Patent Issued for Carpet Fuel Processing Boiler (USPTO 9453643)
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From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: "Waste material inflow into resource limited landfills is strained by the voluminous amount of post consumer carpet waste produced by carpet distributors and carpet installation contractors and post industrial carpet waste produced by carpet manufacturers. Post industrial carpet waste can include, for example, commercial, industrial and residential carpet waste; manufacturing remnants; quality control failures, and the like. Post consumer carpet waste can be, for example, used carpet, e.g., carpet removed from a home, apartment complex, or a commercial installation, or unused carpet, e.g., residual carpet left from an installation or manufacturing process. While most estimates indicate that carpet waste constitutes only 1 to 2% of all municipal solid waste, this amount still represents a vast quantity of waste that can have a substantial economic and environmental impact.
"The carpet waste inflow into landfills is not generally environmentally beneficial. In an effort to mitigate the amount of carpet waste that is shipped to landfills, efforts are being made to manually recycle at least a portion of the carpet waste prior to insertion into the landfill waste stream. Recycling carpet, however, is difficult because its major components are chemically and physically diverse. Most carpets comprise about 20-50 percent weight face fiber, the remainder being backing materials, commonly polypropylene, and an adhesive which attaches the carpet fiber to the backing material. The adhesive typically comprises a carboxylated styrene-butadiene (XSB) latex copolymer, and inorganic filler like calcium carbonate. Because of these difficulties, the amount of carpet reclaimed through recycling operations to date is limited, and only a minimal percentage of the total carpet waste may be useful in the production of green technology products. Accordingly, there is a need for efficient recycling of post industrial and post consumer carpet waste to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of at landfills.
"Most carpet recycling methods to date have focused on recycling certain environmentally malignant constituents of carpet. Examples include polymers, such as nylon, and adhesive constituents found in carpet waste. However, little attention has been devoted to the various other constituents of carpet, such as inorganic filler. While such constituents may not present a direct environmental harm, they nonetheless represent a potential cost savings and a reduction in landfilling burden. If such materials could be reclaimed and recycled, the supply of such materials could be augmented, thereby reducing the burden to manufacture new materials. In addition, such broad-based recycling methods can also potentially help to comport with
"Generally, carpet manufacturers use steam, electricity or other energy sources in their manufacturing processes. Energy may be purchased directly (electricity, for example) or produced from a number of processes and energy sources, such as coal or natural gas (steam, for example). However, conventional energy production processes may be relatively inefficient and/or environmentally unfriendly. Accordingly, there is a need for production of required energy for carpet manufacturers that is derived from post industrial and post consumer carpet waste that would otherwise be diverted to landfills. In addition, the conversion of post industrial and post consumer carpet waste into energy will result in cleaner emissions when compared to the consumption of coal. Moreover, by utilizing diverted carpet material, carpet manufacturers can reduce and stabilize steam production costs significantly. Further, there is a need to provide improved carpet recycling methods and systems that can yield reclaimed materials suitable for use in the manufacture of new carpets and like materials."
Supplementing the background information on this patent, VerticalNews reporters also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent: "The present invention provides a method and system for energy production that is fueled by carpet waste material and for the separation and storage of waste products generated through the energy production process. The present invention may permit a significant amount of carpet waste material to be recycled and used as a biomass fuel, while separating and storing at least one reusable raw material that a manufacturer typically uses. It is contemplated that the carpet waste can be any carpet, including latex coated carpet. In one aspect, the carpet can be a post consumer carpet, post industrial carpet, manufacturing remnants, quality control failures, carpet fiber and the like. In a further aspect, the carpet can comprise a carpet waste that would otherwise be discarded or landfilled by a consumer, distributor, retailer, installer, and the like. For example and not meant to be limiting, a typical carpet structure includes woven fiber material affixed to a carpet backing.
"The method and system described herein generally comprises providing a carpet waste composition comprising an inorganic filler component, such as, for example and not meant to be limiting, carpet fines from the carpet backing, and an organic component, such as, for example and not meant to be limiting, carpet fibers. The method also generally comprises mechanically treating the carpet waste composition under conditions effective to separate at least a portion of the organic component from the carpet waste composition and to provide a reclaimed inorganic filler composition at least substantially free of the organic component. In this aspect, the separated portion of the organic component from the carpet waste composition forms a first combustible stream and the separated reclaimed inorganic filler composition forms a first waste steam. Also disclosed is the combustion of at least the first combustible stream to generate energy and to generate or otherwise provide a second waste stream comprising waste ash from the combustion process.
"In one aspect, the first waste stream is stored in a first waste storage unit as a first waste product and the first combustible stream is delivered to a boiler for use as a biomass fuel. In a further aspect, a second organic fuel component can be added to the first combustible stream before introduction into the boiler. In this aspect, it is contemplated that the second organic fuel component can have a higher BTU/weight content then that of the portion of the organic component from the carpet waste composition that forms the first combustible stream. In one exemplary aspect, the second organic fuel can comprise post consumer or post industrial fibers, such as, for example and without limitation, shear lint, elutriated fiber, and the like.
"Combustion of the carpet generated combustible materials can be used to ultimately generate high/low pressure steam, electricity or other usable energy product, and generate ash as a by-product. The ash may be moved within a second waste stream and stored within the second waste storage unit. In one aspect, the second waste stream may be distinct and isolated from the first waste product stream such that the ash and carpet fines remain separated from each other, at least until the hot waste ash cools to or below the melting point of the carpet fines. It is contemplated that the first and second waste storage units may each be part of distinct waste product streams such that the individual waste products generated can be isolated from each other and therefore available for beneficial reuse.
"Additional embodiments of the invention will be set forth, in part, in the detailed description, figures, and claims which follow, and in part will be derived from the detailed description, or can be learned by practice of the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as disclosed."
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