Ausmelt Limited

Ausmelt Pty. Ltd.

John M Floyd

Brian Ross Baldock

Kenneth R Robilliard

Ian L Chard

Brian W Lightfoot

Robert W Matusewicz

Carl P Jeppe

Kok T Wong

A process for treating carbon-containing material contaminated with toxic elements utilises smelting of the material in a top-submerged lancing reactor. The material has its carbon content present as elemental or free carbon. Smelting is conducted so as to form, or in the presence of, a fluid slag. In the course of smelting, free-oxygen-containing gas is injected into the slag by top-submerged injection, to combust the carbon content of the material. Volatilizable toxic elements are discharged in reactor off-gas, while non-volatilizable elements are substantially fully incorporated into the slag.

Smelting of carbon-containing material

The process provides for disposal of waste materials, including municipal waste such as garbage, industrial wastes, waste materials including rubber and plastics based materials, and ash waste from municipal waste incinerators and toxic waste incinerators. The waste is charged to a reactor, of a top-submerged lancing injector reactor system, containing a molten slag bath maintained in a turbulent condition, during charging of the waste, by top-submerged injection therein of a free-oxygen containing gas, using at least one top-submerged lance of the system. The waste is taken into the molten bath and is caused to circulate therein to a combustion/oxidation zone generated by the top-submerged injection. Constituents of the waste are subjected to free-oxygen of the injected gas in that zone and to heat energy of the slag, and thereby combusted/oxidised and/or decomposed.

Processing of municipal and other wastes

Process for production of iron

The top-submergable injection lance has an elongate conduit which extends between upper and discharge ends and defines a bore, for the supply of reactants, through the conduit and an annular, alloy steel tip at the discharge end. The conduit comprises an inner pipe defining the bore, an outer pipe, and a third pipe which divides an annular volume between the inner and an outer pipes for circulation of coolant fluid. The tip is defined by inner and outer peripheral surfaces merging at a sharp lower edge and a top surface extending between the peripheral surfaces. The top surface of the tip joins the inner and outer pipes so as to be contactable by the coolant fluid. The frusto-conical inner peripheral surface provides a continuation of the bore which increases in cross-section to an opening at the lower edge. The lance further includes a shroud pipe around an upper part of the conduit, the shroud pipe defining a shroud gas discharge passage which is closed at the upper end of the shroud pipe and open at the lower end at a level spaced from the tip. In use, shroud gas is able to be discharged into a furnace space, above a slag bath, curing the course of top submerged injection of reactants into the bath.

Top submergable lance

Smelting of metallurgical waste materials containing iron compounds and

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Upper Beaconsfield, Australia

John M Floyd