylene, from aluminum metalized paper, by applying a hot, mobile jet of an inert gas, to melt the coating and to push the molten material to one side.
Patent of Invention KR 89-04,486 pertains to the SEPARATION AND RECOVERY OF POLYETHYLENE AND ALUMINUM FROM RESIN WASTE, which involves the melting of polyethylene, by heating the device, and recovering the aluminum through the space between the ring and the wall of the mobile cylinder.
These patents of invention were located in the WPIL data base, while documents that refer to the dissolution of the polymer were not included in the search.
Within the context of the search previously conducted, the Applicant searched in Chemical Abstracts, and thus became aware of the following documents relative to the decomposition of polyethylene in an inert atmosphere. Namely:
T. Morimoto—J. Appl. Sci. 20, published the existence of a “Composition of the gaseous products of polymer combustion”, through which it is known that the presence of methane, ethylene, acetylene and benzene has been detected in the thermal decompositions of commercial polypropylene in a nitrogen stream at 700° C.
J. Michal, in Fire and Matls, 1, describes the “Toxicity of the thermal degradation products of polyethylene and polypropylene” in which decomposition at 400° C. in a helium atmosphere was investigated, finding up to 48 different compounds, among which the most important are alkanes and 1-alkenes with 3 to 18 carbon atoms and small amounts of aromatic substances, such as benzene, toluene and ethylbenzene.
A. Hoff published an article on the “Degradation products of plastics”, in which he stated that he had found that the compounds formed depend to a great extent on the raw material used. Twenty-five products were determined at 360° C. in a helium atmosphere, in which hydrocarbons with 4 carbon atoms predominated.
In the publication by T. Morikawa relative to the “Evolution of soot and aromatic hydrocarbons of cyclic fold proceeding from the combustion and pyrolysis of polymers and low molecular weight hydrocarbons”, the evolution of the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons had been studied, according to which, up to 1 g/g of benzo(a)pyrene is found as the decomposition temperature increases between 900 and 1000° C.
From the same source of information and relative to the treatment of formed plastic products, the publication by M. Yoshida relative to the “Treatment of waste rubber and plastics”, the plastic is mixed with a white inorganic filler, such as talc, melts and decomposes at a temperature that varies between 400 and 450° C., and is distilled at a temperature that varies between 300 and 350° C., to obtain three colorless fractions, specifically 10% light, 60% medium and 30% heavy.
A publication by T. Takahatake pertains to the “Treatment of synthetic polymer wastes” in which the polymer is mixed with powdered CaCO
3
and subjected to dry distillation at a temperature that varies between 250 and 750° C., and the fixed part mixed with the CaCO
3
is calcined at a temperature that varies between 1000 and 1200° C., and the CaO is mixed with water to purify the gases.
In the study by R. Kawabata relative to the “Formation of oils from thermoplastic resins”, an oil is prepared by polyethylene pyrolysis at 420° C. for 60 minutes, in the presence of a clay containing “alofan”, and the presence of approximately 5% clay increases the production of oil from 12.8% to 84.4
Cases Olmos JoséManuel
Cases Olmos Pablo Emilio
Cases Olmos Vincente Enrique
Cases Rocati Jose
Olmos Ibañez M. Desamparados
Olmos Pablo Emilio Cases
Wiggin & Dana
Wyszomierski George
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