Recycle CO2 to Syngas via POX Gasifier
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to effectively recycle waste materials, particularly carbon dioxide streams, from waste plastic pyrolysis into more useful products due to the lack of infrastructure for segregating and distributing recycle content gases.
Innovation Solution
A chemical recycling process that involves oxidizing recycle content ethylene to form ethylene oxide and CO2, followed by gasifying the CO2 in a POX gasifier to produce recycle content syngas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If carbon dioxide streams are recovered and recycled, then environmental performance is improved, but processing cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines CO2 recovery with existing ethylene oxide production and methane combustion processes. The CO2 from ethylene oxide oxidation is merged with CO2 from methane combustion in a single gasifier unit, creating a unified syngas production system that handles multiple waste streams simultaneously rather than treating them separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasifier is designed as a multi-functional unit that performs multiple tasks: it gasifies CO2 from ethylene oxide production, gasifies CO2 from methane combustion, and produces syngas that can be used for various applications. This universal approach eliminates the need for separate processing infrastructure for different CO2 streams.
2Quantity of substance
If carbon dioxide is separated and isolated for recycling, then recycle content is improved, but infrastructure requirements and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple CO2-containing streams from different process units (ethylene oxide oxidation and methane combustion) into a single integrated gasification system. This eliminates the need for separate collection, storage, and processing infrastructure for each CO2 stream, reducing overall infrastructure requirements while maintaining high recycle content.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If waste materials are recycled into useful products, then environmental performance is improved, but processing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts harmful waste CO2 streams into beneficial syngas product. By gasifying CO2 from ethylene oxide production and methane combustion, the system transforms these waste materials into a useful chemical feedstock that can be used for synthesizing other chemicals, thereby eliminating disposal costs and creating potential revenue streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own waste CO2 streams as feedstock for syngas production, making the process self-sufficient. The CO2 that would otherwise require costly disposal or capture is instead utilized internally to produce valuable chemicals, reducing external material purchases and disposal expenses.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process converts CO2 streams into recycle content syngas, providing a valuable product that can be used in various applications, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of chemical recycling facilities.
Implementation Method 1
gasifying at least a portion of the generated CO2 in a POX gasifier to thereby form a syngas
Implementation Method 2
oxidizing at least a portion of a recycle content ethylene in an oxidation reactor to form a recycle content ethylene oxide stream and a recycle content CO2 stream
Implementation Method 3
combusting methane to form flue gas comprising CO2
Data Source
AI summary
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.