Method for the disintegration of waste by blasting

Abstract

The present patent application discloses a waste disintegration process using blasting. Specifically, it relates to a waste disintegration process consisting of arranging the waste inside a blasthole in the stemming area, also referred to as the upper area of the hole. Once the waste is in place, the hole is loaded with explosives and the detonation is then triggered so as to release a large amount of energy by blasting. This energy reduces the volume of the industrial waste to an infinitesimal size, without producing any alteration in the mining process, such as a loss in the recovery of mining values or others. The blasting generates enough heat for the disintegration process to be triggered, and almost the entire volume could contain plastic waste. Therefore, reducing emissions could have even greater potential.

Description

[0001] “Waste Disintegration Method Using Blasting Machine”

[0002] DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY

[0003] PRIOR ART

[0004] The blasting process in open-pit and underground mines is the first unit process in the value chain of a mining business. The main purpose is to fragment the rock to the smallest possible size to facilitate the loading, transportation, crushing and plant processes to extract the metallic or non-metallic mineral depending on the type of deposit. The process begins with the drilling of the wells that are subsequently loaded with explosive agents, as illustrated in Figure 1. These wells have a special arrangement between one and another, and the optimal one for the unit processes will depend on the engineering design.

[0005] Each drill hole will be drilled along its length according to the defined bench height and then loaded with explosives. At this point, the blasting process begins.

[0006] The blasting process begins with the loading of explosives into factory trucks, which are responsible for filling the hole with explosive agents. These explosive agents are nitrates, which are combined with fuels and are capable of initiating a chemical reaction with its corresponding oxygen balance once blasting begins.

[0007] In the detonation process, the physicochemical reaction of the explosive agents (ammonium nitrate and diesel) produces combustion and the release of gases at high pressure and temperature, reaching a speed greater than the speed of sound, and the release of energy in the form of heat is approximately 940 cal / g of explosive. In simple terms, a well can be loaded with between 200 and 1,000 kilograms of explosive agent, which releases explosive energy that can reach between 10,000 and 40,000 degrees Celsius inside the well.

[0008] This amount of heat is produced in a short period of time, no more than 3 milliseconds, allowing any organic matter placed inside the well to disintegrate. Disintegration is a phenomenon in which some particles transform into others. The energy generated during the detonation is currently only used to break up the rock surrounding the wellbore and is not utilized for other purposes.

[0009] US 1,1287,239 describes a fast utility access device (FUAD) including one or more housings, each collectively defining an orifice, and a core of a highly exothermic composition contained within the orifice and surrounded by a thermally insulating inner liner. The highly exothermic composition is ignitable to create a post-ignition temperature of between 500°C and 4000°C. A method of blowing a target is also provided and includes contacting the inventive access device with a flyable target substrate, thermally coupling at least one reaction initiator to the highly exothermic composition, activating at least one reaction initiator, thereby igniting the highly exothermic composition, and allowing the highly exothermic composition to reach a post-ignition temperature sufficient to melt the target substrate which ruptures, forming a hole therethrough.

[0010] US2003075068 describes a capsule structure for a rapidly expanding metallic mixture. The capsule structure comprises an insulating outer shell; a rapidly expanding mixture contained in the outer shell; a pair of main trigger electrodes for inducing arc discharge, the main trigger electrodes being embedded in the metallic mixture; and a pair of power supply rods electrically connected to the main trigger electrodes, respectively, for applying high voltage from an external high voltage generator to the main trigger electrodes. The capsule structure is capable of readily providing an activation temperature required for the initiation of an oxidation reaction of the oxidizing metallic mixture at high temperatures of 700 °C or more (around 1500 °C).In particular, when two or more pairs of trigger electrodes are arranged in series between the two energy-supplying rods in the capsule, it is possible to induce an effective arc discharge and generate sparks at various points, even with the use of low voltage. The capsule structure thus easily and effectively triggers an oxidation reaction of the metal mixture, even in the case of a long capsule.

[0011] GB2097041 describes a process for the controlled enlargement of a rock fracture, comprising the steps of (a) placing an aluminothermic mixture of aluminium and ferric oxide of pumpable grain size having a predetermined concentration distribution of spaced-apart detonation bodies into said fracture; (b) introducing into said fracture a high pressure fluid which acts as a carrier to place said mixture and said distribution of detonation bodies as said fluid is pumped, whereby said fracture is created and enlarged and a distribution of detonation bodies tailored to a characteristic signal pattern is produced; and (c) igniting said mixture.

[0012] Slag-forming products are also placed in this cavity.

[0013] The mixture comprises slag-forming constituents.

[0014] The mixture also comprises constituents that release oxygen.

[0015] The placement and ignition of said aluminothermic mixture and distributed detonation body pattern for controlled fracture extension is repeated at least once.

[0016] After ignition of said mixture, the high reaction temperature produced causes the volume of said fracture to increase due to partial combustion of hydrocarbons on the fracture faces, and generates a characteristic sequential acoustic signal pattern due to the ignition of said fracture, detonation bodies, thus facilitating the determination of the fracture geometry. Document GB933744 teaches a method of destroying a compact mass, characterized in that a substance with magnetic properties is introduced into intimate contact inside said mass, and because a substantial increase in temperature of said substance occurs as a result of high frequency electromagnetic induction by means of a coil that is connected to an electrical energy source.

[0017] The magnetic substance is introduced into holes made through said mass, said holes having a diameter of less than one centimeter and a depth of about one meter.

[0018] The substance is made of a magnetite-based concrete.

[0019] The substance is iron powder or fillings.

[0020] The publication https: / / repository.unimilitar.edu.co / handle / 10654 / 6725 describes cleaning techniques, primarily for concrete encrustations using explosives. It basically describes the use of explosives to clean concrete mixers or similar equipment where concrete is embedded. The explosives are used to remove the concrete adhering to the walls of the mixers.

[0021] It can be observed, then, that there are multiple solutions for using explosives that define their action as generating high temperatures, with temperatures exceeding 1000°C. However, the use of explosives for cleaning or waste reduction in blasting pits is not defined. Furthermore, the method of the invention is highly advantageous for disintegrating waste in general, as it does not have a specific scope for the type of material, and tests have determined that it is possible to disintegrate plastic waste, including cardboard and even tire rubber.

[0022] The invention's disintegration method is extremely efficient in reducing the impact of human-generated waste, as it allows the material to be disintegrated to a minimum. This directly impacts the major global problem of waste disposal. The potential to reduce future landfills, avoid burning waste to reduce volumes, and prevent waste from impacting river mouths and the seabed is enormous if this can be implemented on a global scale. Blasting processes on planet Earth are carried out daily around the world, and it is estimated that, in the future, due to population growth, the use of copper metals for generating electromobility and lower grades will have to increase their volumes. Therefore, it is a solution at hand that can have a significant impact.Waste to be destroyed must undergo a prior manufacturing process to improve blasting quality and be effectively disintegrated. The blasting waste disintegration method leverages existing energy to improve environmental impacts, reduce the carbon footprint, and improve blasting performance.

[0023] B REV EDESC RI PTION OF THE FIGURES

[0024] Figure 1: corresponds to a diagram of a blast hole drilling mesh in an open pit mine.

[0025] Figure 2: corresponds to a diagram of a blasting process in an open-pit mine.

[0026] Figure 3: represents an illustrated graph showing the processes and temperatures generated when disintegrating waste through the waste disintegration method using a shredder.

[0027] Figure 4: corresponds to a graph that illustrates the industrial scale tests of the method of the invention and that graphs the amount of remains detected vs. number of wells tested per month.

[0028] “Waste Disintegration Method Using Blasting Machine”

[0029] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The blasting disintegration process consists of determining a sector of a perforated mesh with its corresponding blasting holes in a rock mass (4) or specially defined terrain. In the following stage, the holes are checked prior to loading the explosives, the explosives are loaded and then a desired amount of waste (3) to be disintegrated is placed inside a blasting hole (5). This waste may be plastic, cellulosic materials such as paper or cardboard, alone or combined with plastic, rubber and others. The explosives are detonated (6) in order to generate a high temperature and in a fraction of milliseconds, the energy released by the detonation disintegrates all the waste (3) placed in the blasting hole (5), with only harmless gases coming to the surface (2) into the atmosphere (1). The disintegration method of the invention is based on the high energy released in the blasting process.The method uses that energy and reduces the volume of industrial waste (3) to infinitesimal sizes. The energy expressed in heat released can be represented as an exponential increase in temperature, which generates the separation of the atoms of compounds and molecules in a fraction of time expressed in milliseconds, causing the waste to disappear. Ethylene or ethene is an organic chemical compound, composed of two carbon atoms linked by a double bond, which is expressed in the following formula:

[0031] C2H4 or H2C = CH2

[0032] It is one of the most important products of the global chemical industry and the most widely used organic compound. Nearly 60% of its industrial production is used to obtain polyethylene. Its global production (more than 150 million tons in 2016) exceeds that of any other organic compound. When plastic is subjected to temperatures below 50 degrees Celsius and has a weak molecular structure, the structures formed by this compound become deformed or even break. However, when subjected to high temperatures of over 1,000°C, as generated by a blasting process, ethylene atoms are able to separate, forming pure carbon in microparticles smaller than 1,000 times their original size (when it was a compound associated with hydrogen). This pure carbon precipitates to the ground and is therefore unable to generate gases.In the case of the hydrogen that is released, it remains in a state of evaporation, which manages to mix with the water vapor from the same blasting process of the main reaction of the explosive, not being harmful to people or the environment.

[0033] CH2+ Heat (t°) -> 2C + 4H decomposition evaporation The final disposition occurs because carbon, once the temperature drops, precipitates to the ground which is finally mixed with the blasted rock, in this case, the carbon is infinitesimal to all the rock that is extracted to process. It should be understood that a single blasting pit can reach between 1,000 tons and 6,000 tons of rock per blast. If the amount of 2.5 kilograms of plastic to be disintegrated were applied, the total weight of carbon would be = 2.5 kg x 85.6% = 2.14 kg of Carbon.

[0034] Plastic can have up to 2 carbon atoms with 4 hydrogen atoms as a compound, so its mass would be:

[0035] Molecular mass of hydrogen = 1.00797 g / mol x 4 = 4.03188

[0036] Molecular mass of carbon = 12.0111 g / mol x 2 = 24.0222

[0037] Total mass = 28.0541 g / mol, so the mass proportion of carbon represents 85.6% of the total plastic.

[0038] In proportional terms with respect to a 1,000 tonne rock well the % of carbon would be:

[0039] Amount of carbon 2.14 kg of carbon x 100 = 0.000214%

[0040] Blasting pit 1,000,000 kg of rock

[0041] In terms of the proportion of blasted rock, the calculated values ​​are infinitesimal, so the carbon particles would end up in a tailings pond in combination with the fines generated from a mining process in a concentration process, instead of ending up in a landfill and this ending up somewhere else or in the form of CO2 emissions into the environment.

[0042] Other simulations and their impact on the environment can also be performed. A conventional mine producing nearly 140 million tons per year could estimate the savings in terms of carbon footprint emissions as follows.

[0043] 140,000,000 tons of rock is equivalent to approximately 60,000 wells per year. If 2.5 kg of plastic could be installed, this could reduce approximately:

[0044] 60,000 wells x 2.5 kg of plastic = 150,000 kg of plastic or 150 tons of plastic.

[0045] Or if the direct impact on carbon release is calculated:

[0046] 60,000 wells x 2.14 kg of carbon = 128,400 kg of carbon or 128.4 tons of carbon.

[0047] In terms of CO2 emissions, the lowest impact on the carbon footprint would be:

[0048] CO2 = 12.0111 + 2 x 31.988 = 43.9991 g / mol = so in the CO2 molecule it is equivalent to 27.3% Carbon and 72.7% Oxygen.

[0049] 128.4 tons of carbon are equivalent to 27.3%, then oxygen represents 341.93 tons (72.7%), in total the CO2 savings that were prevented from becoming emissions correspond to:

[0050] 128.4 t + 341.93 t = 470.3 tons of CO2. The method of disintegrating waste using a blasting machine has enormous potential. Disintegrating just 2.5 kg of plastic per pit could prevent 470.3 tons of CO2 emissions. However, this method allows for the destruction of a larger amount using the same stages, simply by changing the design of the plastics to be disintegrated.

[0051] The location of the waste must be in the area of ​​the plug or also said, the upper area of ​​the well, which can hold from 0.2 to 1 m 3This location produces enough heat from the detonation to trigger the disintegration process, and it's also considered that almost the entire volume could eventually be converted into plastic waste, so the potential for emissions reductions could be even greater.

[0052] The blasting disintegration method allows the disintegration of other products.

[0053] For example, rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon, a polymer of the soprano CsHs that is extracted from a milky emulsion that arises in the sap of various plants, but which can also be produced synthetically. In practical terms, rubber can also be disintegrated using the method of the invention, and its carbon footprint would be similar to that of plastic.

[0054] In the case of paper, cardboard, wood or cellulose derivatives, these cellulose derivatives are biopolymers composed exclusively of [3-glucose CeH Os] molecules which, also being composed of carbon and hydrogen, can be disintegrated by means of the method of the invention. EXAMPLE EMP LO

[0055] Industrial-scale trials were conducted, testing the waste disintegration process in 102,225 pits over a 24-month period, and no waste residue was detected at the mine face or in the plant.

[0056] The graph in Figure 4 shows that the amount of disintegrated (plastic) waste reached 255 tons, equivalent to 934 tons less CO2 emissions over a 24-month period. The social price for CO2 emission reduction in Chile is stipulated and corresponds to 0.813 UF / ton CO2, equivalent to 759 UF (Unidades de Fomento) or approximately 27,357.692 Chilean pesos as of August 2023 (or approximately $32,500 per CO2 effect).

[0057] The test results regarding residue detection were 100% successful, with no traces of plastic waste found, confirming the quality of the waste disintegration process by blasting.

Claims

“Waste Disintegration Method Using Blasting Machine” CLAIMS 1. A process for disintegrating waste through the use of blasting that reduces the carbon footprint and the volume of industrial waste to infinitesimal sizes without causing any type of alteration in the mining process, such as loss of recovery of mining values ​​or others, preventing said waste from reaching landfills, tailings, rivers, lakes or the sea, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises the following stages: a. determining a sector of a perforated mesh with its corresponding blasting holes in a rock mass or specially defined terrain; b. checking said holes prior to loading with explosives; c. loading explosives into said holes; d. placing a desired amount of waste to be disintegrated inside said blasting holes; e.detonate the explosives and generate a high temperature that in a fraction of milliseconds releases energy through said detonation, until all the waste placed in the blasting pits is disintegrated, causing the separation of atoms of compounds and molecules of said waste, in a fraction of time. expressed in milliseconds, causing the waste to disappear, leaving only harmless gases to the surface and into the atmosphere.

2. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said waste is positioned in the area of ​​the plug or, also said, the upper area of ​​the well.

3. Waste disintegration process by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said well contains from 0.2 to 1 m 3 of waste.

4. Waste disintegration process through the use of blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said high temperature is greater than 1,000° C.

5. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said waste is plastic.

6. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said waste is cellulosic derivatives such as paper or cardboard, or a mixture of these with plastic.

7. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said waste is rubber.

8. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said waste comprises carbon.

9. Waste disintegration process through the use of blasting, according to claim 8, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises releasing energy to disintegrate the waste and said pure carbon precipitates to the ground without generating gases.

10. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 9, CHARACTERIZED in that it comprises that once the temperature caused by the detonation drops, said carbon that precipitates to the ground mixes with the blasted rock.

11. Process of disintegration of waste by using blasting, according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that said gases comprise hydrogen in an evaporation state, which is mixed with water vapor from the same blasting process of the main reaction of the explosive.

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