201 results about "Waste stream" patented technology

Embodiment herein discloses methods and devices for waste management by using an artificial intelligence based waste object categorizing engine. The method includes receiving an image while detecting a waste disposal activity (WDA) on a first waste bin and a second waste bin. Further, the method includes generating an entity identifier (EID) during a material disposal event (MDE) and associating the entity identifier with the material disposal event generated during the waste disposal activity. The method also includes identifying and displaying a brand, a product, a material, a usage of the material and a service information from the received image using a data driven assisted vision-based component based on the entity identifier. The method also includes identifying a waste stream type in the first waste bin and the second waste bin.

Chemical recycling facilities for processing mixed plastic waste are provided herein. Such facilities have the capability of processing mixed plastic waste streams and utilize a variety of recycling facilities, such as, for example, solvolysis facility, a pyrolysis facility, a cracker facility, a partial oxidation gasification facility, an energy generation / energy production facility, and a solidification facility. Streams from one or more of these individual facilities may be used as feed to one or more of the other facilities, thereby maximizing recovery of valuable chemical components and minimizing unusable waste streams.

Described herein are methods, devices, materials, and systems for extracting target materials from iron-rich feedstocks. The iron-rich feedstock may be red mud, a natural occurring mineral, and / or a waste stream. The target materials may include a main constituent of the feedstock, a rare earth element, a precious metal, and / or a platinum group element. The invention may use a combination of electrochemical reactions and physical separation methods.

The present disclosure generally relates to collecting, handling, and / or sorting of waste or other objects. For example, certain embodiments are generally directed to systems and methods for collecting and sorting objects such as trash, recyclables, compostables, etc. In some cases, such systems may be used at a MRF (materials recovery facility), a transfer station, a public facility, or other locations where various objects in a waste stream are to be sorted. In some cases, the system may be relatively small and compact. The waste stream may be singulated or separated into discrete objects to facilitate identification and sorting. For example, two or more discrete objects within the waste stream that are contacting one another or are proximate to one another may be separated, so as to facilitate identification and / or sorting of the objects. This may be useful, for example, for producing less contaminated streams of trash, recyclables, compostables, etc. from a waste stream.

The “Industrial Digestive System” encapsulates a novel paradigm in waste management and resource recovery, bridging the gap between sophisticated computational intelligence and industrial automation. The hardware component replicates the natural digestive system's efficiency in processing a diverse range of inputs, including municipal and industrial waste, transforming them into valuable outputs like biofuels, chemicals, and advanced composite / conglomerate materials. This process is achieved through a series of mechanized operations. Complementing the hardware, the software facet of the invention is rooted in advanced machine learning and optimization algorithms that optimize multivariable functions for the most efficient conversion of input to resources, orchestrating the transformation from varied waste streams, elements, and molecules into solid, liquid, and gaseous outputs. The result is an automated, intelligent manufacturing machine that enhances product quality and operational efficacy. “The Industrial Digestive System” can be seen as a new branch of cybernetics, a cyber-physical system inspired by nature.

It has been discovered that recycle content CO2 streams produced in a chemical recycling facility involving waste plastic pyrolysis can be converted into recycle content syngas (r-syngas), which can be used for various applications. More particularly, recycle content CO2 streams generated from a pyrolysis facility, a cracking facility, and / or an ethylene oxide facility may be recovered and converted into r-syngas. Moreover, recycle content methane, produced directly or indirectly from waste plastics, may also be used to produce flue gas streams, which provide additional recycle content CO2 streams to produce additional recycle content syngas. Thus, methods for producing a useful recycle content product (i.e., r-syngas) from conventional waste streams that are typically exhausted (i.e., CO2 streams) are provided herein.

Methods of capturing carbon in biochar are provided. The method includes mixing the biochar with an alkaline solution to form an intermediate mixture, and exposing the intermediate mixture to a CO2 source to precipitate calcium carbonate over and in the biochar to form a CO2 weathered biochar. In some cases, the method further includes injecting CO2 into the alkaline wastewater to sequestration / store CO2, which may then be used as mixed water for the production of cementitious composites. The method can be used for upgrading three waste streams, and the treated CO2 weathered biochar maintains the compressive strength of the obtained concrete when replacing part of the pre-cured cement and aggregate components. In addition, the treated CO2-weathered recycled aggregate maintains the mechanical strength of the obtained concrete when replacing part of the aggregate.

A method of reclaiming portions of a surgical kit having a surgical instrument includes disassembling the surgical instrument and determining a disposal methodology of the surgical kit. Furthermore, reclaiming further includes verifying reuse capacity of a portion of the surgical instrument and determining a waste stream for the portion of the surgical instrument. The method also includes disassembling the portion of the surgical instrument from a remainder of the surgical instrument at a predetermined region of the surgical instrument to thereby reclaim the portion of the surgical instrument according to the waste stream.

A system for mechanically recycling a plastic waste stream can include first and second size reduction units, a washing system, a drying system, and an extrusion unit. The first and second size reduction units can respectively receive and shred first and second plastic waste streams to respectively produce first and second shredded plastic waste streams. The washing system (positioned downstream from the first size reduction unit) can receive and wash the first shredded plastic waste stream to produce a washed plastic material stream. The drying system (positioned downstream from the washing system) can receive and dry the washed plastic material stream to provide a dried plastic material stream. The extrusion unit (positioned downstream from the drying system and the second size reduction unit) can receive, melt, and extrude the dried plastic material stream and / or the second shredded plastic waste stream to produce a mechanically recycled plastic material.

A wastewater system with high recyclability may include one or more mechanical or membrane filtration technologies. Process waste streams may be processed through a variety of processing units to remove contaminants without or with limited additional chemical additives, thereby forming a near-zero or zero liquid discharge wastewater system.

A system for selectively opening flexible containers, such as plastic bags, in a mixed solid waste stream is disclosed, for use in Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) or other contexts. The system may include a conveyor configured to transport waste, a sensor configured to detect the presence and position of flexible containers, and a multi-degree-of-freedom positioning device that moves a cutting tool relative to the containers. A processor, in communication with the sensor and positioning device, may calculate a cutting path and control the positioning device to execute the cutting operation. The system may utilize various cutting tools, including punches, blades, spades, shovels, and motorized saws, as well as non-contact fluid-based cutting technologies such as air or water jets. Additionally, the system can dynamically adjust the cutting trajectory based on real-time feedback and environmental conditions. The method provides an adaptable solution to open bags without damaging recyclable materials, improving throughput and reducing waste in mixed waste streams.

Methods for carbon-capture within a biochar are provided. The method includes mixing a biochar with an alkaline solution to form an intermediate mixture and exposing the intermediate mixture to a CO2 source so as to precipitate calcium carbonate onto and into the biochar to form a CO2-weathered biochar. In some cases, the method also includes injecting CO2 into alkaline wastewater to sequester / store CO2 which can then serve as mixing water for producing cementitious composites. This method may be used to upcycle three waste streams, and treated CO2-weathered biochar preserves compressive strength of resultant concrete when substituted for a portion of the pre-cure cement and aggregate components. Further, treated CO2-weathered recycled aggregate preserves mechanical strength of resultant concrete when substituted for a portion of aggregate.

It has been discovered that heat energy may be captured from typical waste streams, such as flue gas streams, that were previously lost due to exhausting. More particularly, it has been discovered that residual heat energy from various waste streams in a chemical recycling facility may be used to preheat waste plastic streams and provide heat for waste plastic pyrolysis. Consequently, the pyrolysis processes and systems described herein may obtain a lower carbon footprint.

Methods, devices, and systems are disclosed that capture carbon dioxide from ambient air and / or point source emissions and produce carbon dioxide from the captured atmospheric and / or point source carbon dioxide using one or more products of the carbon capture processes. Implementations filter atmospheric and / or point source impurities during the carbon capture process and in steps for producing a CO2 stream via chemical synthesis and optionally thermal generation. The integration of CO2 removal processes and chemical synthesis of CO2 synergistically combine to reduce and / or eliminate waste streams, resulting in efficient processes with low carbon emissions and reduced waste.

Blends of recycled plastic materials and plastic products made therefrom are provided. The blends combine a high fraction of recycled medical waste with mixed recycled plastics, such as polyolefins or carpet waste. Also provided are methods for processing a heterogeneous waste stream such as medical waste to yield a homogenous material capable of blending with other materials and extrusion to form useful plastic products such as structural materials and consumer articles.

It has been unexpectedly discovered that the addition of a natural or other pozzolan to non-spec coal ash significantly improves the properties of the non-spec coal ash to the extent it can be certified under ASTM C618 and AASHTO 295, as either a Class F or Class C coal ash. The natural pozzolan may be a volcanic ejecta, such as pumice or perlite. Other pozzolans may also be used for this beneficiation process. Many pozzolans are experimentally tested and may be used to beneficiate non-spec coal ash into certifiable Class F coal ash. Additionally, this disclosure provides a method of converting a Class C coal ash to a more valuable Class F coal ash. This discovery will extend diminishing Class F coal ash supplies and turn non-spec coal ash waste streams into valuable, certified coal ash pozzolan which will protect and enhance concrete, mortars and grouts.

Disclosed herein is a method and depackager apparatus for removal of organics and cleaning of residual plastics from a waste stream in a depackager. The method comprises injecting a stream of air into a filtration drum, comprising the residual plastic, of the depackager. Further, the method comprises creating a turbulence within the filtration drum using predetermined structures deployed in the filtration drum, such that the residual plastic passes through a first end of the filtration drum to a second end of the filtration drum. Finally, the method comprises collecting cleaned residual plastic through the second end of the filtration drum.

It has been unexpectedly discovered that the addition of a natural or other pozzolan to non-spec coal ash significantly improves the properties of the non-spec coal ash to the extent it can be certified under ASTM C618 and AASHTO 295, as either a Class F or Class C coal ash. The natural pozzolan may be a volcanic ejecta, such as pumice or perlite. Other pozzolans may also be used for this beneficiation process. Many pozzolans are experimentally tested and may be used to beneficiate non-spec coal ash into certifiable Class F coal ash. Additionally, this disclosure provides a method of converting a Class C coal ash to a more valuable Class F coal ash. This discovery will extend diminishing Class F coal ash supplies and turn non-spec coal ash waste streams into valuable, certified coal ash pozzolan which will protect and enhance concrete, mortars and grouts.

The invention relates to methods for selectively recovering valuable metals including lithium, nickel, and / or cobalt from feedstock, such as a waste feedstock such as end-of-life lithium-ion batteries, and in particular from waste streams such as black mass derived in whole or in part from NMC type cathode material from such batteries.

A waste stream is analyzed and sorted to segregate different items for recycling. Certain features of the technology improve the accuracy with which waste stream items are diverted to collection repositories. Other features concern adaptation of neural networks in accordance with context information sensed from the waste. Still other features serve to automate and simplify maintenance of machine vision systems used in waste sorting. Yet other aspects of the technology concern marking 2D machine readable code data on items having complex surfaces (e.g., food containers with integral ribbing for structural strength or juice pooling), to mitigate issues that such surfaces can introduce in code reading. Still other aspects of the technology concern prioritizing certain blocks of conveyor belt imagery for analysis. Yet other aspects of the technology concern joint use of near infrared spectroscopy, artificial intelligence, digital watermarking, and / or other techniques, for waste sorting. A variety of further features and arrangements are also detailed.

Methods and systems for separating material using a combination of a sieve bed and a gravity separator are included. Material is collected from the waste stream and passes through the screener. The collected larger material is then directed to a first gravity separator having a specific gravity. Plastic and residual metal are recovered.

Compositions, such as surfactant compositions, and methods of forming compositions, such as surfactant compositions, which may include a gemini surfactant, said surfactants being ammonium compounds of formulae (I) to (VII). The methods may use a starting material from a stream generated by another process.

Provided is a polishing tool and a methods for polishing a wafer or manufacturing a semiconductor device. A method for polishing a wafer includes contacting a surface of the wafer to a polishing pad at an interface; rotating the wafer and / or the pad; and delivering a series of selected treatment agents to the interface and removing waste from the interface through channels extending through the pad, while controlling a rate of delivering the selected polishing agents and removing the waste streams through the channels formed in the pad to optimize polishing of the wafer.

A process for separating components of a waste stream. In one embodiment, the process includes providing shredded material in a form of particles each having a size of less than 2 inches. The particles of shredded material are separated based on size into a plurality of streams. Each of the plurality of streams is separated, based on density, into a first substream of greater density and a second substream of lesser density. Brittle components of some or all first substreams are pulverized, leaving metallic components in sheet form. Metallic components are separated from the first substream after the pulverizing. The process can be utilized to recover metals from automobile shredder residue, such as copper, aluminum, and precious metals.

The utility model provides a sponge ball for water storage in a sponge city. The sponge ball comprises a spherical ball body, the ball body is made of plastic; a plurality of through holes are formed in the ball body; the through holes are parallel to each other and are independent from each other; the volume of the through hole accounts for more than 50% of the volume of the ball body. The utility model has the beneficial effects that: 1, the arrangement of the through holes enables rainwater not only to be stored between the balls, but also to be stored in the through holes, so that the storage capacity of the rainwater is improved; 2, the structure of the through hole is used for improving the structural strength of the ball body; 3, compared with gravels, the balls are lighter and are convenient to transport; 4, the ball body is made of recycled plastic (polyolefin), and the plastic is recycled from a waste material flow, so that the cost is low, plastic reutilization is realized, and the effect of protecting the environment can be achieved; and 5, reutilization and permanent preservation can be realized.

A process for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is provided. The process comprises: providing a waste stream comprising lignocellulosic materials; adding an calcium-containing mineral to the waste stream; heat-treating the waste stream in the presence of the calcium-containing mineral, to obtain a treated waste stream; fermenting at least one strain of PHA-producing microorganism in a culture medium comprising the treated waste stream as a carbon source, to produce the PHA; and extracting the PHA from the PHA-producing microorganism.

A method for converting excess liquid oxygen into liquid nitrogen, including introducing a gaseous nitrogen stream into a main heat exchanger, therein exchanging heat with a vaporized oxygen stream, a vapor phase nitrogen steam, and a waste liquid nitrogen stream; thereby producing a cold gaseous nitrogen stream, an oxygen vent stream, a nitrogen vent steam, and a gaseous nitrogen waste stream, introducing the cold gaseous nitrogen stream into a secondary heat exchanger, therein exchanging heat with a liquid oxygen stream; thereby producing the vaporized oxygen stream and a cold liquid nitrogen stream, introducing the cold liquid nitrogen stream into a nitrogen pressure reduction valve thereby producing a two-phase nitrogen stream, introducing the two-phase nitrogen stream into a nitrogen flash vessel thereby producing a liquid phase nitrogen stream and the vapor phase nitrogen stream, wherein the method is performed in the absence of refrigerant turbo-expanders, refrigerant expansion turbines, or refrigerant compressors.

Items are identified in a waste stream for purposes of recycling, using deterministic and / or probabilistic techniques. Imagery of the waste stream from multiple viewpoints permit creation of a 3D depth draped image representation, from which one or more 2D planes can be synthesized. Phase-coherent patches of recoverable encoded data can be identified from among soiled and crumpled object surfaces, and used in combination to recover object identification information. Recognition of certain items can trigger further image processing that is specific to such items. (Detection of a catsup bottle, for example, can trigger image analysis to discern the presence of catsup residue.) Information about recognized objects can be provided to external data customers, e.g., to track grey market diversion of particular products into unlicensed territories. These and other features and advantages, which can be used alone or in combination, are detailed herein.

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods relating to fine aggregate for a Controlled Low-Strength Material (CLSM) recycled from a consumer waste stream of bottle glass. Such disclosed compositions may be advantageous, for example, for backfilling trenches in street cuts for utility repairs or new utility installations, such as digital cables. The disclosed compositions that incorporate the recycled glass aggregate into a CLSM that achieves satisfactory compressive strengths. The disclosed compositions are not negatively impacted by Alkali-Silica Reactivity causing expansion.

Method and system of processing DAF float and other waste streams containing oils, solids and liquid in order to remove them from the waste cycle to be put back into beneficial use.