The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2006
Filed:
Jan. 21, 2003
Donald P. Malone, Grayson, KY (US);
Donald P. Malone, Grayson, KY (US);
Envi Res LLC, Lexington, KY (US);
Abstract
A process for removing mercury from a feed of coal, heavy oil or other mercury contaminated material is disclosed. The feed is thermally decomposed, preferably within, or above, a molten metal bath under reducing conditions, to produce a vapor product and non-vapor decomposition products, such as carbon, which dissolve in the molten metal bath. Mercury, primarily in the form of elemental metal vapor, is removed with the vapor product, cooled and passed over a mercury adsorbent to recover mercury from the gas. The decomposition products are burned, e.g., by at least periodic oxidation of the molten metal bath. Preferably a HyMelt® reactor, with a bath of molten iron, operating at superatmospheric pressure, thermally decomposes the feed. The process permits efficient mercury removal and recovery from coal using conventional adsorbents, such as activated carbon.