MXPA01004699A - Apparatus for separation of constituents from matrices - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus useful for the separation of hazardous and non-hazardous organic and inorganic constituents from various matrices. A method of separating such constituents is also provided.

Description

APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF MATRIX CONSTITUENTS Background of the Invention Since the beginning of the 1950s, the various branches of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have aggressively developed and manufactured energy components and nuclear weapons that involve various radioactive materials. The process of refining the nuclear materials and the various decontamination devices used in these processes and others with various types of organic and inorganic materials has generated hundreds of thousands of tons of soil, sludge, waste or other waste contaminated with radionuclides and various constituents organic and inorganic chemicals dangerous and non-hazardous hazards. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined a waste containing radionuclides and constituents of hazardous and non-hazardous waste as a mixed waste. Historically, mixed wastes have typically been stored in container sites in designated containment or storage areas or storage containers or in landfills or public landfills REF: 129542 or ditches. Disposal of waste mixtures in landfills or DOD or DOE ditches is no longer allowed. Due to the enactment of EPA regulations, the mixed waste is no longer allowed to be disposed of in an EPA approved hazardous waste facility or a radioactive waste facility until the constituents can be separated and segregated from each other. This needs to accelerate the repair of mixed waste at these sites due to the fact that the DOE and DOD are currently undergoing a major restructuring effort, while numerous DOE and DOD facilities across the country are being decontaminated and permanently shut down. for the redevelopment of light, commercial or residential industry. A large percentage of these facilities contain soil, sludge or other residues, which are defined by the EPA as a mixed waste. To solve the problem, mixed waste that has been buried in ditches and landfills has had a significant impact on groundwater reserves in some locations. These areas must be remedied in accordance with EPA regulations which in most cases involve the elimination and repair of source materials of contamination (non-liquid matrices). The present invention describes a method that is capable of separating hazardous and non-hazardous organic and inorganic constituents from non-liquid matrices without destabilizing or disseminating radionuclides. After separation, the radioactive waste stream is removed either at the DOE or DOD facility in accordance with EPA regulations, or disposed of at the EPA-approved radioactive waste facility. This allows the significantly economic benefit to handle this waste stream in this way. Currently, there are virtually no methods to conduct the separation of this waste stream in an effective manner in terms of costs and effective or environmentally sound. In addition to mixed wastes, the annual generation of hazardous and non-hazardous (chemically contaminated) wastes in the United States is estimated to be in the range of hundreds of millions of metric tons. Industries throughout the world rely on manufacturing processes that routinely generate waste products. Many of these waste products are disposed of as hazardous waste, which is very expensive. There is a need to recirculate some of the raw materials for use by separating the contaminants from several matrices. This would allow the industry to minimize the waste of what is produced, decreasing operating costs and complying with current regulations. The dangers to public health and the environment are well documented, which involve these different chemical constituents. Several methods for the destruction or decomposition of high-boiling hazardous waste are extremely expensive. It is not very cost-effective to use high-grade energy to thermally destroy the entire hazardous waste matrixes when the contaminant itself is a much smaller portion of the volume by weight. Also, because the non-liquid matrix that has become contaminated due to contact with the chemical compound should be re-used or recycled if possible. It is much more cost effective with respect to matrices contaminated with various hazardous wastes such as PCBs, pesticides, herbicides, PCPs, dioxins, furans, and the like, minimizing the waste stream that wants expensive destruction or methods of expensive decomposition by separating the volume of the non-liquid matrix which typically is between 75% to 90% of the volume of the waste stream.

Therefore, the invention provides a method of recycling sources and minimizing waste economically as an alternative option to the current technique in response to the need of the market to manage in a better way from the technological point of view the waste from industrial processes, mixed waste and hazardous waste streams from an environmentally appropriate point of view and in an effective cost manner. O'Ham (U.S. Patent No. 5,127,343, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference) teaches an apparatus and method for decontaminating and sanitizing soil, particularly soil containing petroleum hydrocarbons, such as gasoline, oils and the like in an intermittent process where the soil is stationary during the treatment. This process was specifically designed in response to a large market need for on-site treatment technology for hydrocarbon-contaminated soils from gasoline service stations and other related users of petroleum products, in response to the regulatory requirements of the Act. of Subsurface Storage of Hazardous Substances and related regulations, which require remediation or rehabilitation of soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The prior art has no means to control the dust that escapes during loading and unloading of the dies. The soil is normally transported via the loader from the material stack to the processing device. By doing so, pollutants spread through the spill and dust generated by the wind, both workers and potential spectators, or the nearby public, have a much higher potential for exposure to pollutants as well as for the release possible control of pollutants to the environment. The prior art requires a delay of 20% or more to perform the maintenance of the processor. The soil or soil is placed directly in the processing unit on the sieves (vacuum tubes) surrounded by a filter medium (granule). The screens are easily covered, requiring constant cleaning between the intermittent processes. The entrance door is positioned at the bottom to allow the front end loader to enter the chamber and deposit the soil for treatment and generate to create a rail for the conveyor of the heaters towards the top of the chamber for treatment. The joints of the entrance door are blocked with the dies and the filter medium and must be cleaned after each intermittent process. These doors are easily damaged from this process and it becomes almost impossible to seal them from the passage of air, resulting in insufficient treatment. In addition, damage to the joints results in the access door leaving the line. When this happens, the rail of the car or conveyor of the heater leaves the line and can cause the conveyor of the heater to fall out of the rail on the side of the unit resulting in an increased time delay. Previous art was unreliable in the treatment. The air flows through the static bed in a non-uniform and variable manner resulting in temperature gradients across the matrix to be treated. The air is deflected causing the sieve and granule to clog, and the inability to seal the loading door. Also, the vacuum sieves were located directly under only approximately 50% of the surface area of the static soil bed, resulting in incomplete treatment throughout the soil or creating "cold spots". Uneven heating results in inadequate treatment.

The prior art uses an expensive filter medium which is added to the pile of waste material and the cost of operation. The prior art requires extensive cleaning between each operation. Decontamination procedures are often not successful. This is because the matrix is placed directly inside the treatment chamber. The matrices are forced towards the access areas of the device. The previous art drags dust particles and deposits them in the emission control system, restricting air flows and causing excessive maintenance requirements. The prior art only allows the treatment of hydrocarbons. The prior art is applicable only to the removal of hydrocarbons through thermal processes. The review of the prior art indicates that the art is limited to the elimination of hydrocarbons from the soil and is not adequate, in relation to the economic, ecological, and safety point of view, for the treatment of various organic and inorganic chemicals and chemicals with high boiling point. Therefore, there is a need for a method that is economical and environmentally suitable that separates volatile organic and inorganic contaminants from non-liquid matrices and that collects these contaminants for recycling or reuse. There is also a need for a system that allows the reuse of decontaminated non-liquid matrices. This method provides a social benefit by providing an ecologically sound solution for the minimization of waste streams in an economical manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an apparatus for the separation of waste constituents from matrices, comprising: a container having a lower part and an upper part; where the upper part has a collector for the elimination of gases; and means for heating the interior of said container, preferably located in the lower part of said apparatus. Preferably, the apparatus further comprises a removable tray, preferably between 1 and 4 trays. The apparatus may be permanently mounted or, preferably, mobile. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises means for regenerating a vacuum to extract the gases through the manifold, preferably ranging from 0"of mercury to 29" of mercury. In a preferred embodiment, the container is rectangular in shape and comprises one to four sides, with the sides of the tray or trays effectively forming the sides of the container after insertion into the bottom or base of the container. According to a preferred embodiment, the container has no sides. The tray preferably comprises a lower part having holes, such that the lower part of the tray is capable of supporting the dies and still allows air to pass upwards through the holes and dies. The lower part can be, for example, a screen or it can be grooved. The apparatus can vary in its dimensions, depending on factors such as the number of matrices to be treated, the location of the treatment site, or whether the unit is designed to be fixed to a site or be mobile, in a modality, the tray is of size, dimension and capacity so that it can be moved and loaded into the container with a vehicle with fork lift. Typically for larger-scale operations, the tray is designed to be loaded with dies from the top and has a load capacity of at least about 2.5 cubic yards. The tray may also comprise a hinged gate at an opposite end of the forklift pockets to discharge the treated die. In another embodiment, the apparatus is adapted for small-scale use, wherein the tray has a capacity of, for example, about 1 cubic foot. According to one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a further means for mechanically stirring the dies. The apparatus may further comprise a means for the introduction of chemical treatment additives. In a further embodiment, the bottom surface of the upper part of the manifold comprises a high temperature silicon gasket or other heat resistant gasket to seal the tray to the top or manifold so that the air is directed through the trays and matrices contained in the tray, and not around the tray. According to one embodiment, the upper part can be moved vertically. In another embodiment, the collector optionally contains a drying filter medium of 1 to 100 microns which physically separates the matrix particles entrained in the air stream of the purge gas. The apparatus may also further comprise a means for the remote control monitoring operation of said apparatus using a controller system and the transducers to transfer the information to a computer. The present invention further provides a method for the separation of organic and inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous waste constituents from the matrices comprising; place the matrices in a container; heat the dies; create a subatmospheric pressure within the matrices by establishing a vacuum above the matrices, and eliminating the gaseous constituents of the matrices. The matrices are selected from radioactive materials, waste streams from industrial processes, soils, sludges, activated carbons, catalysts, aggregates, biomass, waste, sorbents, drilling mud, cutting drilling mud and the like. The boiling points of the constituents may vary, for example, from approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit to approximately 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. Examples of constituents that can be removed include ammonia, mercury, mercury compounds, cyanide, cyanide compounds, arsenic, arsenic compounds, selenium, selenium compounds, and other metals and their salts. According to one embodiment, the constituents are not thermally destroyed or undergo combustion during the separation of the constituents from the matrices. The method may comprise the reversible phase change of the constituents separated from the matrix by condensation or physical filtration or adsorption of the constituents. In one embodiment, the constituents are retained in the matrices for less than 0.5 seconds after the desorption temperature of the constituents is reached. The method can comprise the heating of the matrices in a direct manner by exposure to light energy with an emission spectrum between 0.2 and 14 microns. In one embodiment, the surface of matrices exposed to infrared energy becomes a secondary emitter and purges air that transfers heat connective to the matrix surface of the charged tray. In another embodiment, the surface of the matrices exposed to the light energy becomes an emitter and transfers the heat conductively to the matrix layers above the surfaces; exposed to light energy. The method can additionally involve the matrices by convective means whereby heat is conducted to the matrix layers above the lower surface of the matrix. In a particular embodiment, the organic chemicals are separated from the matrices containing the radionuclides and the inorganic metal constituents. The constituents can be recovered and refined for recycling purposes. The method may comprise at least one means for purging the gas vapors and the constituents to be condensed and collected. In a further embodiment, the discharge air stream is recirculated below the trays to form a substantially closed loop system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus of the invention. Figure 2 shows a view showing the top, bottom and side views of a stirring tray. Figure 3 shows several views of a static or removable tray used to practice the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for separating organic and inorganic, dangerous and non-hazardous constituents from various matrices. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for separating these different constituents from the matrices using one or more of the following principles: thermal desorption at low temperature, radiant energy, convective heat, conductive heating, air separation, distillation at vacuum, volatilization at reduced pressure and chemical volatilization through the addition of chemical additives and the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for the recovery of several matrices whereas a primary result of the process is to provide a waste minimization and a benefit for the recycling of the resources. Preferably, the invention relates to a method for the recovery of the following areas of waste streams: (1) separation of organic and inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous constituents from matrices contaminated with radionuclides without spreading or destabilizing the separation the contaminating radionuclides separating raw materials and organic and inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous chemical constituents from a waste stream from industrial processes; and (2) separation of organic and inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous chemical constituents from various matrices, including but not limited to, sludges, soils, activated carbon, catalysts, aggregates, biomass, waste and the like. The Matrix Constituent Separator provides a controlled air flow distribution that the prior art lacked. The Matrix Constituent Separator allows equal or uniform distribution of air flow and heat extracted through the matrices contained in either the stirring or static tray to ensure complete desorption of the constituents contained within the volume of the complete matrix . For the desorption of organic and inorganic, volatile and semi-volatile chemicals, the lack of moving parts in the treatment chamber allows for low maintenance and thus provides increased production and associated economic benefits. This process allows the desorption, separation and complete collection, if desired, of all the organic and inorganic chemical constituents, dangerous and non-hazardous, from a matrix contaminated with radioactive products without spreading or destabilizing the radionuclides entrained. The Matrix Constituent Separator provides efficient and cost-effective separation to recover organic and inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous chemical constituents and matrices for recycling, re-use, economic disposal or additional treatments of hazardous constituents, due to the significant reduction of the volume in the quantity of waste that is required for the subsequent handling. The design of the present treatment apparatus maximizes the economic benefits and the use of the fuels used in the system to generate radiant energy. The process is also efficient since it does not use any auxiliary fuel for the desorption of the matrices chemists during the treatment process, or to condense and collect the evaporated constituents after desorption of the matrices. The total process achieves a reduction of the desirable and significant mass and volume in the waste stream which will be recycled, re-used to obtain an economic benefit, discarded or subsequently treated at significantly lower costs. The volume of chemical contaminants that is emitted either into the atmosphere or into landfills is substantially reduced by the method of the invention since it allows a means to separate, remedy, collect, purify and recover commercial products from matrices contaminated, including the matrices themselves. The prior art method involves heating the upper material and forcing air down through the material. This action contradicts the laws of physics and delays the treatment process. In the prior art, convective heat is not captured from the burner since air is drawn down through the system. Most of the convective heat can be observed that rises and moves away from the top of the process. The MCS heats the floor from the bottom and the heater extracts and heats the exhaust air from the system through the matrix. This process is efficient, and since heat rises naturally it does not require opposing forces to force air through the matrix. The movement of the air up does not compress or compact the matrix allowing the flow of free air through the matrix. The previous technique caused the compaction of the matrix which delayed both the flow of air through the system and the effectiveness of the treatment.

The MCS is preferably portable, since the cost of transporting the unit to the site to be treated is much less than the cost of moving the arrays to the treatment site and back to the place where the arrays are to be used as materials. filling or for another type of re-use or waste. The method preferably consists of loading the dies in the trays with screens in the lower part which are mechanically placed inside a heating structure having a reflecting bottom and three vertical sides and opening to the atmosphere to the top, establishing a vacuum, or at least a partial vacuum, through the upper part of the container or container to establish a vertical pass through the matrices loosely packaged generally, heating the matrices of the lower part and pulling the heating cases upwards behind or mixed with gases, releasing pollutant vapors from the dies and removing trays and collector structure and collecting pollutant vapors in an air emission control system if desired. Finally, the trays containing the treated matrices are removed from the heating structure and allowed to cool in a controlled manner while treating another set of trays. Once the treated matrices contained within the trays are cooled, they are rehydrated within the trays in a controlled manner. The dies are then removed from the trays in a manner that minimizes the emission or dust that can be dispersed. The air is pulled through the open base of the system to a point further away from the heating source. This flowing air performs two functions: (1) extract the heat of convection through the source to heat non-liquid matrices not exposed to light energy; Y (2) reduce the vapor pressure inside the treatment chamber. Second, the decrease in pressure decreases the boiling point of contaminants released from the treated matrices. The ratio of vapor pressure / boiling point is expressed by the following well-known empirical equation for specific substances for which a and b are well-known values, where p = pressure in mm of mercury; T = temperature in degrees Kelvin; a and b are constants given (among other places) in the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 69th edition. (1988) starting on page D-212. og lOp = 0.05223a divided by T plus b This allows the removal of pollutants with high boiling points at lower temperatures. The energy required to heat the system is only about a quarter of that required by other heat treatment systems. Emptiness also works in a physical way. Through the physical extraction and saturation of air treated matrices, the heated air will displace the other gases present and sweep them out of the treated matrices which adds system effectiveness. In the present invention several waste dies are placed in trays and loaded on the base of the heater, a fan extracts the air through the system acting on the dies through the entire bottom of the screen tray. The heaters are activated, the dies are heated uniformly and through a depth and between the range of less than an inch to above three feet. Typically, the arrays are heated to a depth in the range between 4 inches and 18 inches. The effective heating depth can be easily determined for someone skilled in the art, it will be affected by factors such as the heating source, the physical characteristics of the array and the like. The ambient air that enters the process in all locations below the dies is also heated and extracted upwards through the matrices carrying the heat to the matrices of the upper layers. The combination of heating and reduced pressure removes contaminants from the matrices and the flowing air extracts the removed contaminants out of the treatment process through an emission control system or collection system. The matrices can be shaken and the treatment may not be thermal in nature if it is desired. The system is a batch or batch treatment process used to separate organic and inorganic chemical constituents, dangerous and non-hazardous from several solid and semi-solid matrices. These matrices include but are not limited to matrices contaminated with radioactivity, waste streams from industrial processes, sludges, soils, activated carbons, catalysts, aggregates, biomass, waste and the like. The chemical constituents are separated from the matrices by heating the matrix in a tray while purging copious volumes of air or other gases through the matrix. The purge gas stream flows through a series of non-destructive emission control components that remove chemical constituents from the air stream by physical separation, condensation and absorption. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises but is not limited to the following components: Dry Particulate Filter Condensation System HEPA Filters Carbon Absorption Liquid Scrubber Reverse Osmosis Chemical Precipitation Phase Physical Separation Coalescing Filters The apparatus of the present invention can be describe with reference to the following figures: Figure 2: 1. Oscillating support lever of the arrow that houses the bearings and the arrow that is connected to the matrix mixing blade. 2. Bottom of the tray, which includes a sieve, slotted, containing the contaminated matrices during processing. 3. Mixing vanes that move through the matrix contained in the tray to facilitate mixing of the dies during processing. 4. Hydraulic motor that drives the mixing paddles.

. Subordinate toothed wheel that reduces the energy requirements and drives the pallets. 6. Drive chain that connects the subordinate sprocket to drive the sprocket. 7. Drive wheel that is coupled to the hydraulic motor to drive the mixing blades. 8. Protective housing to keep the hydraulic motor from hostile environment. 9. Hydraulic motor that drives the mixing blades.

. Toothed wheel that is coupled to the hydraulic motor to drive the mixing paddles. 11. Drive chain that is connected to the subordinate sprocket to drive the sprocket. 12. Subordinate toothed wheel that reduces energy requirements and drives the pallets 13. Bottom part of the sieve and slotted tray containing the contaminated matrices during processing. 14. Agitator tray used to process the matrices before, during and after the introduction of chemical additives to allow the treatment of certain inorganic contaminants. 15. Mixing vanes that move through the matrix contained in the tray to facilitate mixing of the dies during processing. 16. High temperature support bearings that allow the slave shaft to rotate. 17. Central drive shaft to which the pallets are attached. Figure 3: 18. Bottom of the sieve and slotted tray which contains the contaminated matrices during processing. 19. Hinge for the discharge gate for the removal of the matrix after treatment. 20. Door of the discharge gate which opens oscillating to unload the matrices. 21. Latch of the discharge gate that prevents the gate from opening during the treatment. 22. Collection bag that allows the forklift to move, load, unload and remove the trays. 23. Latch of the discharge gate that prevents the gate from opening during the treatment. 24. Articulation or hinge for the discharge gate for the removal of the matrix after treatment.

. Collection bag for the forklift truck that allows the forklift to move, load, unload and remove the trays. 26. Bottom of the sieve and slotted tray which contains the contaminated matrices during processing. 27. Support of the bottom sieve to support the weight of the matrix loaded in the trays. 28. Collection bag for the forklift truck that allows the forklift to move, load, unload and remove the trays. 28a. Collection bag for the forklift truck that allows the forklift to move, load, unload and remove the trays. Figure 1: 29. Process Burner 30. Radiant tube emitter 31. Combustion Exhaust Ventilation 32. Heater Base Assembly 33. High temperature silicone gasket material which seals the collector exhaust to the edge of the top of the tray. 34. Filter medium from 1 to 100 microns and support structure that acts as a physical barrier to stop the particles from leaving the system in the air stream. 35. Air extraction manifold 36. Hydraulic cylinder to lift the exhaust manifold. 37. Exhaust gas outlet. 38. Tray for soil treatment. The chemicals can be recovered for the re-refining, additional treatment, disposal or recycling of various components without destroying the chemical constituents. The resulting discharge air stream is either free of or minimal concentrations of chemical constituents. This process can be used to separate chemical constituents from radioactive contaminated solids without mixing the radionuclides with the chemical constituents. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a base containing a multiplicity of heaters, preferably infrared heaters, which are placed under the dies and placed inside a structure of the portable heater, with the heaters directed upwards against the lower surfaces of the dies. The apparatus also provides that the base of the heaters can be permanently mounted to the collector structure for most applications. An extraction blower or vacuum pump provides the force for the upward movement of the contaminants through the matrix, which exit through the extraction blower or the vacuum pump, or can be collected in a control system. Air emission if desired. Attached to the base by two hydraulic cylinders is the vacuum or exhaust manifold. The lower surface of the collector is sealed by a seal with a temperature-resistant seal material. The manifold is hydraulically raised to allow the loading and unloading of the trays of the matrix of the lower part with sieve on the base of the heater. Once loaded, the upper collector is lowered and sealed to the axis of the upper part of the trays. This allows the air to be pulled up through the die and the trays and does not have to surround it. The preferred apparatus consists of five main components: collector; process trays; heater base; purge air blower; and the system of emission controls. In the preferred embodiment, the trays have a typical size of approximately 8 'x 8' x 17"and contain a slotted stainless steel screen.The waste matrix is loaded onto the trays with screens and the tray is placed on the base of the tray. The base of the heater typically consists of 1 to 4 or more receptacles on the tray and has a heater rail mounted on it with sufficient space between the base of the heater and the manifold to insert the tray. raise and lower to assist the loading and removal process of the tray Once the tray is loaded and the manifold is lowered, the exhaust fans force the purge through the die while the heaters illuminate the floor. The surface of the matrix heats up and the purge gas stream moves through the matrix convectively transferring heat from the surface layer of the matrix which is exposed to the light energy and matrix materials located more deeply in the tray. The conductive transfer of heat occurs in the tray where the particles of the matrix touch those particles exposed to the light energy as well as those particles that have been heated convectively. The purge air stream creates a shifting equilibrium in which the state of the steam is improved. The chemicals in the matrices exist as solids, liquids and vapors in a state of equilibrium. The heat shifts the balance and generates more steam. As this vapor moves and moves out of the system by generating purge air vapor, it is further improved when the system tries to adjust to a state of equilibrium. The Matrix Constituent Separator allows the loading of trays in the stacking area, and the trays, which completely contain both the matrix and the contaminants, can be transported in a controlled manner to the processing unit without spreading contaminants or releasing contaminants. leakage emissions. This new process also eliminates the need for workers to enter the process unit and clean the output matrices, middle of spent granite filter and vacuum tubes. This significantly minimizes both health and safety concerns in relation to exposure to pollutant vapors, heat stresses, burns and back problems of workers in an extremely hot environment with heavy materials. The MCS process allows trays with a sieve bottom to be loaded onto a structure that eliminates sieve plugging, door filter media problems, entrainment, and associated maintenance time delay. The MCS process consists of virtually no delay for this reason. If some maintenance is required for the sieve on a particular tray, this can be done while other trays are under treatment. With the previous technique, maintenance on the processor resulted in a loss of production. The surface area of the static bed in the MCS processor is completely placed in a sieve resulting in 100% coverage. The MCS process eliminates the loading door and promotes uniform airflow through the matrix and uniform treatment. The need for expensive filter media has been eliminated, reducing process costs and minimizing waste residuals to be eliminated. In the MCS process, all these problems have been eliminated because the matrices are not in contact with the process equipment. In the MCS process, a physical barrier of 5 to 100 microns prevents the entrainment and migration of contaminants and particles in the control components of emissions. This makes decontamination easy and efficient. The MCS process can be equipped with mechanical agitators so that the matrices can be chemically treated by mixing and through the addition of chemical compounds used to volatilize or gasify the contaminants that are extracted from the trays and collect them in the emission control system. The MCS process allows controlled rehydration of the treated waste to control dust and to prepare the matrix for reuse. This is not practical in the prior art. Production is not affected since rehydration of the trays may occur while other trays are under treatment. With the previous art, rehydration could occur in the treatment chamber so that additional production is not possible. Also the rehydration in the chamber results in an accumulation of water in the chamber that will impact (increase) the treatment time of the next batch affecting production. The MCS process is configured so that it is practical to monitor the matrix temperatures, air flows, pressures and components of the process emission control using transducers and thermocouples. This allows operators to control the treatment process exactly. The previous technique lacks these controls and could not be used practically in the container of the contaminants of the matrix. The use of process controls will also limit the number of workers required to operate the system, thus limiting potential exposure to health and safety risks. Both advantages will make the process more competitive in cost. The MCS process is a more economical and efficient means of treatment than prior art. The loading and unloading method of the prior art processor requires a significant time delay between batches, which directly affects the production efficiency and the economic benefit of this technique. The process design of the MCS method generates substantial efficiencies in the production and economic benefits over the prior art, resulting in part in the improvement of the time delay between batches due to the loading and unloading of the matrix treatment chamber. In the present system all constituents will be converted to steam and transported by the air stream in an emission control system. Because the volumes of purge air are excessive, a means can be used to physically separate the particles that have been drawn into the purge gas stream. A dry particle or particulate filter with pore spaces typically ranging from 1 to 100 microns is incorporated into the collector just above the seals of the trays. This physical barrier stops these particulates and separates them from the constituent vapors. The vapors travel through a condenser where it condenses to a liquid. From this stage in the process, the vapors and air from the purge gas pass through the HEPA filter typically designed to separate the particles at 0.1 microns. The purge air travels through the coal to further purify it. The air is finally discharged into the atmosphere or reintroduced into the process as the air is purged. Separators or scrubbers, stage condensation and the like can also be used to achieve the removal of purge gas vapor. The matrices in the trays can be agitated mechanically and the chemical additives introduced to the matrix improve the process or convert the constituents into a more volatile form for the separation. This is achieved by using a palette that rotates inside the bottom of the tray by mixing the dies. It can also be supplemented using a stirring bar or drag. Typically the exhaust fan is the only moving mechanical part that drives the system. The system can also be modified in a particular mode where the agitation trays are used for the treatment of certain chemical constituents. This bottom of the trays can be coated or covered to achieve voids ranging from approximately 0"to approximately 29" of mercury. This can additionally improve the balance deviation. This results in the chemical constituents being separated from the matrices and collected in the emission control system without destroying them. The inorganic and certain organic constituents can be separated by the coupled system with the use of a tray stirrer and / or chemical addition. Some of these processes can be complemented non-thermally. For example, a matrix contaminated with cyanide salts or organically bound cyanides can be placed inside a static tray, if the matrix is homogeneous in the composition and permeability, or in a shaker tray if it is not. The addition of sulfuric, nitric, hydrochloric or other acids will produce hydrogen cyanide gas which is extracted from the matrix and passes through a caustic separator to create sodium cyanide which is then collected and recycled. The matrix can then be neutralized with caustic soda and made suitable for possible re-use. Mercury, arsenic, selenium and other transition elements can be released from a matrix by first acidifying the matrix and then oxidizing it to obtain metals in their basic state. The addition of tin chloride or sulfate will cause the hydride gas of the compound to form to form, eliminating the compounds of interest that are collected and passing through an acid scavenger. The ammonia can be removed from a matrix by raising the pH with caustic soda and the vapors are collected in the boric acid. The mechanical agitator consists of a hydraulically operated process that can be driven by a chain below the bottom of the tray. The surface of the tray contains two pallets that move through the bottom of the screen. The pallets rise in the central part approximately 2 inches which plows through the matrix raising the material and mixing it. The pallets are attached to an arrow or shaft that comes out below the tray screen. Below the bottom of the screen the shaft has a gear wheel connected to it. This axis is typically located in the center of the tray. The shaft of the hydraulic motor also extends through the bottom of the sieved tray. There is a cogwheel attached to this arrow as well. A drive chain C is connected to two sprockets. When the motor shaft rotates, the secondary shaft rotates by pushing the paddles through the die. The base of the heater typically contains 8 to 12 radiant heaters that face up towards the die. The prior art has a series of lowered chambers in which the tubular screens are inserted and attached to a manifold at one end. The soil or soil to be treated rests on the bottom of the chamber and on top of the sieves. The recessed area and the screens are covered quickly. This causes uneven heating of the soil which results in poor and uneven or non-uniform treatment. The soil that clogs the screens can be removed manually, causing a delay in the process and concerns about the health and safety of workers. The present process does not employ a series of cameras with sieves inside which the matrix rests during the treatment. The process chamber is separated from the treatment trays. The camera is equipped with a structure in which a tray containing the matrix is placed. The tray has a self-cleaning screen in the lower part which cleans itself of any clogging that may occur in the pouring process. The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which the partial pressure of the substance is equal to its vapor pressure. There is a direct relationship between the final treatment temperature and the operating pressure of the system. When the system is operating the pressure is reduced and the treatment temperature required for the elimination of the compounds by volatilization decreases. The MCS uses this principle of reducing the boiling point by reducing the system pressure. The pressure of the system is reduced from approximately 0"of mercury to approximately 1" to 30"of mercury The Figure shows the examples of this relationship for water, acetone, TCE and PCE Figure 1. Approximate Boiling Points of the Compounds under pressure Reduced The vacuum is expressed in terms of the total vacuum in inches of mercury. Referring to Figure 1, it is easily observed that the relationship between the boiling point and the system pressure, although direct, is not linear. This non-linearity is described by the Clausius-Clapyron equation: Equation 1 p = p * x exp-C with C = (delta Hvap) x (1-1) RTT * where: p * is the vapor pressure (atm .) at the temperature T * (* R): p is the vapor pressure (atm.) at the temperature T (* a): R is the universal gas constant (BTU / mol- * R); and delta Hvap is to the heat of vaporization (BTU / lb) Three assumptions are made so that the above equation is considered true: 1) the change in the volume of the fly is equal to the molar volume of gas; 2) the gas behaves like an ideal gas; and 3) the enthalpy of vaporation (delta Hvap) is independent of temperature. Table 1 compares the boiling point of the tabulated data to the calculated boiling point with the Clausius-Clapyron equation for various chemicals at a pressure of approximately 25"of mercury.Another important parameter related to airflow is an air separation Air separation is the process of using carrier gas, air, to remove contaminants from non-liquid materials.The speed at which a contaminant is removed from the soil depends on its vapor pressure and its stability in water. This process can be described by Henry's Law which is represented by the following equation: Equation 2 Pa = Xa x MT) where Pa is the partial pressure of the component at the temperature T k is the constant of Henry's Law for the component a in the temperature T Xa is the molar fraction of a in solution (X a is small) Therefore, the desorption of each pollutant takes place throughout the entire process, not sol when the boiling point of each compound is reached. Chemical volatilization consists of a two-stage chemical reaction which is shown below. Equation 3 C (l) at Ta Heat C (l) at Tbp Delta Ht Equation 4 C (g) at Ta Heat C (g) at Tbp Delta Hv where: C is the specific chemical (and pure) with a defined boiling point (TbP) C (l) is the previous chemical in the liquid phase and at some temperature, TC (g) is the previous chemical in the gas phase and some temperature, T Ta is the room temperature Tbp is the temperature of the boiling point In the first reaction, the temperature of the pollutant (or chemical) increases until the boiling point is reached. The amount of energy required to raise the temperature from the initial temperature to the boiling point depends on the heat capacity (for the liquid phase) and the amount of the contaminant. For example, water in the liquid phase requires 1 BTU of energy to raise the temperature from 1 pound to 1 degree Fahrenheit. The second reaction shows that after the contaminant reaches its boiling point, the temperature remains constant while the liquid evaporates. The heat of vaporization is the amount of energy required to produce a change in the phase from the liquid phase to the gas phase. For water, the heat of vaporization is 950 BTU / lb (at 212 degrees Fahrenheit). The total heat required is the sum of the enthalpies of the individual reactions or delta Ht plus delta Hv. There are three primary components in the matrix; 1) contaminants; 2) water; and 3) the matrix itself. Contaminants and water undergo a two-stage chemical reaction of volatilization while the matrix only heats up. The pollutants are present in concentrations of parts per million (ppm), water in concentrations ranging from 10-20% and the rest of 80-90% is the matrix. The two main actuators for the required energy input are water and matrix since the contaminants are present in relatively low concentrations. As explained above, the energy is used to heat the water to its boiling point and is added continuously to vaporize the water and heat the system to the temperature of the final target. Thus, in determining the total amount of energy required to reach an objective treatment temperature, the relative amounts of matrix and water (and their corresponding heat capacities) must be taken into consideration as well as the final target treatment temperature. which is dependent on the highest boiling point contaminants. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (35)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following: 1. An apparatus for the separation of waste constituents of matrices, characterized in that it comprises: a container having an upper part, said upper part having a collector for the removal of gases; a lower part, and means for the internal heating of the container.
2. 2. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a means for generating a vacuum to extract the gases through said collector.
3. 3. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 2, characterized in that it also comprises a removable tray.
4. 4. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 3, characterized in that said container further comprises 0 to 4 sides.
5. 5. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 4, characterized in that said container has 0 sides and the tray effectively forms the sides of the container after insertion in said container.
6. 6. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said tray comprises a lower part having holes, said lower part is able to support dies and allow air to pass upwards through the dies and the orifices.
7. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the lower part is a screen.
8. 8. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the lower part is grooved.
9. 9. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said tray is of a size, dimension and capacity so that it can be moved and loaded inside the container with a vehicle with lifting fork.
10. 10. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the tray is loaded with dies from the top and has a load capacity of at least about 2.5 cubic yards.
11. 11. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the tray has an articulated gate at the opposite end of the forklift bags with fork for unloading the loaded matrix.
12. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a means for mechanically stirring the dies.
13. 13. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a means for the introduction of additives for chemical treatment.
14. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower surface of the collector comprises a high temperature silicon gasket or other heat-resistant seal to seal the tray to the collector so that the air is directed substantially through of the trays and matrices contained in the tray and not around the tray.
15. 15. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that the collector contains a dry filter medium of 1 to 100 microns that physically separates the particles from the. matrix dragged in the air stream of the purge gas.
16. 16. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a means for the remote monitoring operation of said apparatus using a controller system and transducers to transfer the information to a computer.
17. 17. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises between 1 and 4 trays.
18. 18. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus is mounted permanently or is mobile.
19. 19. The apparatus in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that said upper part can be moved vertically.
20. 20. A method for the separation of waste constituents, organic and inorganic, hazardous and non-hazardous matrices characterized because it comprises: placing the matrices in a container; heat the dies; create a subatmospheric pressure within the matrices by establishing a vacuum above the matrices; and remove the gaseous constituents of the matrices.
21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that said matrices are selected from radioactive materials, waste streams from industrial processes, soils, sludges, activated carbon, catalysts, aggregates, biomass, waste, sorbents, drilling mud and substances cutting drill.
22. 22. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the boiling points of said constituents range from about 30 degrees Fahrenheit to about 1600 degrees Fahrenheit.
23. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the constituents are selected from ammonia, mercury, mercury compounds, cyanide, cyanide compounds, arsenic, arsenic compounds, selenium, selenium compounds, and other metals and their salts .
24. 24. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that it also comprises the separation of the constituents of the matrices in which the constituents are not thermally destroyed or undergo combustion.
25. 25. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that it also comprises reversibly changing the constituents separated from the matrix by condensation or physical filtration or adsorption of the constituents.
26. 26. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the constituents are retained in the matrices for less than 0.5 seconds after the desorption temperature of the constituents has been achieved.
27. 27. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that it also comprises the heating of the matrices in an indirect manner by exposure to light energy with an emission spectrum between 0.2 to 14 microns.
28. 28. The method of compliance with the claim 20, characterized in that the surface of the matrices exposed to the infrared energy becomes a secondary emitter and the purge air convectively transfers the heat to the surface of the matrix of the charged tray.
29. 29. The method of compliance with the claim 20, characterized in that the surface of the matrices exposed to the light energy becomes an emitter and transfers heat conductively to the layers of the matrices above the surfaces exposed to the light energy.
30. 30. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the matrices heated by convective means conduct the heat to the layers of the matrix above the surface of the matrix.
31. 31. The method of compliance with the claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises separating organic chemistries from matrices containing radionuclides and inorganic metal constituents
32. 32. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the vacuum varies from 0 inches of mercury to about 29 inches of mercury.
33. 33. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that it also comprises means for the recovery of constituents which can be refined for recycling purposes.
34. 34. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that it also comprises means for purging the vapors of the purge gases and constituents to be condensed and collected.
35. 35. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that the discharge air stream is recirculated below the trays to form a substantially closed circuit system.