Waste processing method and system

Abstract

A waste processing system comprising a carbon dioxide production plant configured to receive a gas including carbon monoxide and convert carbon monoxide in a first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas; a carbon dioxide processing plant configured to receive a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas and convert the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; and / or a methanol production plant configured to receive a second portion of the gas from the carbon dioxide production plant and produce methanol using the second portion of the gas.

Description

WASTE PROCESSING METHOD AND SYSTEM CROSS REFRERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to Australian Provisional Patent Application No 2024903730 filed on 11 November 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present disclosure is directed to waste processing methods and systems, methods of producing power, methods of producing methanol or ethanol, methods of producing liquid and / or solid carbon dioxide, method of producing sulphur, and methods of growing plants including food. Preferably, one or more of these methods are integrated. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to methods and systems that may reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from processing waste, generate liquid and / or solid carbon dioxide from processing waste, producing methanol, producing sulphur, and / or generate electrical power from processing waste.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is known that processing waste produces greenhouse gases. For example, organic waste produces methane as it decomposes and incinerating organic and / or inorganic waste may produce several different greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Gasification, a non-combustion conversion of waste to gas, generates greenhouse gases including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxides (NOX), and methane, which may be harmful to the environment or contribute to global warming. It will be appreciated that significant quantities of waste are processed daily around the globe, potentially resulting in substantial amounts of greenhouse gasses being emitted into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Accordingly, there is a need for methods and systems that may reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from processing waste.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a waste processing system comprising:1006176264a carbon dioxide production plant configured to receive a gas including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen;a means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas;a carbon dioxide processing plant configured to receive the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas and convert the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; anda methanol and / or ethanol production plant configured to receive at least a portion of the gas from the carbon dioxide production plant (said gas including carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and produce methanol and / or ethanol using the gas.

[0005] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a means to separate a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas and optionally, a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas. Preferably, from the gas.

[0006] In some embodiments, the means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas and, optionally, a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas is before the carbon dioxide processing plant. In alternative embodiments, the means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas and, optionally, a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas is a part of the carbon dioxide processing plant.

[0007] In some embodiments, the means to separate the first, second or third portion of the carbon dioxide gas comprises cryogenic distillation, adsorption, membrane separation, molecular sieves or pressure swing adsorption.

[0008] In some embodiments, the different state is a liquid state and / or a solid state.

[0009] In some embodiments, the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas when the first portion of carbon dioxide gas is separated from the gas. In some embodiments, the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas when the second portion of carbon dioxide gas is separated from the gas. The gas used to produce methanol and / or ethanol is optionally original gas. Preferably, the gas used to product methanol and / or ethanol is gas after a first and / or second portion of the carbon dioxide is separated from the gas.

[0010] In some embodiments, the carbon dioxide production plant further includes a means to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen.1006176264

[0011] In some embodiments, the methanol and / or ethanol production plant is configured to receive the second portion of carbon dioxide gas and produce methanol and / or ethanol.

[0012] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a greenhouse configured to receive a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from carbon dioxide production plant, wherein plants are grown in the greenhouse.

[0013] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a means to dilute the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the carbon dioxide production to a concentration suitable for plants in the greenhouse. Optionally, the concentration is about 500 to about 1500 ppm of carbon dioxide. Preferably, the carbon dioxide is diluted using ambient or compressed air.

[0014] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a syngas production plant, wherein the gas received by the carbon dioxide production plant is syngas produced by the syngas production plant.

[0015] In some embodiments, the syngas production plant is configured to receive waste material and produce the syngas from the waste material.

[0016] In some embodiments, the waste material is one or more of municipal waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, construction waste, demolition waste, and biomass. Preferably, the waste is solid waste. Solid waste may be 80, 90 or 95% w / w solid.

[0017] In some embodiments, at least one of the first potion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas has a purity of at least 80% v / v, or at least 85% v / v, or at least 90% v / v, or at least 95% v / v, or at least 99% v / v.

[0018] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a waste processing facility configured to process the waste material before the syngas production plant receives the waste material.

[0019] In some embodiments, the waste processing facility has a shredder configured to shred the waste material.1006176264

[0020] In some embodiments, the waste processing facility has a ferrous metal separator configured to remove ferrous metals from the waste material.

[0021] In some embodiments, the waste processing facility has a non-ferrous metal separator configured to remove non-ferrous metals from the waste material. Preferably, the non-ferrous metals include one or more of copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, titanium, gold, silver or platinum.

[0022] In some embodiments, the waste processing facility has an air classifier configured to remove inert materials from the waste material.

[0023] In some embodiments, the waste processing facility has a dryer configured to reduce the moisture content of the waste material. Preferably, the dryer is configured to dry the waste prior to transport to the syngas production plant.

[0024] In some embodiments, the dryer is an air dryer.

[0025] In some embodiments, air output from the syngas production plant is provided to the dryer for reducing the moisture content of the waste material.

[0026] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a water cooling plant, wherein:the syngas production plant is configured to receive cooling water from the cooling water plant, the cooling water is used for one or more cooling purposes in the syngas production plant; andthe cooling water is heated after being used for one or more cooling purposes, and the heated cooling water is output from the syngas production plant and returned to the water cooling plant to be cooled.

[0027] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a water chilling plant, wherein:the syngas production plant is configured to receive chilling water from the water chilling plant, the chilling water is used for reducing the temperature of the syngas produced by the syngas production plant; and1006176264the chilling water is heated after reducing the temperature of the syngas produced by the syngas production plant, and the heated chilling water is output from the syngas production plant and returned to the water chilling plant to be chilled.

[0028] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a heat recovery plant configured to receive waste heat from the water cooling plant and / or the water chilling plant to produce heat.

[0029] In some embodiments where the greenhouse is present, the greenhouse is configured to receive at least a portion of the heat generated by the heat recovery plant.

[0030] In some embodiments, combustible gases output from the methanol and / or ethanol production plant are combusted to generate electrical power.

[0031] In some embodiments, the combustible gases include one or more of hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen or carbon monoxide. Preferably, the hydrocarbon gases include one or more of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and isomers thereof.

[0032] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a boiler configured to receive and combust combustible gases output from the methanol and / or ethanol production plant to produce steam.

[0033] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises an electrical power generation plant configured to generate electrical power using the steam generated by the boiler.

[0034] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a means to add an additional energy source to generate electrical power and / or steam. In some embodiments, the additional energy source comprises natural gas, LPG, hydrogen, solar energy, nuclear energy, or hydroelectrical power.

[0035] In some embodiments, the methanol and / or ethanol production plant is configured to receive a first portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant and use the first portion of steam to produce methanol and / or ethanol.

[0036] In some embodiments, the carbon dioxide production plant is configured to receive a second portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant and use the second portion of steam to produce the carbon dioxide gas.1006176264

[0037] In some embodiments, the syngas production plant is configured to receive a third portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant and use the third portion of steam to produce the syngas.

[0038] In some embodiments, the waste processing system further comprises a heat exchanger configured to receive waste heat from the carbon dioxide production plant to generate steam and the electrical power generation plant is configured to generate electrical power using the steam generated by the heat exchanger.

[0039] In some embodiments, the carbon dioxide production plant uses a water-gas shift reaction as the means to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

[0040] In a further aspect, the present disclosure provides a method including:receiving a gas comprising carbon monoxide and converting carbon monoxide in a first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen; andconverting a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; and / orconverting the gas comprising carbon monoxide to methanol and / or ethanol.

[0041] In some embodiments, the method further comprises separating a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide.

[0042] In some embodiments, the method further comprises separating a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas and optionally, a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.

[0043] In some embodiments, separating the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas is before converting a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state.

[0044] In some embodiments, separating the first, second or third portion of the carbon dioxide gas comprises cryogenic distillation, adsorption, membrane separation, molecular sieves or pressure swing adsorption.

[0045] In some embodiments, the different state is a liquid state and / or a solid state.1006176264

[0046] In some embodiments, the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas after separating a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas is separated from the gas. In some embodiments, the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas after separating the second portion of carbon dioxide gas from the gas. Converting the gas comprising carbon monoxide to methanol is before separating the carbon dioxide gas. Converting the gas comprising carbon monoxide to methanol is after separating the carbon dioxide gas.

[0047] In some embodiments, the method further comprises converting the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas into methanol and / or ethanol.

[0048] In some embodiments, the method further comprises feeding a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas into a greenhouse including plants.

[0049] In some embodiments, the method further comprises diluting the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas to a concentration suitable for plants in the greenhouse. Optionally, the concentration is about 500 to about 1500 ppm of carbon dioxide. Preferably, the carbon dioxide is diluted using ambient or compressed air.

[0050] In some embodiments, at least one of the first potion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas has a purity of at least 80% v / v, or at least 85% v / v, or at least 90% v / v, or at least 95% v / v, or at least 99% v / v.

[0051] In some embodiments, the gas (comprising carbon monoxide) is produced by gasifying waste material. Optionally, the gas is produced by a syngas production plant.

[0052] In some embodiments, the waste is one or more of municipal waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, construction waste, demolition waste, and biomass. Preferably, the waste is solid waste. Solid waste may be 80, 90 or 95% w / w solid.

[0053] In some embodiments, the waste material is gasified using a thermal gasification process.

[0054] In some embodiments, the method further comprises shredding the waste material before gasifying the waste material

[0055] In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing ferrous metals from the waste material before gasifying the waste material.1006176264

[0056] In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing non-ferrous metals from the waste material before gasifying the waste material. Preferably, the non-ferrous metals include one or more of copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, titanium, gold, silver or platinum.

[0057] In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing inert material from the waste material before gasifying the waste material. Optionally, removing inert material from the waste material before gasifying the waste material is performed with an air classifier.

[0058] In some embodiments, the method further comprises reducing the moisture content of the waste material before gasifying the waste material. Optionally, reducing the moisture content is performed using an air dryer.

[0059] In some embodiments, the method further comprises using air output from the gasification process to reduce the moisture content of the waste material. The reduction in water content in the waste material occurs prior to gasifying the waste material.

[0060] In some embodiments, the gas is not gas from exhaust output from one or more of a power plant or other CO or CO2 liberating industrial process.

[0061] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:providing cooling water for one or more cooling purposes in the gasification process;after being used for one or more cooling purposes, cooling the cooling water; andrecovering waste heat generated from cooling the cooling water.

[0062] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:reducing the temperature of the gas produced by the gasification process using chilling water;after being used to reduce the temperature of the gas produced by the gasification process, chilling the chilling water; andrecovering waste heat generated from chilling the chilling water.1006176264

[0063] In some embodiments, the method further comprises generating heat using the waste heat recovered from cooling the cooling water and / or the waste heat recovered from chilling the chilling water.

[0064] In some embodiments, the method further comprises feeding at least a portion of the generated heat into the greenhouse.

[0065] In some embodiments, the method further comprises combusting combustible gases produced from converting the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas to methanol and / or ethanol to generate electrical power.

[0066] In some embodiments, the combustible gases include one or more of hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen or carbon monoxide. Preferably, the hydrocarbon gases include one or more of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and isomers thereof.

[0067] In some embodiments, the method further comprises combusting combustible gases produced from converting the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas to methanol and / or ethanol in a boiler to generate steam.

[0068] In some embodiments, the method further comprises providing the steam generated by the boiler to an electrical power generation plant, wherein the electrical power generation plant is configured to generate electrical power using the steam generated by the boiler.

[0069] In some embodiments, the method further comprises adding an additional energy source to generate electrical power and / or steam. In some embodiments, the additional energy source comprises natural gas, LPG, hydrogen, solar energy, nuclear energy, or hydroelectrical power.

[0070] In some embodiments, the method further comprises using a first portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant in the process for converting the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas to methanol and / or ethanol.

[0071] In some embodiments, the method further comprises using a second portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant in the process for converting the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas.1006176264

[0072] In some embodiments, the method further comprises using a third portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant in the process for gasifying the waste material.

[0073] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:recovering waste heat generated from converting carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas;feeding the waste heat recovered from converting carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas into a heat exchanger to generate steam; andproviding the steam generated by the heat exchanger to the electrical power generation plant to generate electrical power.

[0074] In some embodiments, a water-gas shift reaction is used to convert the carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying representations;

[0076] Figure l is a schematic of a waste processing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0077] Figure 2 is a schematic of the waste processing facility of the waste processing system of Figure 1;

[0078] Figure 3 is a schematic of the syngas production facility of the waste processing system of Figure 1;

[0079] Figure 4 is a schematic of the carbon dioxide and methanol production facility of the waste processing system of Figure 1;

[0080] Figure 5 is a schematic of utilities of the waste processing system of Figure 1;

[0081] Figure 6 is a schematic of the greenhouse of the waste processing system of Figure 1;

[0082] Figure 7 is a schematic of a waste processing system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;1006176264

[0083] Figure 8 is a schematic of a waste processing system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0084] Figure 9 is a schematic of a waste processing system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0085] Figure 10 is a schematic of a waste processing system according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0086] The present disclosure details a waste processing system and method of processing waste. Waste, particularly waste that is dumped in landfill, may be problematic as a long period of time is required for many materials to decompose and while doing so, generates a large amount of carbon dioxide and methane.

[0087] The inventors of the present disclosure have developed a waste processing system which uses waste to generate a series of useful chemical feedstocks. By using waste as the starting material, the systems and methods described herein mitigate the methane that would eventually be released to the atmosphere from landfill, while at the same time producing value-added chemicals such as methanol, ethanol, sulphur, liquid CO2 and dry ice (solid CO2).

[0088] It is envisaged that such a system could achieve net zero emissions, or near net zero emissions, overall as (i) the CO2 produced is sequestered into a useful form instead of released to the atmosphere and (ii) as methane is estimated to be 25-90 times worse than CO2 in terms of global warming potential, the system reducing methane release in favour of CO2 means an overall reduction in global warming potential of the greenhouse gases.

[0089] While this process could be used for some recyclable materials including some plastics it is designed to also be used on general municipal waste that is currently not recycled in many places. Such waste is sometimes burned or otherwise combusted but the gases released by into the atmosphere are highly damaging for the environment. There is an urgent need for a viable replacement process, especially one that generates products useful for society to reuse.Definitions

[0090] For purposes of interpreting this specification, terms used in the singular will also include the plural and vice versa.1006176264

[0091] " About" as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of ±20% or ±10%, in some instances ±5%, in some instances ±1%, and in some instances ±0.1% from the specified value, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed methods.

[0092] Ranges: throughout this disclosure, various aspects of the disclosure can be presented in a range format. It should be understood that the description in range format is merely for convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the description of a range should be considered to have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well as individual numerical values within that range. For example, description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specifically disclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numbers within that range, for example, 1, 2, 2.7, 3, 4, 5, 5.3, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the range.

[0093] By way of clarification and for avoidance of doubt, as used herein and except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to exclude further additions, components, integers or steps.Waste

[0094] Waste streams may be selected for compatibility with this process. Suitable waste streams may include one or more of municipal waste, commercial and industrial waste, construction and demolition waste, hazardous industrial waste, medical waste, biomass, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the waste is solid waste.

[0095] Municipal solid waste may also be defined as trash or garbage and consists of everyday items that are used and then disposed of. This may include items such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint and batteries. This waste stream may come from homes, schools and businesses.

[0096] Industrial waste is waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, businesses, mills and mining operations. This waste may be harmful to the environment or humans. This may include items such as plastics, glass, asbestos, chemical waste and unprocessed used1006176264cooking fats and oils. This waste may be in solid or liquid form. Some industrial waste is hazardous.

[0097] Medical waste is waste produced from medical facilities, for example hospitals, dental surgeries, veterinary clinics and laboratories. This waste may include items such as sharps (syringes and needles), biological specimens or cultures and waste from patients with contagious diseases.

[0098] Biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and / or animals. This waste may include wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues and organic waste from industry or households.

[0099] Optionally, the waste is biomass. Alternatively, the waste is not biomass.

[0100] Optionally, the waste is not renewable.

[0101] Preferably, the gas is not gas from exhaust output from one or more of a power plant or other CO or CO2 liberating industrial process. Non-limiting examples of other CO or CO2 liberating industrial processes contemplated include power generation, coke ovens, blast furnaces or oxygen furnaces.

[0102] Waste that is left in landfill will generate methane for between 40 to 50 years as it breaks down. Methane is around 80 times worse than CO2 in terms of warming potential over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere. Although methane will last between 12-14 years before disappearing from the atmosphere, on a 100-year average methane is 28 times worse than CO2 and is considered to set the pace for atmospheric warming in the near term. Therefore, even if CO2 is produced from waste in the present invention, warming will be reduced compared to the alternative of methane being produced from waste.Thermal gasification

[0103] Thermal gasification is a thermal process, which converts organic matter into a syngas (synthesis gas) primarily made up of hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Typically, organic matter (in the form of waste) is partial or incompletely combusted with a controlled amount of oxygen to heat and break down organic molecules in the waste to produce syngas. One potential by-product of thermal gasification is slag, which may contain inorganic compounds in the waste stream that are not broken down by thermal gasification. These1006176264compounds are melted and may include metals, glass and ceramics. Metals may further be recovered from the slag.

[0104] Synthesis gas or syngas consists predominantly of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen in the gas stream. Other minor components such as methane, water (as a vapour), and nitrogen may also be present in the gas stream. Preferably, the syngas consists of between about 20% to about 50% hydrogen on a molar basis, between about 20% to about 50% carbon monoxide on a molar basis and between about 10% to about 40% carbon dioxide on a molar basis. More preferably, the syngas consists of between about 25% to about 40% hydrogen on a molar basis, between about 25% to about 40% carbon monoxide on a molar basis and between about 15% to about 30% carbon dioxide on a molar basis.Gas cleaning

[0105] The person skilled in the art would be aware of the various techniques known in the art for cleaning gas streams and / or separating component gases. Techniques which could be used with the present disclosure may include any one or more of gas scrubbing, gas stripping, pressure swing adsorption, vacuum swing adsorption, temperature swing adsorption, cryogenic distillation, electrostatic precipitation, and membrane separation. For example, carbon dioxide may be separated from hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a syngas mixture by pressure swing adsorption, solvent scrubbing (non-limiting examples include amine scrubbing) and / or membrane separation. Preferably, carbon dioxide is separated from hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a syngas mixture by amine scrubbing. Other gas cleaning techniques that are known in the art are contemplated.

[0106] In some embodiments, the waste processing system may further comprise a means to separate or remove hydrogen sulphide from the gas including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen before it is received by the carbon dioxide production plant. In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing hydrogen sulphide from the gas comprising carbon monoxide.

[0107] In some embodiments, the hydrogen sulphide is converted to sulphur. Non-limiting examples of processes to convert hydrogen sulphide to sulphur include the Claus process (converting H2S to SO2 and reacting with additional H2S to form sulphur and water) or thermolysis of H2S to produce hydrogen and sulphur. Other processes known in the art are contemplated.1006176264

[0108] Sulphur produced from the H2S removed from the gas including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen before it is received by the carbon dioxide production plant may be used in any process that requires sulphur as a feedstock. Non-limiting examples include sulphuric acid production, vulcanization of rubber, fertilizers, detergents, fibres, pigments, insecticides, fungicides, fuels and petroleum refining, medications, explosives, fireworks, matches, or dyestuffs.Plasma Gasification

[0109] As an alternative, or in addition, to thermal gasification, plasma gasification may be used. Plasma gasification is a thermal process, using plasma which converts organic matter into a syngas (synthesis gas) primarily made up of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide (CO).

[0110] Plasma gasification may also be used in a further gas cleaning step by passing the gas through a secondary plasma arc. Typically, a plasma torch powered by an electric arc is used to ionize gas and catalyse organic matter into syngas and / or to clean a syngas stream. This process usually occurs in the presence of air including oxygen. The person skilled in the art would be aware of the various methods by which plasma gasification and / or cleaning of a syngas stream with a plasma arc can be carried out. In particular, they would be aware of the various inert gases (eg carbon dioxide or argon) that could be used, as well as the variety of electrodes (eg copper, tungsten, hafnium or zirconium) possible. The person skilled in the art would also be aware that the temperature of the plasma arc would determine the structure of the plasma and forming gas.

[0111] Potential by-products of plasma gasification are the same as those for thermal gasification, for example slag, which may contain inorganic compounds in the waste stream that are not broken down by plasma gasification. These compounds are melted and may include metals, glass and ceramics. Metals may further be recovered from the slag.Heat exchangers

[0112] A heat exchanger is a system used to transfer heat between a source and sink, both of which are working fluids and can be used in both heating and cooling processes. The person skilled in the art would be aware of the various configurations known in the art for heat exchangers, for example double pipe heat exchangers, shell-and-tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, and condensers and boilers. Other configurations known in the art are contemplated.1006176264Catalytic conversion

[0113] Catalytic conversion is a process by which the product(s) obtained by a process are converted into other product(s) though the use of a catalyst. The person skilled in the art would be aware of the many catalytic conversion processes that are known in the art, for example Fisher-Tropsch synthesis (to convert syngas into liquid hydrocarbons), methanol production, ethanol production and ammonia production. Other potential catalytic conversion processes known in the art are contemplated. The person skilled in the art would be able to determine suitable catalysts and conditions to produce various products from syngas streams.Conversion water (H2O) to Hydrogen (H2)

[0114] Methods of converting water to hydrogen are known in the art and all methods are contemplated. The person skilled in the art would be aware of methods suitable for use in the present invention. A preferred method of converting water to hydrogen may be the water-gas shift reaction (equation below). This may also be used in the present invention to increase the proportion of hydrogen present in a syngas mixture.

[0115] An outcome of the preferred method results in the conversion of CO to CO2.

[0116] The water-gas shift reaction is exothermic, which means that the reaction equilibrium shifts to the products (right) and favours the formation of H2 and CO2 at lower temperatures. At higher temperatures, the equilibrium shifts to the left, limiting the conversion of CO to H2.Therefore, the reaction may be carried out in two steps, a high temperature shift (HTS) and a low temperature shift (LTS) to optimise the amount of H2 produced. The temperature of the HTS is greater than the temperature of the LTS.Alcohol production from CO and CO2

[0117] Both the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas from the syngas stream of the present invention may be converted to an alcohol during the process. In some embodiments, the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gas from the syngas stream of the present invention may be converted to methanol and / or ethanol during the process. Preferably, methanol is produced primarily from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The person skilled in the art would be aware of the various methods by which this is possible.1006176264

[0118] In a conventional commercial process, methanol is produced from carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas using catalytic conversion. Examples of suitable catalysts include catalysts based on copper, zinc oxide and alumina (Cu / ZnO / AhCh) systems, although the person skilled in the art would be able to determine other suitable catalysts. Catalysts may be heterogeneous or homogeneous catalysts.

[0119] Carbon dioxide present in a syngas mixture may also be used produce methanol and / or ethanol through a catalytic conversion process. The person skilled in the art would be aware of systems capable of achieving this transformation. For example, solid metal catalysts or molecular catalysts (eg organometallic catalysts and / or organocatalysts). Catalysts may be heterogeneous or homogenous catalysts.

[0120] The production of methanol may also be achieved using a syngas mixture comprising carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas. The person skilled in the art would be aware of the various methods by which this is achievable, including for example, catalysts based on copper, zinc oxide and alumina (Cu / ZnO / AECE) systems.

[0121] Alternatively, modular methanol or ethanol production plants may be used in the process of the present disclosure to produce methanol and / or ethanol. An example of such a system includes the MeOH-To-Go® system by Modular Plant Solutions. Other modular systems would be known to the person skilled in the art and any modular methanol or ethanol production system is contemplated.Alternative uses of produced CO2

[0122] In some embodiments, the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas may be used to produce value added chemical feedstocks. In some embodiments, the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas may be used in one or more of methanol production, ethanol production, production of high value synthetic oils or the production of metal carbonate / bicarbonate compounds (nonlimiting examples include sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate).Description of the Figures

[0123] The operating parameters (e.g. t / h, MWe, MWth, °C, etc.) shown in Figure 1 are only indicative of an exemplary embodiment of the waste processing system 100. It will be appreciated that the operating parameters may differ depending on the particular operational characteristics of a waste processing system 100. For example, waste processing systems 1001006176264that are configured to process different amounts of waste 10 may have different operating parameters. Furthermore, desired output amounts may alter any of the operating parameters. For example, if more methanol is required, waste CO2 from the CO2 production facility and / or CO2 provided to the greenhouse may be decreased.

[0124] Figure 1 shows a waste processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 100 has a waste processing facility 110, a syngas production facility 120, a CO2 and methanol production facility 130, utilities 140, and a greenhouse 150. In alternative embodiments, the methanol production facility 130 may be replaced with an ethanol production facility.

[0125] The waste processing facility 110 is configured to receive, and process, waste 10 to produce processed waste 18. Processing the waste 10 also produces solid metals and inert waste 13, 15, 17, and 19. The waste 10 may include one or more of municipal waste, commercial and industrial waste, construction and demolition waste, hazardous industrial waste, medical waste, biomass, and combinations thereof.

[0126] The syngas production facility 120 receives, and processes, the processed waste 18, water 31 (e.g. mains water), and steam 52a generated by the utilities 140 to generate syngas 39. The syngas production facility 120 also generates waste heat 33 and 34, which is fed to the utilities 140.

[0127] The CO2 and methanol production facility 130 receives, and processes, the syngas 39 and steam 52b, 52c generated by the utilities 140 to generate carbon dioxide 41a, waste carbon dioxide 41c, liquid carbon dioxide 43, tail gas 44, and methanol 45. The CO2 and methanol production facility 130 also produces waste heat 40, which is fed to the utilities 140. The waste carbon dioxide 41c may be released into the atmosphere. The tail gas 44 may comprise carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), carbon dioxide (CO2), methanol (CH3OH), and other trace compounds.

[0128] The utilities 140 receive the waste heat 33 and 34 from the syngas production facility 120, the waste heat 40 and the tail gas 44 from the CO2 and methanol production facility 130, and water (e.g. mains water) to generate electricity 61, waste carbon dioxide 60, steam 52, and waste heat 58. The steam 52 is split into steam 52a that is fed into the syngas production facility 120 and steam 52b and 52c that are fed into the CO2 and methanol production facility 130.1006176264

[0129] The greenhouse 150 receives the carbon dioxide 41a from the CO2 and methanol production facility 130, waste heat 58 from the utilities 140, and water 62 (e.g. mains water) to grow plants 64 (e.g. food). The plants growing the in greenhouse 150 may not absorb all the carbon dioxide 41a received from the CO2 and methanol production facility 130. Carbon dioxide not adsorbed by the plants growing in the greenhouse 150 (carbon dioxide 63) may be released to atmosphere.

[0130] Exemplary embodiments of the waste processing facility 110, the syngas production facility 120, the CO2 and methanol production facility 130, the utilities 140, and the greenhouse 150 are described below with reference to Figures 2-6. Further, the inputs and outputs (i.e. the numbered arrows in Figure 1) are described in more detail below with reference to Figures 2-6.

[0131] Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the waste processing facility 110 of the waste processing system 100. The waste processing facility 110 has a shredder 111, a ferrous metal separator 112, a non-ferrous metal separator 113, an air classifier 114, a dryer 115, and an air mixing unit 116.

[0132] The shredder 111 is configured to receive and shred the waste 10 to produce shredded waste 11. The shredder 111 is configured to reduce the particle size the waste 10, which may allow for more efficient processing of the shredded waste 11 produced from the shredder 111. The shredder 111 may be any suitable industrial shredder known in the art.

[0133] The shredded waste 11 is fed into the ferrous metal separator 112, which is configured to remove ferrous metals from the shredded waste 11. The outputs from the ferrous metal separator 112 are ferrous removed shredded waste 12 and ferrous metals 13. The ferrous metals 13 may be recycled at a suitable recycling facility. For example, the ferrous metals 13 could be used to make steel. The ferrous metal separator 112 may be any suitable device known in the art that is capable of separating ferrous metals from the shredded waste 11. For example, the ferrous metal separator 112 may be a magnetic separator. However, it will be appreciated that any other suitable methods and / or devices that are capable of separating ferrous metals from the shredded waste 11 may be used.

[0134] The term “ferrous removed shredded waste 12” does not require the ferrous removed shredded waste 12 to be completely free of ferrous metals. The process of removing ferrous metals from the shredded waste 11 may be about 60%-90% efficient, meaning that ferrous metals in the shredded waste 11 may remain in the ferrous removed shredded waste 12. The1006176264ferrous removed shredded waste 12 may therefore contain ferrous metals but less ferrous metals compared to the shredded waste 11.

[0135] The ferrous removed shredded waste 12 is fed into the non-ferrous metal separator 113, which is configured to remove non-ferrous metals from the ferrous removed shredded waste 12. The outputs from the non-ferrous metal separator 113 are metal removed shredded waste 14 and non-ferrous metals 15. The non-ferrous metals 15 may be recycled at a suitable recycling facility. For example, the non-ferrous metals 15 may include aluminium, copper, and / or gold, which may be used to make recycled aluminium, copper, and / or gold, respectively / It will be appreciated that the non-ferrous metals 15 may include other non-ferrous metals, which may be used to make respective recycled non-ferrous metals. The non-ferrous metal separator 113 may be any suitable device that is capable of removing non-ferrous metals from the ferrous removed shredded waste 12. For example, the non-ferrous metal separator 113 may be an eddy current separator. However, it will be appreciated that any other suitable methods and / or devices that are capable of separating non-ferrous metals from the ferrous removed shredded waste 12 may be used.

[0136] The term “metal removed shredded waste 12” does not require the metal removed shredded waste 14 to be completely free of metals. The process of removing non-ferrous metals from the ferrous removed shredded waste 12 may be about 60%-90% efficient, meaning that non-ferrous metals in the ferrous removed shredded waste 12 may remain in the metal removed shredded waste 14. The metal removed shredded waste 14 may therefore contain ferrous and / or non-ferrous metals but less ferrous and / or non-ferrous metals compared to the shredded waste 11.

[0137] The metal removed shredded waste 14 is fed into the air classifier 114, which is configured to remove heavy inert waste materials from the metal removed shredded waste 14. The outputs from the air classifier 114 are metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 and heavy inert waste 17. The heavy inert waste 17 may include waste materials that are unreactive (biologically and chemically), such as glass, concrete, rubble, sands, clay, soil, chalk, gyprock, masonry. The heavy inert waste 17 may include recyclable heavy inert materials, which may be recycled at a suitable recycling facility. The heavy inert waste 17 may also include non-recyclable heavy inert materials, which may be disposed of using any suitable material. The air classifier 114 may use a rising column of air to separate heavy inert waste materials from the metal removed shredded waste 14. However, the air classifier 114 may be any suitable air1006176264classifier known in the art that is capable of removing heavy inert waste materials from the metal removed shredded waste 14.

[0138] The term “metal and inert removed shredded waste 16” does not require the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 to be completely free of inert materials. The process of removing inert materials from the metal removed shredded waste 14 may not be 100% efficient, meaning that inert materials in the metal removed shredded waste 14 may remain in the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16. The metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 may therefore contain ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, and / or inert materials but less ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, and / or inert materials compared to the shredded waste 11.

[0139] The metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 is fed into the dryer 115, which is configured to dry the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16. The dryer 115 is configured to dry the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 using drying air 21 from the air mixing unit 116. The outputs from the dryer 115 are processed waste 18 and humid air 19. The humid air may be exhausted to atmosphere. The dryer 115 may be any suitable dryer known in the art that is capable of drying the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16. For example, the dryer 115 may be a belt dryer that dries the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 on a conveyer belt.

[0140] The air mixing unit 116 is configured to receive low grade hot air 33 and high grade hot air 34a from the syngas production plant 121 (discussed below). The air mixing unit 116 is configured to mix together the low grade hot air 33, the high grade hot air 34a, and ambient air 20 to produce the drying air 21, which is fed into the dryer 115. The air mixing unit 116 may be configured to mix together the low grade hot air 33, the high grade hot air 34a, and the ambient air 20 at different ratios in order to produce drying air 20 having different temperatures. The temperature and flow rate of the drying air 21 may be dependent on the moisture content of the metal and inert removed shredded waste 16 being fed into the dryer 115 and the target moisture content of the processed waste 18 exiting the dryer 115. The air mixing unit 116 may be any suitable device known in the art that is capable of mixing air together. For example, the air mixing unit 116 may be an air-mixing plenum / box.

[0141] It will be appreciated that the waste processing facility 110 may include further waste processing devices / systems / apparatuses or omit one or more of the devices illustrated in Figure 2 depending on the composition of the waste 10. For example, if the waste 10 does not include any metals, the waste processing facility 110 may omit the ferrous metal separator 112 and the nonferrous metal separator 113. As another example, if the waste 10 does not include any heavy1006176264inert materials, the waste processing facility 110 may omit the air classifier 114. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the waste processing facility 110 may comprise different combinations of waste processing devices / systems / apparatuses depending on the composition of the waste 10.

[0142] Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the syngas production facility 120 of the waste processing system 100. The syngas production facility 120 has a syngas production plant 121 and an oxygen plant 122.

[0143] The syngas production plant 121 may be a waste gasification unit that is configured to produce syngas from waste material (e.g. processed waste 18). For example, the syngas production plant 121 may be an OMNI200 unit produced by OMNI Conversion Technologies Inc. However, it will be appreciated that any other device / system / apparatus that is capable of producing syngas from waste material may be used.

[0144] The oxygen plant 122 may be any suitable plant known in the art that is capable of providing large volumes of relatively pure oxygen (>93% by mole). For example, the oxygen plant 122 may be a Pressure Swing Adsorption or Vacuum Swing Adsorption system.

[0145] The syngas production plant 121 has several inputs. These inputs include the processed waste 18 from the waste processing facility 110, ambient air 30, steam 52a from the power generation plant 143 of the utilities 140 (discussed below), a source of water 31 (e.g. mains water), carbon dioxide 41b from the CO2 production plant 131 of the CO2 and methanol production facility 130 (discussed below), and oxygen 32 from the oxygen plant 122.

[0146] The processed waste 18 may be input into a gasifier (not shown) of the syngas production plant 121. The steam 52a and oxygen 32 may be input into the gasifier and, depending on the composition of the processed waste 18, the gasifier may melt some of the processed waste 18 to form slag 36 and may vaporise some of the processed waste 18 to form syngas. The slag 36 is output from the syngas production plant 121 and may be suitable for use as an aggregate for concrete and / or asphalt depending on the composition of the slag 36.

[0147] The gasifier may include any suitable gasifer known in the art that is capable of gasifying the processed waste material 18 to produce syngas. For example, the gasifier may include a thermal gasifier that partly or incompletely combusts the processed waste, generating heat and gasifying the processed waste 18 to produce syngas. The thermal gasifier may use the steam 52a and oxygen 32 as inputs for partial or incomplete combustion as well as to heat the1006176264processed waste 18 during the gasification process. The thermal gasifier may be a sliding grate gasifier or a vertical fixed bed updraft gasifier.

[0148] In an alternative embodiment, the gasifier may also include a plasma reactor that participates in the gasification of the processed waste 18 to produce syngas. In a particular embodiment, the plasma reactor may be a CO2 plasma reactor. In this embodiment, the steam 52a and oxygen 32 may be input for the thermal gasification of the processed waste material 18, and electricity and CO2 may be input into the plasma reactor for further gasification of the processed waste material 18. For example, the plasma reactor may break down longer chain organics generated in the thermal gasification process.

[0149] The syngas formed from vaporising some of the processed waste 18 may be cooled using ambient air 30. During this cooling process, the ambient air 18 will be heated. A portion of this heated air may be used for heating purposes in the syngas production plant 121, thereby reducing the temperature of this heated air, before it is output from the syngas production plant 121 as low grade hot air 33. The remaining portion of the heated air from cooling the syngas is output from the syngas production plant 121 as high grade hot air 34. The low grade hot air 33 and a first portion of the high grade hot air 34a are fed into the air mixing unit 116 of the waste processing facility 110 (discussed above). A second portion of the high grade hot air 34b is fed into the steam generation heat exchanger 142 of the utilities 140 (discussed below).

[0150] The temperature of the syngas may be further reduced by quenching the syngas using chilled water 55 from the water chilling plant 145 of the utilities 140 (discussed below). After the quenching process, the chilled water is output from the syngas production plant 121 as chilled water return 38, which is fed back into the water chilling plant 145 to be cooled. The syngas may be further processed (e.g. scrubbed, polished, etc.) before being output from the syngas production plant 121 as syngas 39.

[0151] The syngas produced in the syngas production facility 120 may be further processed to remove hydrogen sulphide. The removed hydrogen sulphide may then be used to generate sulphur using any suitable methods known in the art. Processing of the syngas produced in the syngas production facility 120 may be performed in the syngas production facility 120 or external to the syngas production facility 120 (e.g. between the syngas outlet of the syngas production facility 120 and the syngas inlet of the CO2 and methanol production facility 130).1006176264

[0152] The syngas production plant 121 also receives cooling water 53 from the water cooling plant 144 of the utilities 140 (discussed below). The cooling water 53 may be used for various cooling purposes within the syngas production plant 121. For example, cooling purposes may include one or more of cooling the syngas, cooling equipment after syngas production or removing ambient heat generated from operation of the syngas production plant. After it has been used for one or more cooling purposes, the cooling water is output from the syngas production plant 121 as cooling water return 37, which is fed back into the water cooling plant 144 to be cooled.

[0153] The carbon dioxide 41b from the CO2 production plant 131 may be used for plasma gas and instrument purges. This may reduce the inert gas concentrations in the syngas 39.

[0154] During operation, the syngas production plant 121 may produce waste water 35. For example, waste water may be generated as a result of quenching the syngas. The waste water 35 is fed into the heat recovery unit 146 of the utilities 140 (discussed below) in order to extract any heat from the waste water 35.

[0155] The syngas production plant 121 may also be connected to a source of water 31 (e.g. mains water), which may be used as a source of makeup water.

[0156] Figure 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the CO2 and methanol production facility 130 of the waste processing system 100. The CO2 and methanol production facility 130 has a CO2 production plant 131, a liquid CO2 production plant 132, and a methanol production plant 133.

[0157] The bulk of the syngas 39 output from the syngas production plant 121 may be carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen (H2). The syngas 39 may have small quantities of nitrogen (N2), Argon (Ar), methane (CH4), and other gases. The syngas 39 may also be fully saturated with water, which is another component of the syngas 39.

[0158] The syngas 39 from the syngas production plant 121 and steam 52b from the power generation plant 143 of the utilities 140 (discussed below) are input into the CO2 production plant 131. The CO2 production plant 131 may use the water-gas shift reaction between carbon monoxide in the syngas 39 and the steam 52b (and water in the syngas 39) to produce carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Accordingly, the water-gas shift reaction may increase the concentration of carbon dioxide and hydrogen in the syngas 39.1006176264

[0159] The water-gas shift reaction is an exothermic reaction. The water-gas shift reaction therefore generates heat, which is output from the CO2 production plant 131 as waste heat 40. The waste heat 40 is fed into the steam generation heat exchanger 142 of the utilities 140 (discussed below).

[0160] After the water-gas shift reaction, carbon dioxide is removed from the syngas. Carbon dioxide may be removed from the syngas 39 using an amine scrubbing process. The amine scrubbing process may be the Girbotol process or any other known amine scrubbing process known in the art that is capable of removing carbon dioxide from the syngas 39. It is also envisaged that any other suitable process / device / apparatus known in the art that is capable of removing carbon dioxide from the syngas 39 may be used. After removing carbon dioxide from the syngas 39, the outputs from the CO2 production plant 131 are carbon dioxide 41 and syngas 42, which may have a lower carbon dioxide concentration compared to the syngas 39. Following removal of the carbon dioxide, syngas 42 will contain a higher carbon monoxide and hydrogen concentration as they remain in the syngas 42 following CO2 separation.

[0161] The carbon dioxide 41 produced by the CO2 production plant 131 may be split into a first portion of carbon dioxide 41a, a second portion of carbon dioxide 41b, a third portion of carbon dioxide 41c, and a fourth portion of carbon dioxide 4 Id. The first portion of carbon dioxide 41a may be fed into the greenhouse 150, the second portion of carbon dioxide 41b may be provided to the syngas production plant 121 (discussed above), the third portion of carbon dioxide 41c may be released into the atmosphere, and the fourth portion of carbon dioxide 41d may be fed into the liquid CO2 production plant 132. The amount of carbon dioxide in the third portion of carbon dioxide 41c may be negligible. The fourth portion of carbon dioxide 41d may form the majority of the carbon dioxide 41 produced by the CO2 production plant 131.

[0162] The fourth portion of carbon dioxide 41d is fed into the liquid CO2 production plant 132, which is configured to liquefy the fourth portion of carbon dioxide 41d to produce liquid carbon dioxide 43. Any suitable devices / systems / apparatuses known in the art that are capable of liquefying carbon dioxide may be used. The liquid carbon dioxide 43 may be stored, transported, and subsequently used for any suitable known use of liquid CO2. For example, the liquid carbon dioxide 43 may be used for food preservation, fire extinguishers, carbonation of beverages, and water treatment.

[0163] The syngas 42 output from the CO2 production plant 131 and steam 52c from the power generation plant 143 of the utilities 140 (discussed below) are fed into the methanol1006176264production plant 133. The steam 52c may be used to pre-heat the syngas 42 before the syngas 42 is fed into a methanol reactor (not shown) of the methanol production plant 133 to produce methanol 45, which may be stored, transported, and subsequently used for any suitable known use of methanol. Preferably, the molar stoichiometric ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen in the syngas 42 is about 1 : 1 or about 1 :2; more preferably about 1 :2. If required, hydrogen may be further added to the syngas 42 (not shown) prior to being fed into the methanol production plant 113 to increase the amount of hydrogen. The proportion of carbon monoxide to hydrogen may be varied by the parameters from the water-gas shift reaction in the CO2 production plant 131. The production of methanol 45 in the methanol production plant 133 may also produce tail gas 44 comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methanol, and other trace compounds. The tail gas 44 is fed into the tail gas boiler 141 of the utilities 140 (discussed below).

[0164] Figure 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of the utilities 140 of the waste processing system 100. The utilities 140 include a tail gas boiler 141, a steam generation heat exchanger 142, a steam turbine 143, a water cooling plant 144, a water chilling plant 145, and a heat recovery plant 146.

[0165] The tail gas 44 from the methanol production plant 133 is fed into, and combusted, in the tail gas boiler 141 to produce steam 50. The tail gas boiler 141 may be any suitable boiler known in the art that is capable of combusting the tail gas 44 and using the heat from that combustion to produce steam 50. Combustion of the tail gas 44 in the tail gas boiler 141 will also produce carbon dioxide 60, which may be released into the atmosphere. When the thermal energy produced by combusting the tail gas 44 in the tail gas boiler 141 is not enough to generate steam at a predetermined temperature and / or pressure, a supplemental fuel can be added and combusted in the tail gas boiler 141 to achieve the desired steam conditions. This supplemental fuel may be natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, or any other suitable fuel. The supplemental fuel is supplied to the tail gas boiler 141, and the flow rate of the supplemental fuel into the tail gas boiler 141 is controlled to provide the additional thermal energy needed to achieve the desired steam conditions.

[0166] The high grade hot air 34b from the syngas production plant 121 and the waste heat 40 from the CO2 production plant 131 are fed into the steam generation heat exchanger 142 to generate steam 51. The steam generation heat exchanger 142 may be any suitable heat exchanger known in the art that is capable of generating steam 51 using the high grade hot air 34b and the waste heat 40.1006176264

[0167] The steam 50 generated by the tail gas boiler 141 and the steam 51 generated by the steam generation heat exchanger 142 are fed into the power generation plant 143 to generate electricity 61. The power generation plant 143 may comprise any suitable equipment that is capable of generating electricity using the steam 50 and the steam 51. For example, the power generation plant 143 may comprise one or more steam turbines that are capable of generating electricity 61 using the steam 50 and the steam 51. In an embodiment, the steam 50 and the steam 51 may be fed into a single steam turbine that generates electricity 61. In another embodiment, electricity 61 may be generated by feeding the steam 50 and the steam 51 into a higher pressure steam turbine, where the steam output from the higher pressure steam turbine is fed into a lower pressure steam turbine. In another embodiment, the electricity 61 may be generated by feeding the steam 50 into one steam turbine and feeding the steam 51 into another steam turbine.

[0168] The steam passing through the power generation plant 143 to generate electricity 61 is output from the power generation plant 143 as steam 52. The steam 52 is split into three portions, a first portion of steam 52a, a second portion of steam 52b, and a third portion of steam 52c. The first portion of steam 52a is fed into the syngas production plant 121 (discussed above), the second portion of the steam 52b is fed into the CO2 production plant 131 (discussed above), and third power of steam 52c is fed into the methanol production plant 133 (discussed above).

[0169] The water cooling plant 144 receives the cooling water return 37 from the syngas production plant 121. The water cooling plant 144 is configured to cool the cooling water return 37 to produce cooling water 53, which is output from the water cooling plant 144 and fed into the syngas production plant 121 (discussed above). Cooling the cooling water return 37 generates waste heat 54.

[0170] The water cooling plant 144 may be any suitable device / system known in the art that is capable of cooling the cooling water return 37. For example, the water cooling plant 144 may comprise one or more cooling water towers and / or heat exchangers. However, it will be appreciated that any other suitable methods and / or devices that are capable of cooling the cooling water return 37 may be used.

[0171] The water chilling plant 145 receives the chilling water return 38 from the syngas production plant 121. The water chilling plant 145 is configured to chill the chilling water return 38 to produce chilling water 55, which is output from the water chilling plant 145 and fed into1006176264the syngas production plant 121 (discussed above). Chilling the chilling water return 38 generates waste heat 56.

[0172] The water chilling plant 145 may be any suitable device / system known in the art that is capable of chilling the chilling water return 38. For example, the water chilling plant 145 may comprise one or more chilled water refrigeration systems and / or heat exchangers. However, it will be appreciated that any other suitable methods and / or devices that are capable of chilling the chilling water return 38 may be used.

[0173] The waste water 35 from the syngas production plant 121, the waste heat 54 from the water cooling plant 144, and the waste heat 56 from the water chilling plant 145 are fed into the heat recovery plant 146. The heat recovery plant 146 is configured to extract heat from the waste water 35, waste heat 54, and waste heat 56 to produce waste heat 57 and low grade waste heat 58. The waste heat 57 is released into the atmosphere and the low grade waste heat 58 is fed into the greenhouse 150 (discussed below). Extracting heat from the waste water 35 reduces the temperature of the waste water 35, which is then output from the heat recovery plant 146 as cold waste water 59. The cold waste water 59 may then be treated by a water treatment plant that is either onsite or offsite.

[0174] Figure 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of the greenhouse 150 of the waste processing system 100.

[0175] The carbon dioxide 41a from the CO2 production plant 131 and the low grade waste heat 58 from the heat recovery plant 146 are fed into the greenhouse 150. A portion of the carbon dioxide 41a fed into the greenhouse 150 will be absorbed by plants growing in the greenhouse 150. The low grade waste heat 58 may be used to heat the inside of the greenhouse 150 to keep the temperature inside the greenhouse 150 at or above a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature may be dependent on the plants being grown in the greenhouse 150. The greenhouse 150 is also connected to a source of water 62 (e.g. mains water), which is used to water the plants growing in the greenhouse 150.

[0176] The greenhouse 150 may be used to grow plants that produce food 64. It will be appreciated that the type of food 64 produced by the greenhouse 150 will be dependent on the plants being grown in the greenhouse 150. The greenhouse 150 may include one or more varieties of plants in order to produce a variety of different foods 64.

[0177] The greenhouse 150 will also release carbon dioxide 63 into the atmosphere.1006176264

[0178] The waste processing system 100 therefore produces syngas from the waste 10. A substantial portion of this syngas is converted to liquid CO2 and another portion of this syngas is converted to methanol. Further, carbon dioxide (e.g. carbon dioxide 41a) and tail gas (e.g. tail gas 44) resulting from the liquid CO2 and methanol production are used to grow plants in a greenhouse and combusted to generate steam for electricity production, respectively.Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the waste processing system 100 may reduce the amount of gases (including greenhouse gases) emitted into the atmosphere from processing the waste 10.

[0179] It will be appreciated that operating parameters of the waste processing system 100 may vary depending on the particular operational characteristics of the waste processing system 100. For example, waste processing systems 100 that are configured to process different amounts of waste 10 may have different operating parameters.

[0180] Figure 7 shows a waste processing system 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The waste processing system 200 is similar to the waste processing system 100 except that the waste processing system 200 does not include the waste processing facility 110 of the waste processing system 100. Features of the waste processing system 200 that are identical or equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 are provided with reference numerals that are equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 but incremented by 100.

[0181] For waste processing system 200, the waste 10 may be processed elsewhere (e.g. offsite at another facility) to produce the processed waste 18, which is subsequently provided to the syngas production facility 220 of the waste processing system 200. Apart from not processing the waste 10 to produce the processed waste 18, the waste processing system 200 operates in a similar manner to that described above with respect to waste processing system 100. For example, the syngas production facility 220, the CO2 and methanol production facility 230, the utilities 240, and the greenhouse 250 of the waste processing system 200 may operate in a similar manner to the syngas production facility 120, the CO2 and methanol production facility 130, the utilities 140, and the greenhouse 150 of the waste processing system 100 described above, respectively.

[0182] Figure 8 shows a waste processing system 300 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The waste processing system 300 is similar to the waste processing system 100 except that the waste processing system 300 does not include the waste processing facility 110 and the utilities 140 of the waste processing system 100. Features of the waste1006176264processing system 300 that are identical or equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 are provided with reference numerals that are equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 but incremented by 200.

[0183] Similar to that described above with respect to waste processing system 200, the waste processing system 300 may receive processed waste 18 from elsewhere. Apart from not processing the waste 10 to produce processed waste 18 and not including the utilities 140 of the waste processing system 100, the waste processing system 300 operates in a similar manner to that described above with respect to waste processing system 100. For example, the syngas production facility 320, the CO2 and methanol production facility 330, and the greenhouse 350 of the waste processing system 300 may operate in a similar manner to the syngas production facility 120, the CO2 and methanol production facility 130, and the greenhouse 150 of the waste processing system 100 described above, respectively.

[0184] Figure 9 shows a waste processing system 400 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The waste processing system 400 is similar to the waste processing system 100 except that the waste processing system 400 does not include the waste processing facility 110, the syngas production facility 120, and the utilities 140 of the waste processing system 100. Features of the waste processing system 400 that are identical or equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 are provided with reference numerals that are equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 but incremented by 300.

[0185] The syngas 39 for waste processing system 400 may be produced elsewhere (e.g. offsite at another facility) and subsequently input into the CO2 and methanol production facility 430 of the waste processing system 400. For example, the syngas 39 may be produced by processing waste 10 in a similar manner to that described above with respect to waste processing system 100 (e.g. by using waste processing facility 110 and syngas production facility 120). Apart from not producing the syngas 39 and including the utilities 140 of the waste processing system 100, the waste processing system 400 operates in a similar manner to that described above with respect to waste processing system 100. For example, the CO2 and methanol production facility 430 and the greenhouse 450 of the waste processing system 400 may operate in a similar manner to the CO2 and methanol production facility 130 and the greenhouse 150 of the waste processing system 100 described above, respectively.

[0186] Figure 10 shows a waste processing system 500 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The waste processing system 500 is similar to the waste processing1006176264system 100 except that the waste processing system 500 does not include the waste processing facility 110 and the syngas production facility 120 of the waste processing system 100. Features of the waste processing system 500 that are identical or equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 are provided with reference numerals that are equivalent to those of the waste processing system 100 but incremented by 400.

[0187] The utilities 540 of the waste processing system 500 will not include the water cooling plant 144, the water chilling plant 145, and the heat recovery plant 146 of the waste processing system 100. Further, the steam generation heat exchanger 542 of the waste processing system 500 will only receive waste heat 40 from the CO2 production plant 531 of the CO2 and methanol production facility 530 in order to generate steam 51.

[0188] Similar to that described above with respect to waste processing system 400, the waste processing system 500 may receive syngas 39 from elsewhere. Apart from not processing waste 10 to produce processed waste 18 and not producing syngas 39, the waste processing system 500 operates in a similar manner to that described above with respect to waste processing system 100. For example, the CO2 and methanol production facility 530, the tail gas boiler 541, the steam generation heat exchanger 542, the power generation plant 543, and the greenhouse 550 of the waste processing system 500 may operate in a similar manner to the CO2 and methanol production facility 130, the tail gas boiler 141, the steam generation heat exchanger 142, the power generation plant 143, and the greenhouse 150 of the waste processing system 100 described above, respectively.

[0189] Although waste processing systems 100-500 have been described above as converting carbon dioxide gas produced by the CO2 production plants 131-531 into liquid carbon dioxide, it is also envisaged that the waste processing systems 100-500 may:• convert the carbon dioxide gas produced by the CO2 production plants 131-531 into solid carbon dioxide (i.e. dry ice);• produce liquid and solid carbon dioxide using the carbon dioxide gas produced by the CO2 productions plants 131-531; and / or• produce useful chemicals, such as methanol or ethanol, using carbon dioxide as a feed material.

[0190] In such embodiments, the liquid CO2 production plant 132-532 could be replaced with a CO2 processing plant that is capable of producing liquid carbon dioxide and / or solid carbon dioxide using the carbon dioxide gas produced by the CO2 productions plants 131-531. Liquid1006176264C02can be made by compressing gaseous CO2 via a compressor, followed by cooling.Typically, pressures around 69 bar (1000.76 psi) and temperatures around 18 °C are used to produce liquid CO2. Other pressures and temperatures can be used and the person skilled in the art would be aware of the conditions required to maintain CO2 in a liquid state. Solid carbon dioxide may be made from liquid carbon dioxide by pumping the liquid CO2 into a holding tank and pressurising it into solid blocks or pellets. Typically, apparatus to produce liquid and / or solid CO2 may include storage tanks, cryogenic pumps / refrigerants, compressors and / or vaporisers.

[0191] It is also envisaged that waste processing systems 100-500 may omit the greenhouse 150-550. In such embodiments, the carbon dioxide that would have been provided to the greenhouse (e.g. carbon dioxide 41a) may instead be used to produce liquid and / or solid carbon dioxide (e.g. using the liquid CO2 production plants 132-531 or the CO2 processing plant).Alternatively, the carbon dioxide that would have been provided to the greenhouse may be captured and sequestered.

[0192] Further, if the volume of carbon dioxide produced by the CO2 production plants 131-531 is larger than the processing capacity of the liquid CO2 production plant 132-531, the excess carbon dioxide gas produced by the CO2 production plants 131-531 may be captured and sequestered.

[0193] Further, if the volume of carbon dioxide produced by the CO2 production plants 131-531 is larger than can be used by the greenhouse 150-550, the excess CO2 can be processed using liquid CO2 production plants 132-531 or CO2 processing plant to produce liquid or solid CO2 and / or capturing and sequestering the excess carbon dioxide gas.

[0194] Both liquid and solid CO2 have commercials uses and could be applied to those uses after their generation. Liquid CO2 has industrial and medical uses such as injection into concrete or use in carbonated beverages. Solid CO2 is also used in the food industry for food preparation and has scientific and medical uses.

[0195] Although a specific embodiment of the syngas production facility 121 has been described above and illustrated in the figures, it will be appreciated that any other suitable facility / devices / apparatus(es) / methods that is / are capable of gasifying the processed waste 18 to produce syngas 39 may be used.

[0196] Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this1006176264prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and / or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.

[0197] It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.Statements of Invention

[0198] The following are exemplary and non-limiting statements of invention:1. A waste processing system comprising:a carbon dioxide production plant configured to receive a gas including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen;a means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas;a carbon dioxide processing plant configured to receive the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas and convert the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; and / ora methanol and / or ethanol production plant configured to receive at least a portion of the gas from the carbon dioxide production plant (said gas including carbon monoxide and hydrogen) and produce methanol and / or ethanol using the gas.2. The waste processing system of statement 1, wherein the waste processing system further comprises a means to separate a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.3. The waste processing system of statement 2, wherein the waste processing system further comprises a means to separate a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.4. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 3, wherein the means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas and, optionally, a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas is before the carbon dioxide processing plant.10061762645. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 3, wherein the means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas and, optionally, a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas is a part of the carbon dioxide processing plant.6. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 5, wherein the means to separate the first, second or third portion of the carbon dioxide gas comprises cryogenic distillation, adsorption, membrane separation, molecular sieves or pressure swing adsorption.7. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 6, wherein the different state is a liquid state and / or a solid state.8. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 7, wherein the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas when the first portion of carbon dioxide gas is separated from the gas.9. The waste processing system of any one of statements 2 to 8, wherein the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas when the second portion of carbon dioxide gas is separated from the gas.10. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 9, wherein the carbon dioxide production plant further includes a means to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen.11. The waste processing system of any one of statements 2 to 10, wherein the methanol and / or ethanol production plant is configured to receive the second portion of carbon dioxide gas and produce methanol and / or ethanol.12. The waste processing system of any one of statements 3 to 11, further comprising a greenhouse configured to receive the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from carbon dioxide production plant, wherein plants are grown in the greenhouse.13. The waste processing system of any one of statements 3 to 12, further comprising a means to dilute the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the carbon dioxide production to a concentration suitable for plants in the greenhouse.100617626414. The waste processing system of statement 13, wherein the concentration suitable for plants in the greenhouse is about 500 to about 1500 ppm of carbon dioxide.15. The waste processing system of statement 13 or statement 14, wherein the carbon dioxide is diluted using ambient air or compressed air.16. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1-15, further comprising a syngas production plant, wherein the gas received by the carbon dioxide production plant is syngas produced by the syngas production plant.17. The waste processing system of statement 16, wherein the syngas production plant is configured to receive waste material and produce the syngas from the waste material.18. The waste processing system of statement 17, wherein the waste material is one or more of municipal waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, construction waste, demolition waste, and biomass, preferably, the waste is solid waste.19. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 18, wherein at least one of the first potion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas has a purity of at least 80% v / v, or at least 85% v / v, or at least 90% v / v, or at least 95% v / v, or at least 99% v / v.20. The waste processing system of any one of statements 16-19, further comprising a waste processing facility configured to process the waste material before the syngas production plant receives the waste material.21. The waste processing facility of statement 20, wherein the waste processing facility has a shredder configured to shred the waste material.22. The waste processing system of statement 20 or statement 21, wherein the waste processing facility has a ferrous metal separator configured to remove ferrous metals from the waste material.23. The waste processing system of any one of statements 20-22, wherein the waste processing facility has a non-ferrous metal separator configured to remove non-ferrous metals from the waste material.100617626424. The waste processing system of statement 23, wherein the non-ferrous metals include one or more of copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, titanium, gold, silver or platinum.25. The waste processing system of any one of statements 20-24, wherein the waste processing facility has an air classifier configured to remove inert materials from the waste material.26. The waste processing system of any one of statements 20-25, wherein the waste processing facility has a dryer configured to reduce the moisture content of the waste material, preferably prior to transport to the syngas production plant.27. The waste processing system of statement 26, wherein the dryer is an air dryer.28. The waste processing system of statement 26 or statement 27, wherein air output from the syngas production plant is provided to the dryer for reducing the moisture content of the waste material.29. The waste processing system of any one of statements 16-28, further comprising a water cooling plant, wherein:the syngas production plant is configured to receive cooling water from the cooling water plant, the cooling water is used for one or more cooling purposes in the syngas production plant; andthe cooling water is heated after being used for one or more cooling purposes, and the heated cooling water is output from the syngas production plant and returned to the water cooling plant to be cooled.30. The waste processing system of any one of statements 16-29, further comprising a water chilling plant, wherein:the syngas production plant is configured to receive chilling water from the water chilling plant, the chilling water is used for reducing the temperature of the syngas produced by the syngas production plant; andthe chilling water is heated after reducing the temperature of the syngas produced by the syngas production plant, and the heated chilling water is output from the syngas production plant and returned to the water chilling plant to be chilled.100617626431. The waste processing system of statement 29 or 30, further comprising a heat recovery plant configured to receive waste heat from the water cooling plant and / or the water chilling plant to produce heat.32. The waste processing system of statement 31, when dependent on statement 10, wherein the greenhouse is configured to receive at least a portion of the heat generated by the heat recovery plant.33. The waste processing system of any one of the preceding statements, wherein combustible gases output from the methanol and / or ethanol production plant are combusted to generate electrical power.34. The waste processing system of statement 33, wherein the combustible gases include one or more of hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen or carbon monoxide.35. The waste processing system of statement 34, wherein the hydrocarbon gases include one or more of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and isomers thereof.36. The waste processing system of any one of statements 1 to 35, further comprising a boiler configured to receive and combust combustible gases output from the methanol and / or ethanol production plant to produce steam.37. The waste processing system of statement 36, further comprising an electrical power generation plant configured to generate electrical power using the steam generated by the boiler.38. The waste processing system of statement 37, wherein the waste processing system further comprises a means to add an additional energy source to generate electrical power and / or steam.39. The waste processing system of statement 38, wherein the additional energy source comprises natural gas, LPG, hydrogen, solar energy, nuclear energy, or hydroelectrical power.40. The waste processing system of any one of statements 37 to 39, wherein the methanol and / or ethanol production plant is configured to receive a first portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant and use the first portion of steam to produce methanol and / or ethanol.100617626441. The waste processing system of any one of statements 37 to 40, wherein the carbon dioxide production plant is configured to receive a second portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant and use the second portion of steam to produce the carbon dioxide gas.42. The waste processing system of any one of statements 37 to 41, when dependent on any one of statements 16-27, wherein the syngas production plant is configured to receive a third portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant and use the third portion of steam to produce the syngas.43. The waste processing system of any one of statements 37 to 42, further comprising a heat exchanger configured to receive waste heat from the carbon dioxide production plant to generate steam and the electrical power generation plant is configured to generate electrical power using the steam generated by the heat exchanger.44. The waste processing system of any one of the preceding statements, wherein the carbon dioxide production plant uses a water-gas shift reaction as the means to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen.45. A method including:receiving a gas comprising carbon monoxide and converting carbon monoxide in a first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen; andconverting a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; and / orconverting the gas comprising carbon monoxide to methanol and / or ethanol.46. The method of statement 45, wherein the method further comprises separating a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide.47. The method of statement 46, wherein the method further comprises separating a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.100617626448. The method of statement 47, wherein the method further comprises separating a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.49. The method of any one of statements 45 to 48, wherein separating the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas is before converting a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state.50. The method of any one of statements 45 to 49, wherein separating the first, second or third portion of the carbon dioxide gas comprises cryogenic distillation, adsorption, membrane separation, molecular sieves or pressure swing adsorption.51. The method of any one of statements 45 to 50, wherein the different state is a liquid state and / or a solid state.52. The method of any one of statements 45 to 51, wherein the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas after separating a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas is separated from the gas53. The method of any one of statements 46 to 52, wherein the carbon monoxide and hydrogen remain in the gas after separating the second portion of carbon dioxide gas from the gas.54. The method of any one of statements 46 to 53, wherein the method further comprises converting the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas into methanol and / or ethanol.55. The method of any one of statements 47 to 54, further comprising feeding a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas into a greenhouse including plants.56. The method of statement 55, wherein the method further comprises diluting the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas to a concentration suitable for plants in the greenhouse.57. The method of statement 56, wherein the concentration is about 500 to about 1500 ppm of carbon dioxide.100617626458. The method of statement 56 or 57, wherein the carbon dioxide is diluted using ambient or compressed air.59. The method of any one of statements 45 to 58, wherein at least one of the first potion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas, and / or the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas has a purity of at least 80% v / v, or at least 85% v / v, or at least 90% v / v, or at least 95% v / v, or at least 99% v / v.60. The method of any one of statements 45 to 59, wherein the gas (comprising carbon monoxide) is produced by gasifying waste material.61. The method of statement 60, wherein the gas is produced by a syngas production plant.62. The method of statement 60 or 61, wherein the waste is one or more of municipal waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, construction waste, demolition waste, and biomass, preferably the waste is solid waste.63. The method of any one of statements 60 to 62, wherein the waste material is gasified using a thermal gasification process.64. The method of any one of statements 60 to 63, further comprising shredding the waste material before gasifying the waste material65. The method of any one of statements 60 to 64, further comprising removing ferrous metals from the waste material before gasifying the waste material.66. The method of any one of statements 60 to 65, further comprising removing non-ferrous metals from the waste material before gasifying the waste material.67. The method of statement 66, wherein the non-ferrous metals include one or more of copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, titanium, gold, silver or platinum.68. The method of any one of statements 60 to 67, further comprising removing inert material from the waste material before gasifying the waste material, preferably removing inert material from the waste material before gasifying the waste material is performed with an air classifier.100617626469. The method of any one of statements 60 to 68, further comprising reducing the moisture content of the waste material before gasifying the waste material, preferably reducing the moisture content of the waste material before gasifying the waste material is performed using an air dryer.70. The method of statement 69, further comprising using air output from the gasification process to reduce the moisture content of the waste material, preferably prior to gasifying the waste material.71. The method of any one of statements 45 to 60, wherein the gas is not gas from exhaust output from one or more of a power plant or other CO or CO2 liberating industrial process.72. The method of any one of statements 60-71, further comprising:providing cooling water for one or more cooling purposes in the gasification process; after being used for one or more cooling purposes, cooling the cooling water; and recovering waste heat generated from cooling the cooling water.73. The method of any one of statements 60 to 72, further comprising:reducing the temperature of the gas produced by the gasification process using chilling water;after being used to reduce the temperature of the gas produced by the gasification process, chilling the chilling water; andrecovering waste heat generated from chilling the chilling water.74. The method of statements 72 or 73, further comprising generating heat using the waste heat recovered from cooling the cooling water and / or the waste heat recovered from chilling the chilling water.75. The method of statement 74, when dependent on statement 55, further comprising feeding at least a portion of the generated heat into the greenhouse.76. The method of any one of statements 45 to 75, further comprising combusting combustible gases produced from converting the second portion of the gas to methanol and / or ethanol to generate electrical power.100617626477. The method of statement 76, wherein the combustible gases include one or more of hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen or carbon monoxide.78. The method of statement 77, wherein the hydrocarbon gases include one or more of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and isomers thereof.79. The method of any one of statements 45 to 78, further comprising combusting combustible gases produced from converting the second portion of the gas to methanol and / or ethanol in a boiler to generate steam.80. The method of statement 79, further comprising providing the steam generated by the boiler to an electrical power generation plant, wherein the electrical power generation plant is configured to generate electrical power using the steam generated by the boiler.81. The method of statement 80, wherein the method further comprises adding an additional energy source to generate electrical power and / or steam.82. The method of statement 81, wherein the additional energy source comprises natural gas, LPG, hydrogen, solar energy, nuclear energy, or hydroelectrical power.83. The method of any one of statements 80-82, further comprising using a first portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant in the process for converting the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide and / or the second portion of the carbon dioxide gas to methanol and / or ethanol.84. The method of any one of statements 80 to 83, further comprising using a second portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant in the process for converting the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas.85. The method of any one of statements 80 to 84, when dependent on statement 55, further comprising using a third portion of steam output from the electrical power generation plant in the process for gasifying the waste material.86. The method of any one of statements 80 to 85, further comprising:recovering waste heat generated from converting carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas;1006176264feeding the waste heat recovered from converting carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas into a heat exchanger to generate steam; andproviding the steam generated by the heat exchanger to the electrical power generation plant to generate electrical power.87. The method of any one of statements 45 to 86, wherein a water-gas shift reaction is used to convert the carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen.1006176264

Claims

CLAIMS1. A waste processing system comprising:a carbon dioxide production plant configured to receive a gas including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen;a means to separate a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas;a carbon dioxide processing plant configured to receive the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas and convert the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; and / ora methanol and / or ethanol production plant configured to receive at least a portion of the gas from the carbon dioxide production plant (said gas including carbon monoxide and methanol) and produce methanol and / or ethanol using the gas.

2. The waste processing system of claim 1, wherein the waste processing system further comprises a means to separate a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.

3. The waste processing system of claim 2, wherein the waste processing system further comprises a means to separate a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the gas or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.

4. The waste processing system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the carbon dioxide production plant further includes a means to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

5. The waste processing system of claim 3 or claim 4, further comprising a greenhouse configured to receive the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from carbon dioxide production plant, wherein plants are grown in the greenhouse.

6. The waste processing system of any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a syngas production plant, wherein the gas received by the carbon dioxide production plant is syngas produced by the syngas production plant.

7. The waste processing system of claim 6, wherein the syngas production plant is configured to receive waste material and produce the syngas from the waste material.10061762648. The waste processing system of claim 7, wherein the waste material is one or more of municipal waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, construction waste, demolition waste, and biomass, preferably, the waste is solid waste.

9. The waste processing system of any one of claims 6-8, further comprising a waste processing facility configured to process the waste material before the syngas production plant receives the waste material.

10. The waste processing facility of claim 9, wherein the waste processing facility has a shredder configured to shred the waste material.

11. The waste processing system of claim 9 or 10, wherein the waste processing facility has a ferrous metal separator configured to remove ferrous metals from the waste material.

12. The waste processing system of any one of claims 9-11, wherein the waste processing facility has a non-ferrous metal separator configured to remove non-ferrous metals from the waste material, preferably, the non-ferrous metals include one or more of copper, aluminium, brass, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, titanium, gold, silver or platinum.

13. The waste processing system of any one of claims 9-12, wherein the waste processing facility has an air classifier configured to remove inert materials from the waste material.

14. The waste processing system of any one of claims 9-13, wherein the waste processing facility has a dryer configured to reduce the moisture content of the waste material.

15. The waste processing system of claim 14, wherein the dryer is an air dryer.

16. The waste processing system of claim 14 or 15, wherein air output from the syngas production plant is provided to the dryer for reducing the moisture content of the waste material.

17. A method including:receiving a gas comprising carbon monoxide and converting carbon monoxide in a first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen; andconverting a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from a gaseous state to a different state; and / orconverting a the gas comprising carbon monoxide to methanol and / or ethanol.100617626418. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises separating a first portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises separating a second portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises separating a third portion of the carbon dioxide gas from the first portion of the gas comprising carbon monoxide or the first portion of the carbon dioxide gas.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising feeding the third portion of the carbon dioxide gas into a greenhouse including plants.

22. The method of any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the gas is produced by gasifying waste material.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the waste is one or more of municipal waste, commercial waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, medical waste, construction waste, demolition waste, and biomass, preferably the waste is solid waste.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the waste material is gasified using a thermal gasification process.

25. The method of any one of claims 22-24, further comprising shredding the waste material before gasifying the waste material26. The method of any one of claims 22-25, further comprising removing ferrous metals from the waste material before gasifying the waste material.

27. The method of any one of claims 22-26, further comprising removing non-ferrous metals from the waste material before gasifying the waste material.

28. The method of any one of claims 22-27, further comprising removing inert material from the waste material before gasifying the waste material.100617626429. The method of any one of claims 22-28, further comprising reducing the moisture content of the waste material before gasifying the waste material.

30. The method of any one of claims 17-29, further comprising combusting combustible gases produced from converting the second portion of the gas to methanol and / or ethanol to generate electrical power.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:recovering waste heat generated from converting carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas;feeding the waste heat recovered from converting carbon monoxide in the first portion of the gas to carbon dioxide gas into a heat exchanger to generate steam; andproviding the steam generated by the heat exchanger to the electrical power generation plant to generate electrical power.1006176264

Images