A waste treatment process includes charging a reactor container (12) with a reactant alkaline metal alloy (10) and isolating the reactant alloy from oxygen gas. After heating the reactant alloy (10) in the reactor container (2) to a minimum of 770 degrees Celsius, a waste material is introduced into the molten alloy, preferably below the surface of the alloy. The waste material is pyrolized in the reactant alloy (10) to produce useful chlorine salts and other materials. The reactant alloy (10) includes magnesium and/or lithium, aluminum, zinc, calcium, and copper.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/704,307, filed Oct. 15, 1996 entitled "Equipment for Using Molten Metal Reactive Media for the Treatment of Hazardous Waste", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,845 which is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 08/328,270 filed Oct. 3, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,351 which is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 08/319,640 filed Oct. 7, 1994 which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/225,612, filed Apr. 11, 1994, entitled "Equipment and Process for Molten Alloy Pyrolysis of Hazardous Liquid Waste", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,991, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/103,122, filed Aug. 9, 1993, entitled "Equipment and Process for Waste Pyrolysis and Off Gas Oxidative Treatment", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,947, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/982,450, filed Nov. 27, 1992, entitled "Equipment and Process for Medical Waste Disintegration and Reclamation", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,341, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/669,756, filed Mar. 15, 1991, entitled "Waste Treatment and Metal Reactant Alloy Composition", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,919, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/524,278, filed May 16, 1990, entitled "Hazardous Waste Reclamation Process", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,101.
An elongated reaction chamber (11) has an inlet end (23), an outlet end (25), and a gas containment boundary (12) extending along its length. Waste material to be processed is injected into the reaction chamber (11) at the inlet end (23) and reaction products are removed from the reaction chamber out the outlet end (25). The reaction chamber (11) is mounted within a supply chamber (16) containing a molten reactant metal (15). The level of the molten reactant metal (15) in the supply chamber (16) resides above the level of the upper gas containment boundary (12). A circulating arrangement including a circulating paddle (17) circulates molten reactant metal (15) into the inlet end (23) of the reaction chamber (11) and through the reaction chamber to its outlet end (25). A mixing arrangement which may include fins (44) associated with the reaction chamber (11) mixes both gases and molten reactant metal in the reaction chamber to enhance exposure of unreacted gases to the molten metal. Gases exiting the reaction chamber (11) may be monitored to control the input of waste material at the inlet end (23) of the reaction chamber.
The invention relates to a method for the disposal of waste products containing hydrocarbons and/or halogenated waste products, wherein the waste products are made to react in a hydroxide molten bath in the absence of oxygen at temperatures of 400-900.degree. C.
A target material (60) to be treated in a liquid reactant metal is loaded into a containment area defined within a liquid reactant metal treatment vessel (11). The containment area is then placed below the level (L) of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel (11). This places the target material (60) in contact with the liquid reactant metal and allows the desired reactions to occur. Reaction products are then removed from the treatment vessel (11). Placing the containment area below the level (L) of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel (11) may be accomplished by pivoting the vessel from a loading position to a treating position to shift the level of liquid reactant metal in the vessel.
An incineration and melting furnace has a furnace main body that is filled with a conductive heat generation body (for example, graphite). Radioactive combustible materials in contact with the conductive heat generation body are burnt and the radiaoactive incombustible materials are melted. The resultant exhaust gases and the molten products flow downwardly in the conductive heat generation body filled region and flow out of a molten product discharging port. Noxious gases such as dioxins contained in the exhaust gases are thermally decomposed into a non-toxic state in a high temperature portion of the conductive heat generation region.
A treatment apparatus (10) includes a liquid reactant metal containment vessel (11) for containing a first liquid reactant metal and isolating the reactant metal from the atmosphere. A release chamber (14) is adapted to receive the first liquid reactant metal from the containment vessel (11) and a submerging arrangement (21) is adapted to dunk or submerge a container (46) of feed material into the liquid reactant metal and move the container to a release location within the release chamber (14). Relatively light materials rising from the submerged container (46), including unreacted feed material, intermediate reaction products, and perhaps final reaction products collect in a collection area (60) having an upper surface defined by an upper surface of the release chamber (14). A treatment arrangement included in the apparatus places the fluids collected in the collection area (60) in contact with the first liquid reactant metal or a second liquid reactant metal for a sufficient period of time to effect the desired reduction reactions.
