METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SYNTHETIC FUELS FROM SOLID WASTE

摘要

Organic solid wastes represented by the general chemical formula CXHYOZ are reacted with steam at elevated temperatures to produce H2 and CO2. The overall process is represented by the reaction CXHYOZ + 2(X-Z/2)H2O ? XCO2 + (1) ¢(Y/2) + 2(2X-Z/2)! H2 . Reaction (1) is endothermic and requires heat. This heat is supplied by a tower top solar furnace; alternatively, some of the solid wastes can be burned to supply heat for the reaction. The hydrogen produced by reaction (1) can be used as a fuel or a chemical feedstock. Alternatively, methanol can be produced by the commercial process CO2 + 3H2 ? CH3OH + H2O . (2) Since reaction (1) is endothermic, the system represents a method for storing heat energy from an external source in a chemical fuel produced from solid wastes.