Methods and systems are provided for two-stage treatment of contaminated particulate material, such as soil, sediment, and/or sludge. The methods and systems utilize a thermal desorption process combined with a smoldering combustion process. The contaminated particulate material is first exposed to thermal desorption at high temperatures (e.g., greater than 150° C.) to form a heated contaminated particulate material. Next, a smoldering combustion process is initiated by introducing a combustion-supporting gas. The combined process can take place in the same or different treatment units. Treating the particulate material with a thermal desorption process prior to a smoldering combustion process enhances the completeness and throughput compared to operating these processes separately.

A method for incinerating organic matter derived from the treatment of wastewater, or of industrial or agricultural waste, such as sludge and notably treatment plant sludge, is in a fluidized-bed incineration furnace, the furnace including a chamber in the lower part of which there is a bed of particles, preferentially sand, constituting a fluidization zone, in which fluidization zone the organic matter is introduced as fuel whilst air is injected as oxidizer into the bed of sand from a wind box through a fluidization dome surmounting the box. The air passes through passages made in the fluidization dome, and the furnace is configured to treat a nominal value of volume of organic matter to be treated. The method includes a step of adjusting the volume of the fluidization zone as a function of the volume of organic matter to be treated in which, when the volume of organic matter to be treated is lower than the nominal value, the volume of the fluidization zone is reduced from an initial volume to a reduced volume, and the incoming air flow is reduced by closing air passages so only the passages opening into the thus reduced fluidization zone are left active.

Systems and processes provide for a thermal process to transform sludge (and a variety of other natural waste materials) into electricity. Dewatered sludge and other materials containing a high amount of latent energy are dried into a powdered biofuel using a drying gas produced in the system. The drying gas is recirculated and is heated by the biofuel produced in the system, waste heat (from turbines or internal combustion engines), gas (including natural gas or digester gas) and/or oil. The biofuel is combusted in a boiler system that utilizes a burner operable to burn biofuel and produce heat utilized in a series of heat exchangers that heat the recirculating drying air and steam that powers the turbines for electricity production.

The invention relates to a staggered firing for combustion of wet charge materials, consisting of the following steps: pre-combustion designed as a fluidized bed firing, heat transition in a heat exchanger, dust precipitation, and post-combustion. The staggered firing is characterized in that during the heat transition in the heat exchanger, exhaust gases from the pre-combustion are cooled and combustion air for pre-combustion is heated and then supplied to the pre-combustion.

Polygeneration plant, fueled with biomass from various sources and with rated power included between 30 kW and 200 kW, including a plurality of specialised modules, the modules being at least one first module for loading and drying the biomass; at least one second gasification module suitable for producing the syngas starting from the biomass; at least one third module for automating and controlling the polygeneration process associated to the plant. The polygeneration plant includes at least one fourth module including at least one fuel cell, the fuel cell being of the SOFC or MCFC, PEMFC, PAFC, AFC type.

The invention relates to an apparatus for treating waste material including organic components and radioactive agents. In the apparatus the waste material including organic components and radioactive agents are gasified at temperature between 600-950° C. in a fluidized bed reactor to form a gaseous material. The gaseous material is than cooled in a water quenching device so that temperature is between 300-500° C. after the cooling. The solid fraction including radioactive agents is removed from the gaseous material in a in at least one filtration device. A gas scrubbing device then removes sulphur by scrubbing the treated gaseous material after the filtration in order to form a treated gaseous material.

A method and facility for the hydrothermal carbonization of pasty products or waste, or sewage sludge, in a pressurized reactor heated to carbonization temperature T0. Before entering the reactor, the products undergo: pressurization, and preheating in an exchanger, by a thermal fluid flowing in a closed loop, and receiving heat from products exiting the reactor; the thermal fluid is heated in the loop by an external heat source, downstream from the exchange with the products exiting the reactor, and upstream from the preheating of the products entering the reactor, and the temperature of the product to be treated, preheated by the thermal fluid, when it enters the reactor, is between the carbonization temperature T0 and T0-100° C. The product to be treated flows in at least one tube, where in at least one location therein, liquid is injected to create a liquid ring against the inner wall, and reduce pressure drops.

The present invention relates to the oxidative combustion of amine-containing wastewaters, especially in a process for preparing methacrolein. Methacrolein is used in chemical synthesis particularly as an intermediate for preparation of methacrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, or else of active ingredients, odorants or flavorings. More particularly, the present invention relates to an oxidative combustion of the amine-containing wastewaters with only low nitrogen oxide formation.

A treatment method and apparatus is provided to effectively use a combustible waste such as waste plastic, waste tires, rice husk, wood shavings, PKS, RDF and sludge while maintaining stable operation; to improve the combustion efficiency of a fossil fuel such as coal and coke; and furthermore to reduce the NOx concentration in a cement kiln exhaust gas. An apparatus 1 for treating a combustible, the apparatus comprising: a mixer 3 for mixing a combustible C with a preheated raw material R2, which has a temperature of 600° C. or higher and 900° C. or lower and which is drawn from a preheater cyclone of a cement burning device 10, to gasify the combustible; and a feeder 5 for feeding the gasified combustible and the preheated raw material (mixed raw material M) to a region from an inlet end 13a of the cement burning device to a calciner 12. When the combustible and the preheated raw material are mixed, moisture may be added to cause water gas shift reaction, and the resultant water gas and the preheated raw material may be introduced to the region from the inlet end of the cement burning device to the calciner.

In a general aspect, a system can include a reactor for combusting fuel and producing high-temperature, high-pressure liquid as a byproduct, and at least one vessel defining a cavity to be partially filled with water, with an air pocket within the cavity above the water. The system can further include respective valves to control admission of liquid from the reactor into the air pocket when the air pocket has a pressure lower than an operating pressure of the reactor, and to control emission of the water from the at least one vessel through of the vessel after the water in the at least one vessel has been pressurized by the liquid from the reactor. The system can also include a hydroelectric drive system for receiving water emitted from the cavity, and for converting energy in the received water into electrical energy.