TREATING WASTE STREAMS WITH ORGANIC CONTENT
Embodiments of systems, devices, and methods for treating, remediating, or abating carbon-containing wastes generate at least one of clean water; non-toxic, non-hazardous ash; or power. Some embodiments are modular, permitting rapid deployment, flexible configuration, and easy transportation. Embodiments of the systems treat carbon-containing aqueous waste, carbon containing waste, or a combination thereof. The systems, devices, and methods are particularly suited to treating hydrocarbon containing waste generated in oil and natural gas drilling and hydrofracturing.
1 . A method for remediating a carbon-containing aqueous waste, the method comprising:
electrocoagulating the carbon-containing aqueous waste to provide floc and a liquid phase;
removing the floc from the liquid phase;
physically separating the liquid phase into a light fraction and a heavy fraction;
converting at least a portion of the light fraction into water with a selected purity;
mixing at least one of the floc and the heavy fraction with a carbon-based material to provide a mixture;
gasifying the mixture to provide ash and syngas.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein converting at least a portion of the light fraction comprises at least one of microfiltration, reverse osmosis, distillation, or vapor compression distillation.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein mixing at least one of the floc and the heavy fraction with a carbon-based material to provide a mixture further comprises mixing a carbon-containing waste with the carbon-based material.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein mixing at least one of the floc and the heavy fraction with a carbon-based material comprises mixing at least one of the floc and the heavy fraction with at least one of kenaf, kenaf bast, or kenaf core.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein gasifying the mixture comprises at least one of thermal gasification, pyrolytic gasification, plasma gasification, plasma-enhanced gasification, or molten-salt gasification.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating power from the syngas.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising screening solids from the carbon-containing aqueous waste.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising compacting the mixture into briquettes or pellets before gasifying the mixture.
9 . A system for remediating an aqueous waste and a carbon-containing waste, the system comprising:
a screening unit comprising a carbon-containing aqueous waste inlet, a screened solids outlet, and a liquid outlet;
a pH adjustment unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the liquid outlet of the screening unit, the pH and flocculating agent adjustment unit suitable for automatically adjusting a pH of an aqueous waste stream;
an electrocoagulation unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet of the pH adjustment unit and an outlet;
a storage unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet of the electrocoagulation unit and an outlet, the storage unit suitable for separating floc from an aqueous waste;
a physical separation unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet of the electrocoagulation unit, the physical separation comprising a centrifuge capable of separating fluid into a heavy fraction and a light fraction, the physical separation unit comprising a heavy fraction outlet and a light fraction outlet;
a purification unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the light fraction outlet of the physical separation unit, the purification unit comprising at least one of a vapor compression distillation unit or a membrane filter, the purification unit capable of converting at least a portion of the light fraction into water of a selected purity;
a mixer unit comprising at least one inlet and a mixture outlet, the at least one inlet fluidly coupled to the heavy fraction outlet of the physical separation unit, the at least one inlet coupled to a source of the carbon-containing waste, and the at least one inlet coupled to a source of at least one of kenaf, kenaf bast, or kenaf core, the mixer unit comprising a continuous mixer including a heater, wherein the continuous mixer is a paddle mixer, a ribbon mixer, or a combination paddle-ribbon mixer;
a briquetter comprising an inlet coupled to the mixture outlet of the mixer unit and a briquette outlet, the briquetter capable of compressing the output of the mixer unit into briquettes;
a gasification unit comprising an inlet coupled to the briquette outlet of the briquetter, the gasification unit further comprising a syngas outlet; and
a generator comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the syngas outlet of the gasification unit and an electrical outlet, the generator comprising an internal combustion engine capable of running on at least syngas.
10 . A system for remediating a carbon-containing aqueous waste, the system comprising:
an electrocoagulation unit comprising an aqueous waste inlet and an outlet;
a physical separation unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the outlet of the electrocoagulation unit, the physical separation unit capable of separating fluid into a heavy fraction and a light fraction based on at least one of size, weight, or density, the physical separation unit comprising a heavy fraction outlet and a light fraction outlet;
a purification unit comprising an inlet fluidly coupled to the light fraction outlet of the physical separation unit, the purification unit capable of converting at least a portion of the light fraction into water of a selected purity;
a mixer unit comprising a waste inlet, a carbon-based material inlet, and a mixture outlet, the waste inlet fluidly coupled to the heavy fraction outlet of the physical separation unit and the carbon-based material inlet coupled to a source of a carbon-based material; and
a gasification unit comprising an inlet coupled to the mixture outlet of the mixer unit, the gasification unit further comprising a syngas outlet.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the physical separation unit comprises at least one of a vortex separator, horizontal vortex separator, vertical vortex separator, hydrocyclone, centrifuge, or decanter centrifuge.
12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the purification unit comprises a charcoal or activated carbon filter, and at least one of at least one membrane filter or at least one vapor compression unit.
13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the mixer unit comprises at least one of a paddle mixer, ribbon mixture, paddle/ribbon mixer, plow mixer, screw mixer, V mixer, or high-shear mixer.
14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the waste inlet of the mixer unit is coupled to a source of a carbon-containing waste.
15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the gasification unit comprises at least one of a thermal gasifier, a pyrolytic gasifier, a plasma-enhanced gasifier, a plasma gasifier, or a molten-salt gasifier.
16 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising a screening unit upstream of the electrocoagulation unit, the screening unit comprising a waste inlet and a waste outlet, the waste outlet fluidly coupled to the aqueous waste inlet of the electrocoagulation unit, the screening unit capable of removing at least a portion of at least one of sand, gravel, sediment, aggregate, particles, or solids above a selected size.
17 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising a storage unit fluidly disposed between the electrocoagulation unit and the physical separation unit, the storage unit permitting floc formation from electrocoagulated liquid.
18 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising a compactor disposed between the mixer unit and the gasification unit, the compactor capable of compacting the mixture generated by the mixer unit.
19 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising a system generator comprising a fuel inlet fluidly coupled to the syngas outlet of the gasification unit, and an electrical power outlet electrically coupled to electrical power inlets on at least one of the electrocoagulation unit, the physical separation unit, the purification unit, the mixer unit, or the gasification unit.
20 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the electrocoagulation unit, the physical separation unit, the purification unit, the mixer unit, and the gasification unit are disposed in at least one intermodal shipping container or semi trailer.