Pyrolyzed rubber products and processes

Abstract

A pyrolysis process is provided. The process includes the steps of: depositing a quantity of waste into a porous container, the porous container adapted to allow a convective stream of substantially anaerobic gas to flow therethrough; inserting the porous container into a pyrolysis thermal processor; sealing the thermal processor; circulating the convective stream of gas through the pyrolysis thermal processor; heating the waste according to a first time-temperature profile to pyrolyze the waste and form a carbonaceous char; and cooling the carbonaceous char by circulating the convective stream of gas through a cooler. An oil product and a gaseous hydrocarbon product are produced during the pyrolysis. The carbonaceous char is further processed to form a carbon black product and a recyclable metal product.

1 . A carbon black product, comprising:
 a carbon black in an amount between about 65 percent and about 95 percent;   an organic volatile material in an amount between about 2 percent and about 15 percent; and   an inorganic ash in an amount up to about 15 percent, wherein all percentages are by weight relative to a total weight of the carbon black product.   
     
     
         2 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein the carbon black is present in the carbon black product in an amount between about 85 percent and about 95 percent, and the inorganic ash is present in the carbon black product in an amount between about 9 percent and about 12 percent. 
     
     
         3 . The carbon black product according to  claim 2 , wherein the carbon black is present at about 85 percent, the organic volatile material is present at about 5 percent, and the inorganic ash is present at about 10 percent. 
     
     
         4 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein the carbon black product is substantially metal-free. 
     
     
         5 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein an ASTM D3191 standard styrene butadiene rubber formulation with the carbon black product has a tensile strength between 2800 psi and 3500 psi. 
     
     
         6 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein the carbon black product is pulverized to about a 325 mesh particle size. 
     
     
         7 . The carbon black product according to  claim 6 , wherein 99.99% of the pulverized carbon black product is able to pass through a 325 mesh screen. 
     
     
         8 . The carbon black product according to  claim 7 , wherein an average sieve residue with the 325 mesh screen is about 200 ppm. 
     
     
         9 . The carbon black product according to  claim 8 , wherein a maximum sieve residue with the 325 mesh screen is about 1000 ppm. 
     
     
         10 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein an average particle size of the pulverized carbon black product is about five microns. 
     
     
         11 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein a specific gravity of the carbon black product is between about 1.81 and about 1.86. 
     
     
         12 . The carbon black product according to  claim 11 , wherein the specific gravity is about 1.84. 
     
     
         13 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein the carbon black products has a moisture content between about 0.1 percent and about 2 percent. 
     
     
         14 . The carbon black product according to  claim 13 , wherein the moisture content is about 0.5 percent. 
     
     
         15 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , wherein the carbon black product is in the form of a loose fluff. 
     
     
         16 . The carbon black product according to  claim 1 , manufactured according to a pyrolysis process comprising the steps of:
 depositing a quantity of at least one of whole tires and tire shreds into a porous container, the porous container adapted to allow at least one convective stream of substantially anaerobic gas to flow therethrough;   inserting the porous container into a pyrolysis thermal processor;   sealing the thermal processor;   circulating the at least one convective stream of gas in the pyrolysis thermal processor;   heating the at least one of whole tires and tire shreds with the convective stream of gas according to a predetermined time-temperature profile to pyrolyze the at least one of whole tires and tire shreds and form a carbonaceous char;   cooling the carbonaceous char by circulating the at least one convective stream of gas through a cooler; and   separating extraneous materials and metal from the carbonaceous char to provide the carbon black product, wherein the carbon black product is substantially metal-free.   
     
     
         17 . The carbon black product according to  claim 16 , wherein the time-temperature profile includes ramping a temperature of the thermal processor from an initial temperature to a first temperature over a period of about 40 to 60 minutes, wherein the initial temperature is one of ambient temperature and a temperature to which the thermal processor was cooled following a previous pyrolysis cycle, wherein the first temperature is from about 550° F. to about 650° F., holding the temperature of the thermal processor at the first temperature for a first soak period of about 5 to about 15 minutes to evolve quantities of product oils and product gases from the waste, ramping the temperature of the thermal processor to a second temperature over a period of about 90 to 120 minutes, wherein the second temperature is from about 770° F. to about 870° F., holding the temperature of the thermal processor at the second temperature for a second soak period of about 30 to about 60 minutes to pyrolyze the waste and form the carbonaceous char, the second temperature adapted to minimize a graphitization of the carbonaceous char, and cooling the thermal processor to a third temperature by circulating the at least one convective stream through the thermal processor and the cooler, wherein the third temperature is between about 120° F. and about 160° F., wherein the pyrolysis process is performed under substantially atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         18 . A carbon black product, consisting of:
 a carbon black in an amount between about 65 percent and about 95 percent;   an organic volatile material in an amount between about 5 percent and about 15 percent; and   an inorganic ash in an amount up to about 15 percent; and   a moisture content between about 0.1 percent and about 2 percent, wherein all percentages are by weight relative to a total weight of the carbon black product, and   wherein the carbon black product is substantially metal-free and is in the form of a loose fluff.   
     
     
         19 . A packaged carbon black product, comprising:
 a low-melt bag having a quantity of carbon black product disposed therein, the carbon black product including a carbon black in an amount between about 65 percent and about 95 percent, an organic volatile material in an amount between about 5 percent and about 15 percent, and an inorganic ash in an amount up to about 15 percent, wherein all percentages are by weight relative to a total weight of the carbon black product.   
     
     
         20 . The packaged carbon black product of  claim 19 , wherein the quantity of carbon black product is provided as a loose fluff disposed within the low-melt bag.