Method and apparatus for gasifying waste automotive tires to produce high quality solid carbon and non-condensable synthesis gas

Abstract

A method for selectively producing condensable hydrocarbon gases and non-condensable synthesis gases from waste tire chips in a single rotating reactor having a drying and volatizing hearth reaction area contiguous with a reformation hearth reaction area, including the steps of feeding waste tire chips into the drying and volatizing area, heating the tire chips in the drying and volatizing area to a temperature of about 500 C to about 600 C, drying and volatizing the tire chips to form a hot process gas and hot residual solid carbonaceous matter; raising the temperature of the hot process gas and the hot residual solid carbonaceous matter to a temperature in the range of from about 600 C to about 1000 C; and thermally reforming the hot process gas to form a synthesis gas composition; and hot residual solid carbonaceous matter. The apparatus for producing high quality carbon and synthesis gas from waste automotive tires is also disclosed.

1 . A method for selectively producing condensable hydrocarbon gases and non-condensable synthesis gases from tire chips in a single reactor, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a single rotating reactor having a drying and volatizing hearth reaction area contiguous with a reformation hearth reaction area;    feeding waste tire chips into the drying and volatizing area;    heating the tire chips in the drying and volatizing area to a temperature of about 500 C to about 600 C;    retaining the tire chip material on a rotating bed in the drying and volatizing area until the material is substantially completely dried and volatized to form a hot process gas and a hot residual solid carbonaceous matter;    moving the hot process gas into the reformation area;    forming a bed of residual solid carbonaceous matter in the reformation area;    raising the temperature of the hot process gas and the hot residual solid carbonaceous matter in the reformation area sufficiently high to reform the hot process gas;    thermally reforming the hot process gas to form a synthesis gas composition; and    discharging the hot gases and the hot residual solid carbonaceous matter from the reactor.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the temperature in the reformation area is in the range of from about 600 C to about 1000° C.  
     
     
         3 . Apparatus for thermally processing organic materials to selectively produce condensable hydrocarbon gases and non-condensable synthesis gases, comprising: 
 a rotary reactor having a longitudinal axis, a feed end and a discharge end, a drying and volatizing hearth reaction area adjacent to the feed end of the rotary reactor for heating, drying and volatizing organic materials to form a hot process gas and a hot residual solid matter;    a reformation hearth reaction area adjacent to the discharge end of the reactor, the reformation reaction area being contiguous with the drying and volatizing reaction area;    means for separating the two contiguous hearth reaction areas;    a feed end process burner;    means for causing gases formed in the drying and volatizing hearth reaction area to flow cocurrently with the products of combustion of the feed end process burner; and    means for removing produced condensable hydrocarbon gases, non-condensable synthesis gases, and hot residual solid carbonaceous matter from the reactor.