阅读说明：本技术 气化密实化纺织品和固体化石燃料以生产有机化合物 (Gasification of densified textiles and solid fossil fuels to produce organic compounds ) 是由 威廉·刘易斯·特拉普 贾斯廷·威廉·墨菲 内森·米切尔·瓦斯特 于 2020-03-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：密实化纺织品团聚体与燃料共同进料到部分氧化气化炉中。可以在原料组合物中获得高固体浓度而不会显著影响原料组合物的稳定性和可泵送性。可以连续地生产质量一致的合成气,包括产生二氧化碳和一氧化碳/氢气比,同时稳定地操作气化炉,避免流态化床或固定床废物气化炉产生高焦油,而不影响气化炉的操作。合成气质量、组成和生产量适于产生大范围的化学品。(The densified textile agglomerates are co-fed with a fuel into a partial oxidation gasifier. High solids concentrations can be achieved in the feedstock composition without significantly affecting the stability and pumpability of the feedstock composition. Syngas of consistent quality can be continuously produced, including the production of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios, while the gasifier is operated stably, avoiding high tar production from fluidized or fixed bed waste gasifiers without affecting the operation of the gasifier. Syngas quality, composition, and throughput are suitable for producing a wide range of chemicals.)

1. A method for producing syngas, the method comprising:

charging an oxidant and a feedstock composition to a gasification zone within a gasifier, the feedstock composition comprising a solid fossil fuel and less than 5 wt.% densified textiles, based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition;

b gasifying the feedstock composition together with the oxidant in a gasification zone to produce a synthesis gas composition; and

c discharging at least a portion of the syngas composition from the gasifier; and producing organic compounds from the synthesis gas composition

Wherein the gasifier is an entrained flow gasifier.

2. A method for producing syngas, the method comprising:

a charging an oxidant and a feedstock composition to a gasification zone within a gasifier, the feedstock composition comprising a solid fossil fuel and a densified textile, 90 wt.% of the densified textile having a particle size of no greater than 2mm in a largest dimension;

b gasifying the feedstock composition together with the oxidant in a gasification zone to produce a synthesis gas composition; and

c discharging at least a portion of the syngas composition from the gasifier; and producing organic compounds from the synthesis gas composition

Wherein the gasifier is an entrained flow gasifier.

3. A method for producing syngas, the method comprising:

charging an oxidant and a raw slurry composition to a gasification zone within a gasifier, the raw slurry composition comprising a densified textile, a solid fossil fuel, and water, wherein either (i) the amount of densified textile is less than 5 wt.%, based on the weight of solids in the raw slurry, or (ii)90 wt.% of the densified textile has a particle size of no greater than 2mm in the largest dimension;

b gasifying the feedstock composition together with the oxidant in a gasification zone to produce a synthesis gas composition; and

c discharging at least a portion of the synthesis gas composition from the gasifier, and producing organic compounds from the synthesis gas composition

Wherein at least one of the following conditions is present:

(i) the gasification in the gasification zone is carried out at a temperature of at least 1000 ℃, or

(ii) The pressure in the gasification zone is greater than 2.7MPa, or

(iii) The raw material composition is a slurry, or

(iv) No steam is introduced into the gasification furnace flowing into the gasification zone, or

(v) Pre-grinding the densified textile such that at least 90% of the particles have a particle size of less than 2mm, or

(vi) Tar yield of less than 4 wt.%, or

(vii) The gasifier does not comprise a membrane wall in the gasification zone, or

(viii) A combination of two or more of the above conditions.

4. The feedstock composition of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a densified textile, a solid fossil fuel, and water, wherein the densified textile has a particle size of no greater than 2mm, and the solid fossil fuel in the feedstock composition has a particle size of less than 2mm, the solids content in the slurry is at least 62 wt.% (or at least 65 wt.%, or at least 68 wt.%, or at least 69 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%), the amount of densified textile present in the feedstream slurry composition is from 0.1 wt.% to less than 5 wt.%, based on the weight of all solids, and the amount of water is at least 20 wt.%, based on the weight of the feedstock slurry composition, and wherein:

a. The slurry is stable, determined by an initial viscosity of 100,000cP or less at 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, or 20 minutes, or 25 minutes, or even for 30 minutes, measured at ambient conditions using a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S or using a Brookfield viscometer with a LV-2 spindle rotating at a rate of 0.5 rpm; or

b. The slurry is pumpable, as determined by viscosity having less than 30,000cP, or no more than 25,000cP, or no more than 23,000cP, measured at ambient conditions, after mixing to obtain a uniform distribution of solids throughout the slurry, using a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S or a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with an LV-2 spindle rotating at a rate of 0.5rpm, a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S, or a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with an LV-2 spindle rotating at a rate of 0.5rpm, a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S, or a Brookfield viscometer equipped with an LV-2 spindle rotating at a rate of 0.5rpm, or no greater than 20,000cP, or no greater than 18,000cP, or no greater than 15,000cP, or no greater than 13,000cP, or

c. Both of them.

5. A syngas composition stream produced by gasifying a feedstock (mixed feed) comprising a solid fossil fuel and densified textiles in a gasifier, the syngas having a compositional variability of 5% or less measured over 12 days or a shorter period of time between feeding mixed feeds into the gasifier, the syngas compositional variability being measured and satisfying at least one of the following gaseous compounds (in moles):

amount of CO, or

b.H₂Amount of, or

c.CO₂Amount of, or

d.CH₄Amount of, or

e.H₂Amount of S, or

Amount of COS, or

g.H₂+ CO amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof (e.g. H)₂CO ratio), or

h.H₂+CO+CO₂Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

i.H₂+CO+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

j.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

k.H₂An amount of S + COS, or a sequential mole ratio thereof, or

l H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄+H₂S+COS；

And producing organic compounds from the syngas composition.

6. Also provided is a syngas composition stream having a switching variability of negative, zero, or no greater than 15%, wherein the switching frequency is at least 1x/2 years, the switching variability determined by the equation:

wherein% SW is the syngas switching variability percentage for one or more measured components in the syngas composition; and

V_mIs syngas composition variability using gaseous compounds of a mixed stream comprising densified textiles and fossil fuels; and

V_ffsyngas composition variability of the same gaseous compounds that is a stream using only fossil fuels, where in both cases the solids concentration is the same, in both cases the fossil fuels are the same, and the feedstock is gasified under the same conditions, except for temperature fluctuations that may naturally differ due to having densified textiles in the feedstock, and the variability is measured and satisfies at least one of the following gaseous compounds (in moles):

amount of CO, or

b.H₂Amount of, or

c.CO₂Amount of, or

d.CH₄Amount of, or

e.H₂Amount of S, or

Amount of COS, or

g.H₂+ CO amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof (e.g. H)₂: CO ratio) or

h.H₂+CO+CO₂Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

i.H₂+CO+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

j.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

k.H₂An amount of S + COS, or a sequential mole ratio thereof, or

l.l.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄+H₂S + COS, and the production of organic compounds from the synthesis gas composition.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the organic compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: acetic acid, methanol, methyl acetate, acetic anhydride, C2-C5 oxygenates, formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, MTBE, carbonylation products, aldehydes or isobutene.

8. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the feed stream is a slurry.

9. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any of claims 1-8, wherein the CO produced from a stream of densified textiles and solid fossil fuel (mixed stream)₂Is no greater than 25%, or no greater than 20%, or no greater than 15%, or no greater than 13%, or no greater than 10%, or no greater than 8%, or no greater than 7%, or no greater than 6%, or no greater than 5%, or no greater than 4%, or no greater than 3%, or no greater than 2%, or no greater than 1%, or no greater than 0.75%, or no greater than 0.5%, or no greater than 0.25%, or no greater than 0.15%, or no greater than 0.1% of the amount of carbon dioxide produced from the fossil fuel stream alone, wherein in the fossil fuel stream alone, the amount of densified textiles is replaced by solid fossil fuel.

10. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any of claims 1-9, wherein the ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen produced from a stream of densified textiles and solid fossil fuel (the mixed stream) is within 10%, or within 8%, or within 6%, or within 5%, or within 4%, or within 3%, or within 2%, or within 1.5%, or within 1%, or within 0.5% of the ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen produced from the same stream of the same solid fossil fuel content in place of densified textiles.

11. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-10, wherein the fossil fuel comprises coal, petroleum coke, or a combination thereof.

12. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the densified textiles used comprise at least 70 wt.% of truck and/or bus densified textiles, based on the weight of the densified textiles used in the feed stream.

13. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any of claims 1-12, wherein the densified textiles do not receive a heat treatment prior to their introduction into the gasification zone or into one or more components of a feedstream, wherein the heat treatment is to subject the densified textiles to a temperature above 150 ℃, or above 110 ℃, or above 100 ℃, or above 90 ℃, or above 80 ℃, or above 60 ℃, or above 58 ℃.

14. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-13, wherein no portion of the feedstock stream has been dried and no portion of the solids in the feedstock stream have been dried before they are used in the feedstock stream.

15. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the average content of minerals, metals, and elements other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur in the densified textile is at least 0.5 wt.%, or at least 0.8 wt.%, or at least 1 wt.%, or at least 1.2 wt.%, and in each case no more than 10 wt.%, or at least 5 wt.%.

16. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-15, wherein the densified textiles are pre-ground prior to addition to the fossil fuel to produce densified textiles.

17. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-16, wherein the densified textiles are added to a solid fossil fuel mill or to a conveyor belt containing fossil fuel that feeds the mill.

18. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the densified textiles in the feedstock composition or fed to or combined with a solid fuel are 2mm or less, or 1.7mm or less, or 1.2mm or less, or 0.4mm or less, or 0.25mm or less, or 0.15mm or less, or 0.07mm or less.

19. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-18, wherein the bulk density of the uncompacted (loose) densified textiles after final grinding is within 150%, or within 110%, or within 100%, or within 75%, or within 60%, or within 55%, or within 50%, or within 45%, or within 40%, or within 35% of the loose bulk density of the ground fossil fuel after final grinding thereof.

20. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-19, wherein the maximum particle size of the ground densified textiles is within 50%, or within 45%, or within 40%, or within 35%, or within 30%, or within 25%, or within 20%, or within 15%, or within 10%, or within 5% of the maximum particle size of the ground solid fossil fuel.

21. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-20, wherein the amount of densified textiles present in the feedstream is from 0.1 wt.% to less than 5 wt.%, based on the weight of all solids.

22. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-21, wherein the pre-milled densified textiles are present in the feedstock composition at a concentration of less than 5 wt.%, or not greater than 4.5 wt.%, or not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3.5 wt.%, or not greater than 3 wt.%, or not greater than 2.5 wt.%, or not greater than 2 wt.%, based on the weight of solids in the feedstream.

23. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-22, wherein at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.%, or at least 96 wt.%, or at least 97 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.%, or at least 99 wt.%, or at least 99.5 wt.%, or 100 wt.% of all feedstocks in the feedstream to the gasifier, except for solid fossil fuels, are densified textiles.

24. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-23, wherein the amount of elements in the feedstream other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur is no greater than 9 wt.%, or no greater than 8 wt.%, or no greater than 7 wt.%, based on the weight of all dry solids in the feedstream, or alternatively, based on the weight of the feedstream.

25. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-24, wherein the solids content of the slurry is at least 62 wt.%, or at least 65 wt.%, or at least 68 wt.%, or at least 69 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%, based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition.

26. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-25, wherein the feedstream is stable for at least 5 minutes.

27. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-26, wherein the feed stream has a viscosity of less than 25,000cP, or no greater than 23,000cP, or no greater than 20,000cP, or no greater than 15,000 cP.

28. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-27, wherein the fossil fuel and densified textiles are not densified.

29. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-28, wherein the solid fuel in the feedstock composition has a particle size of 2mm or less.

30. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-29, wherein the water in the slurry is not wastewater.

31. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-30, wherein the solid fuel comprises bituminous or sub-bituminous coal.

32. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-31, wherein the feedstream contains no more than 3 wt.% liquid (at ambient conditions) non-oxygenated hydrocarbon petroleum oil, introduced as such into the feedstream.

33. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any of claims 1-32, wherein the feedstream contains less than 1 wt.% of added liquid fractions from refining crude oil or reforming any such fractions, based on the weight of the feedstream.

34. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-33, wherein the feed stream includes a viscosity modifier and/or a surfactant.

35. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 34, wherein the chemicals are made from a first syngas that is sourced from a first gasifier that is fed with a first feed stream containing coal and the first syngas stream is not combined with a second syngas that is sourced from any other gasifier that is fed with a second feed stream, wherein the coal content between the first and second feed streams differs by greater than 20%, or greater than 10%, or greater than 5%.

36. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-35, wherein the oxidant is an oxidant gas comprising at least 25 mol% oxygen.

37. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-36, wherein no steam is supplied to the gasification zone.

38. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 37, wherein the feed stream containing at least densified textile and ground solid fossil fuel, or the feed stream introduced to an injector or a filler tube, or the feed stream introduced into the gasification zone, or a combination of all of the above, to the gasifier is free of gas compressed in a gas compression device.

39. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 38, wherein the gasifier or gasification zone is not charged with a gas stream containing greater than 0.03 mol%, or greater than 0.02 mol%, or greater than 0.01 mol% carbon dioxide.

40. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-39, wherein the gasification zone or gasifier is not charged with steam.

41. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-40, wherein the gasifier or gasification zone is not charged with methane gas.

42. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-41, wherein the gasification reaction in the gasification zone is a partial oxidation reaction.

43. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 42, wherein the feed stream and optionally the oxidant are not preheated prior to their introduction into the gasifier.

44. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-43, wherein the gasifier and process do not include a pyrolysis step or zone, or a plasma treatment process.

45. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-44, wherein the gasifier is an entrained flow gasifier that produces syngas and the process is a partial oxidation process.

46. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1 to 45, wherein the feed stream is not introduced into a sidewall of the gasifier, and the gasifier does not include a tangential feed injector, and the oxidant and feed streams are co-currently fed.

47. The process, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-46, wherein the feed stream is not processed through or pressurized in a lock hopper prior to entering an injector or entering the gasification zone.

48. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-47, wherein the gasifier and gasification process are non-catalytic.

49. The method, feedstock or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-48, wherein the gasifier is operated under slag forming conditions within the gasification zone.

50. The process, feedstock, or syngas composition of any one of claims 1-49, wherein the gasification zone does not contain a bath of molten material.

51. A densified textile-derived organic compound, wherein the organic compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: acetic acid, methanol, methyl acetate, acetic anhydride, C2-C5 oxygenates, formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, MTBE, carbonylation products, aldehydes or isobutene.

Background

There are well known global problems in waste disposal, particularly for large quantities of consumer products such as reduced diameter textiles, textiles and other polymers, which are not considered to biodegrade within acceptable time limits. The public desires to introduce these types of waste into new products by recycling, reusing or otherwise reducing the amount of waste in circulation or landfills.

Various methods have been proposed for recovering, reusing or reducing waste (such as biomass, solid municipal waste and paper), among which are gasification of these wastes. Among these proposals, waste gasifiers, which are typically air-fed fluidized bed gasifiers that can readily accept a variety of component sizes and mix feedstock types, have been proposed or used. Such waste gasifiers are typically operated at low to medium temperatures in the range of 500 ℃ to 1000 ℃ using air as the oxidant, at lower operating temperatures incomplete oxidation reactions occur, resulting in the production of large amounts of residues that can appear in the gas phase (syngas stream) and in the bottom solid phase; such as a tarry substance. The type of residues and their amounts will vary depending on the feedstock composition. Furthermore, while waste gasifiers have the advantage of accepting highly variable size and composition feedstocks, the resulting syngas compositions also vary widely over time, such that they cannot be used to make chemicals when expensive post-treatment systems are not installed to purify and purify the syngas stream present in the gasifier vessel. Even with purification methods, the hydrogen/carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide ratio can remain highly variable. The syngas stream produced by a waste gasifier is typically used to generate energy, such as steam or electricity, or as a fuel feedstock, either due to the cost of installing systems to purify the syngas stream exiting the gasifier vessel for chemical synthesis, or due to their compositional variability, or their low throughput, or due to a combination of these factors.

The separated portion of mixed solid municipal waste (MSW) has been investigated as feed to gasifiers. MSW compositions contain a variety of solids including bottles, sheets, films, paper, rubber, cardboard, cups, trays, wood, leather, textiles, glass, metal, and the like. After separation of combustibles from non-combustibles (e.g., glass, metal, earth), the mixture of combustibles is still highly variable in time per hour, day, week, month, season, and due to source location. The variability lies both in the form, e.g., bottles, clothing, other textiles, personal care items, sheets, films, paper, cardboard, cups, trays, etc., and in the variability of the constituent mixtures, e.g., polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides, epoxy resins, acrylonitrile butadiene, acrylics, alkyds, nylons, polyacetals, polystyrene, polyurethanes, vinyl resins, styrene acrylonitrile, urea and melamine, wood, cellulosics, leather, food waste, etc., in the location of origin, and in the variability of various commercially practiced mechanical processing processes employing different physical and chemical separation methods. In fixed bed and fluidized bed gasifiers this can lead to unacceptable variability in syngas composition over time, particularly when the syngas is required to synthesize chemicals that require very consistent rates and quality of syngas or syngas components.

In addition, reduced diameter textiles and textiles have a lower fixed carbon content than solid fossil fuel sources (such as coal or petroleum coke). As a result, the reduced diameter textiles and textiles will burn and produce syngas components at a faster rate than, for example, coal. Thus, the carbon monoxide produced by the reduced-diameter textiles and textiles will have a longer residence time under gasification conditions to convert to carbon dioxide relative to coal. Although the reduced-diameter textiles and textiles have a high heat value ("HHV"), even in some cases equal to or exceeding that of coal, their use can result in the production of undesirable amounts of carbon dioxide in the raw syngas stream, particularly at high temperatures and pressures, as well as reducing the amount of carbon monoxide that could otherwise be produced by feeding only fossil fuels. In addition, reducing textiles and textiles have a higher hydrogen content than, for example, solid fossil fuels, which can result in higher amounts of hydrogen being produced in the raw syngas stream and affect the carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratio. These problems are not of concern when syngas is used to generate electricity or is combusted for heating value, but are of concern when chemicals are manufactured because the manufacture of chemicals relies on consistent output, ratios of carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen as the chemical feedstock, and impurity types and distributions in the syngas stream, particularly the lack of tar-like residue or soot concentrations.

It would be desirable to use a method for providing a cyclic life cycle for fibers in textiles that includes recycling post-consumer or post-industrial textiles back to a molecular form suitable for the manufacture of chemicals. For the reasons described above, fixed bed waste gasifiers for receiving a combustible MSW stream are not an attractive alternative for producing a synthesis gas stream for the production of chemicals. Many large-scale commercial gasifiers used to produce a pure, consistent syngas stream at high output have various limitations to prevent acceptance of MSW or components of MSW, depending on the type of gasifier employed. For example, entrained flow gasifiers using feed injectors are not suitable for injecting the textile forms present in MSW. Even if textiles are reduced to very small sizes, their varying compositions between natural and synthetic fibers, as well as varying compositions between different types of synthetic fibers, if co-ground with other solid fuels, can result in screen or filter clogging, or can result in unstable slurries. The configuration of an updraft fixed bed or updraft moving bed gasifier (with countercurrent gas flow through the bed) makes it difficult to handle fines. For example, fine fibers introduced at the top of a fixed or moving downdraft gasifier may not settle uniformly onto the lower bed to form fine char and gasify.

Furthermore, textiles introduced into a liquid or slurry fed gasifier may not be uniformly dispersed into the slurry, dispersion or solution fed into the gasifier.

It is desirable to introduce textiles into the feedstock of a gasifier to produce a syngas stream suitable for the production of chemicals. We also desire to use a process for the gasification of a textile stream that will produce a synthesis gas stream suitable for chemical synthesis in which more complete oxidation of the waste feedstock occurs to reduce the amount of incomplete oxidation residues. It is also desirable to produce a syngas stream suitable for chemical synthesis, wherein more carbon monoxide is formed in the syngas and incomplete oxidation residues (e.g., tar, char, etc.) are reduced relative to a fixed bed waste gasifier that uses a lower temperature and/or lower pressure MSW feed with a feedstock comprising textiles. We also desire to produce a syngas stream output from a gasifier vessel that is sufficiently consistent in composition over time and suitable for the manufacture of chemicals, and in particular that does not require blending the syngas stream. It is also desirable to operate efficiently in a stable manner and on a commercial scale.

While it is desirable to have minimal variation in the composition of the syngas produced from a feedstock containing textiles and fossil fuels, it is also desirable to have a flexible process in which textiles can be fed intermittently (or semi-continuously) without a large variation in the composition of the syngas between a feed with recycled material and a feed without textiles.

It is also desirable to produce a stable and pumpable textile-containing feedstock in view of the fact that the textile may float, or phase separate, or agglomerate, or disrupt the homogeneity of the slurry or solution.

Gasifiers used to produce coal-water slurry feeds of syngas for chemical production are typically operated at high pressure and utilize slurry feeds (coal and water) that can be more easily pumped and fed into the gasifier. Small amounts of water introduced into the gasification process are helpful and desirable (e.g., 5-20%), but over 30% of the water begins to be detrimental to the performance of the gasifier, as the water must be heated and gasified using energy and occupies space in the processing equipment. Thus, the slurry should be as concentrated in coal as possible, but still fluid enough to be pumped. The practical range of coal/water slurry concentrations is 50% to 75% coal. To make these concentrations possible, the coal is finely ground. Introducing co-feed into the gasifier can be problematic because the co-feed must be mixed with the coal/water slurry feed. For economic reasons, the coal/water slurry is concentrated as far as possible to the edges of pumpability, so the introduction of any co-feed can disrupt the delicate balance and cause the slurry to be unstable (solids settling), too viscous, biphasic or otherwise unsuitable for safe, reliable and economical feeding to the gasifier. For example, many plastics and textiles can float, or phase separate, or agglomerate and disrupt the uniformity of the slurry.

There remains a need to vaporize textile materials in a stable slurry. It is also necessary to ensure that such slurries are pumpable.

There remains a need to gasify textiles comprising coal without producing significant amounts of tar, or alternatively, without producing significant amounts of other incomplete oxidation residues, as would be encountered in fixed bed or fluidized bed waste gasifiers.

There is also a need to gasify a mixed stream containing textiles to provide a syngas stream with minimal compositional variability over time.

There is also a need to provide intermittent co-feeding of textiles with solid fossil fuels, while including raw materials with and without textile waste, with minimal variability in syngas composition over time.

There is also a need to produce a syngas stream that uses textiles as part of the feedstock that is suitable for the manufacture of chemicals and optionally, but desirably, does not require the installation and operation of additional equipment to clean the syngas stream exiting the gasifier vessel other than the acid gas removal process (e.g., removal of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide) or processes inside the gasifier vessel (e.g., quenching to remove soot).

There is also a need to address any combination of the above needs.

Disclosure of Invention

There is now provided a method of producing synthesis gas, the method comprising:

a. charging an oxidant and a feedstock composition to a gasification zone within a gasifier, the feedstock composition comprising densified textile agglomerates (densified textiles aggregate), optionally further comprising a solid fossil fuel, optionally up to 25 wt.%, or up to 20 wt.%, or up to 15 wt.%, or up to 12 wt.%, or up to 10 wt.%, or up to 7 wt.%, or up to 5 wt.%, or less than 5 wt.% of densified textiles based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition;

and

b. gasifying the feedstock composition with the oxidant in a gasification zone to produce a syngas composition; and

c. discharging at least a portion of the syngas composition from the gasifier,

desirably, the feedstock is a slurry.

There is also provided a method of producing synthesis gas, the method comprising:

a. charging an oxidant and a raw slurry composition into a gasification zone within a gasifier, the raw slurry composition comprising densified textile agglomerates, and 90 wt.% of the densified textile agglomerates having a particle size of no greater than 2mm in a largest dimension;

b. gasifying the feedstock composition with the oxidant in a gasification zone to produce a syngas composition; and

c. Discharging at least a portion of the syngas composition from the gasifier,

there is also provided a method of producing synthesis gas, the method comprising:

a. charging an oxidant and a raw slurry composition into a gasification zone within a gasifier, the raw slurry composition comprising densified textile agglomerates;

b. gasifying the feedstock composition with the oxidant in a gasification zone to produce a syngas composition; and

c. discharging at least a portion of the syngas composition from the gasifier,

wherein at least one of the following conditions is present:

(i) the gasification in the gasification zone is carried out at a temperature of at least 1000 ℃, or

(ii) The pressure in the gasification zone is greater than 2.7MPa, or

(iii) The feedstock composition comprises a slurry, or

(iv) The densified textile aggregate is pre-ground to granules, or

(v) No steam is introduced into the gasification furnace flowing into the gasification zone, or

(vi) The size of the reduced-diameter textile is such that at least 90% of the particles have a size of less than 2mm, or

(vii) Tar yield of less than 4 wt.%, or

(viii) The gasifier does not comprise a membrane wall in the gasification zone, or

(ix) A combination of two or more of the above conditions.

Further provided is a composition comprising:

a. densifying the textile aggregate; and

b. a solid fossil fuel.

Also provided is a composition comprising:

a. densified textile aggregate, and

b. a hydrocarbon liquid which is liquid at 25 ℃ and 1 atmosphere.

Also provided is a raw stock slurry composition comprising densified textile agglomerates, solid fossil fuel, and water, wherein the densified textile agglomerates have a particle size of no greater than 2mm, and the solid fossil fuel in the raw stock composition has a particle size of less than 2mm, the amount of solids in the slurry is at least 62 wt.% (or at least 65 wt.%, or at least 68 wt.%, or at least 69 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%), the amount of densified textile agglomerates present in the raw stock slurry composition is from 0.1 wt.% to at most 25 wt.%, or at most 20 wt.%, or at most 15 wt.%, or at most 12 wt.%, or at most 10 wt.%, or at most 7 wt.%, or at most 5 wt.%, or less than 5 wt.%, based on the weight of all solids in the slurry, and the amount of water is at least 20 wt.%, based on the weight of the raw stock slurry composition, and wherein:

a. The slurry is stable, determined by an initial viscosity of 100,000cP or less at 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, or 20 minutes, or 25 minutes, or even for 30 minutes, measured at ambient conditions using a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S or using a Brookfield viscometer with a LV-2 spindle rotating at a rate of 0.5 rpm; or

b. The slurry is pumpable, determined by a viscosity of less than 30,000cP, or 25,000cP or not more than 23,000cP, or not more than 20,000cP, or not more than 18,000cP, or not more than 15,000cP, or not more than 13,000cP, measured at ambient conditions using a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S or using a Brookfield viscometer equipped with an LV-2 spindle rotating at a rate of 0.5rpm, after mixing to obtain a uniform distribution of solids throughout the slurry

c. Both of them.

Also provided is a syngas composition that is discharged from a gasifier and obtained by gasifying a feedstock composition comprising densified textile agglomerates, and the syngas stream is free of tar or less than 4 wt.% (or less than 3 wt.%, or not greater than 2 wt.%, or not greater than 1 wt.%, or not greater than 0.5 wt.%, or not greater than 0.2 wt.%, or not greater than 0.1 wt.%, or not greater than 0.08 wt.%, or not greater than 0.05 wt.%, or not greater than 0.02 wt.%, or not greater than 0.01 wt.%, or not greater than 0.005 wt.%) of tar, based on the weight of all condensable solids in the syngas composition.

Further provided are a syngas stream composition produced by gasification in a gasifier, and a process for producing a syngas stream by gasification in a gasifier of a feedstock comprising densified textile agglomerates, wherein the syngas stream has a compositional variability of 5% or less, as measured over a period of 12 days or less of the period of time that the feedstock is fed to the gasifier, the syngas compositional variability satisfying at least one of the following gaseous compounds (on a molar basis):

amount of CO, or

b.H₂Amount of, or

c.CO₂Amount of, or

d.CH₄Amount of, or

e.H₂Amount of S, or

Amount of COS, or

g.H₂+ CO amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof (e.g. H)₂: CO ratio) or

h.H₂+CO+CO₂Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

i.H₂+CO+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

j.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

k.H₂An amount of S + COS, or a sequential mole ratio thereof, or

l.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄+H₂S+COS。

Also provided is a syngas composition stream having a switching variability of negative, zero, or no greater than 15%, wherein the switching frequency is at least 1 time per two years and the switching variability is determined by the equation:

wherein% SV is the syngas switch variability percentage for one or more measured constituents in the syngas composition; and

V_dtis-use of a feedstock comprising densified textile agglomerates-syngas composition of gaseous compounds is diverse; and

V_fflIs-using only fossil fuel stream or only liquid stream as feedstock-the syngas composition of the same gaseous compound is diverse and wherein the feedstock is gasified under the same conditions except possibly due to having densified textile agglomerates in the feedstockPhysically and naturally different temperature fluctuations, the polytropy is measured and satisfies at least one of the following gaseous compounds (in moles):

amount of CO, or

b.H₂Amount of, or

c.CO₂Amount of, or

d.CH₄Amount of, or

e.H₂Amount of S, or

Amount of COS, or

g.H₂+ CO amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof (e.g. H)₂: CO ratio) or

h.H₂+CO+CO₂Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

i.H₂+CO+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

j.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

k.H₂An amount of S + COS, or a sequential mole ratio thereof, or

l.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄+H₂S+COS。

Desirably, the densified textile agglomerates include densified textile granules that contain within the granules a thermoplastic polymer or a combination of a thermoplastic polymer and natural fibers.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic plant design for combining densified textile agglomerates and solid fossil fuel as a feedstock to a gasification process to produce syngas.

Fig. 2 is another example of an equipment design for gasifying a feedstock of densified textile agglomerates and a solid fossil fuel to produce a scrubbed syngas stream.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a gasifier injector.

Fig. 4 is a more detailed view of a nozzle portion of the gasifier injector.

Fig. 5 is a detailed view of a location for adding the reduced-diameter textiles to the solid fossil fuel.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of some of the organic chemicals made from syngas.

Detailed Description

Unless otherwise specified, the weight of the feed composition or stream referred to includes all solids and if liquids are present fed to the gasifier and, unless otherwise specified, does not include the weight of any gas in the feed composition fed to the injector or gasifier. The compositions or streams may be used interchangeably.

The feed stream or composition may be used interchangeably with the fuel feed stream or composition and contains at least fossil fuel and reduced-diameter textiles in solid or liquid form. When the weight percentages are expressed on the basis of the feed stream or fuel feedstock, they do not include an oxidant.

The PIA or PIA reactant or composition or compound is associated with or derived from recycled textiles, reduced diameter textiles, densified textiles, or a densified textile derived synthesis gas phase if any of them is subjected to partial oxidative gasification regardless of when that quota is made, achieved, or consumed. For example, the PIA may be associated with the gasified densified textiles even if the allotment is taken and deposited into a recycling inventory, or transferred to the PIA when the recycled textiles are received or owned by the syngas manufacturer, and even if the densified textiles were not gasified when the allotment was taken. Furthermore, the quota associated with or derived from the gasification of the densified textiles does not limit the opportunity to obtain or identify quotas or deposit quotas into the recycling inventory. The quota gained when a recycled textile (textile, reduced-diameter textile, or densified textile) is owned, held, or received by a syngas manufacturer and deposited into a recycling inventory is a quota associated with or derived from the vaporizing of the densified textile even when the quota is gained or deposited, the densified textile has not been vaporized.

As used throughout, the phrases "origin" or "origin" are synonymous with "associated with".

To classify the material in the feed stream or composition, the solid fossil fuel used can be coal, petroleum coke, or any other solid at 25 ℃ and 1 atmosphere, which is a by-product from refined oil or petroleum. Even though the densified textile agglomerates are carbonaceous and are derived in part from raw materials obtained from refining crude oil, the fossil fuel portion of the feedstock composition is different from the densified textile agglomerates. Fossil fuels can include liquid fossil fuels, such as liquid hydrocarbons or streams obtained from refining crude oil, or waste streams from chemical synthesis processes.

Typically, in syngas operations, one or more feedstock compositions consisting of a fossil fuel source (e.g., coal, petroleum coke, liquid hydrocarbons) and densified textile agglomerates, as a separate stream or in combination with a fossil fuel source stream, and optionally water and other chemical additives, are fed or injected with an oxidant gas into the gasification reaction zone or chamber of a syngas generator (gasifier) and gasified in the presence of an oxidant (e.g., oxygen) also fed to the gasifier. A hot gas stream is produced in the gasification zone (optionally refractory lined), and slag, soot, ash and gases, including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other gases such as methane, hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen, are produced at high temperature and pressure. The hot gas stream produced in the reaction zone is cooled using a syngas cooler or a quench water bath at the bottom of the gasifier, which also solidifies the ash and slag and separates the solids from the gas. The quench water bath also acts as a seal to maintain the internal temperature and pressure in the gasifier while moving slag, soot and ash into the lock hopper. The cooled product gas stream (raw syngas stream) removed from the gasifier may be further treated with water to remove remaining solids, such as soot, and then further treated to remove acid gases (such as hydrogen sulfide) after optionally further cooling and changing the ratio of carbon monoxide to hydrogen.

The densified textile agglomerates used in the feed stream to the gasifier are solid at 25 ℃ at 1 atm. The densified textile agglomerates are an assembly of particles, clumps, agglomerates, pellets, or rods, or any other shape or size that is different from the natural shape of the textile from which the densified textile agglomerates are made. The densified textile and/or plastic agglomerates may be agglomerates, or they may be extrudates or pellets.

Textiles as used herein are natural and/or synthetic fibers, rovings, yarns, nonwoven webs, cloths, textiles, and products made from or containing any of the foregoing, provided that the textile is a post-consumer or post-industrial textile. Textiles may be woven, knitted, knotted, stitched, tufted, fibers pressed together (e.g., in a felting operation), embroidered, laced, crocheted, knitted, or non-woven webs and materials. Textiles as used herein include textiles and fibers separated from textiles or other products containing fibers, waste or off-spec fibers or yarns or textiles, or any other loose fiber and yarn source. Textiles also include staple fibers, continuous fibers, threads, tow bands, twisted and/or spun yarns, greige goods made from yarns, finished textiles made from wet-processed greige goods, and garments made from finished textiles or any other textiles. Textiles include apparel, upholstery, and industrial type textiles. Textiles also include post-industrial or post-consumer textiles or both.

Examples of textiles in the clothing category (what is worn by humans or made for the body) include sports coats, suits, pants and casual or work pants, shirts, socks, sportswear, dresses, intimate apparel, outerwear such as raincoats, low temperature jackets and coats, sweaters, protective clothing, uniforms, and accessories (such as scarves, hats, and gloves). Examples of textiles in the upholstery category include: upholstery and upholstery, carpets and cushions, curtains, bedding articles such as sheets, pillow cases, duvets, quilts, mattress covers; linen, tablecloth, towels, and blankets. Examples of industrial textiles include: transportation (car, airplane, train, bus) seats, floor mats, trunk liners, and headliners; outdoor furniture and mats, tents, backpacks, luggage, ropes, conveyor belts, calender roll felts, polishing cloths, rags, soil erosion textiles and geotextiles, agricultural mats and screens, personal protective equipment, ballistic vests, medical bandages, sutures, tapes, and the like.

Nonwoven webs classified as textiles do not include the category of wet laid nonwoven webs and articles made therefrom. Although various articles having the same function can be made by either dry or wet laid processes, articles made from dry laid nonwoven webs are classified as textiles. Examples of suitable articles that may be formed from a dry-laid nonwoven web as described herein may include those for personal, consumer, industrial, food service, medical, and other types of end uses. Specific examples may include, but are not limited to: baby wipes, flushable wipes, disposable diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and tampons, adult incontinence pads, undergarments or pantiliners, and pet training pads. Other examples include a variety of different dry or wet wipes, including those for consumer (such as personal care or home) and industrial (such as food service, health care or professional) use. Nonwoven webs may also be used as pillows, mattresses and upholstery, batting for bedding and bedding covers. In the medical and industrial fields, the nonwoven webs of the present invention may be used in medical and industrial masks, protective clothing, hats and shoe covers, disposable sheets, surgical gowns, drapes, bandages, and medical dressings. In addition, the nonwoven webs described herein may be used in environmental textiles such as geotextiles and tarpaulins, oil and chemical absorbent mats, as well as in building materials such as sound or heat insulation, tents, wood and soil coverings and sheets. Nonwoven webs may also be used in other consumer end uses, such as carpet backing, consumer products, packaging for industrial and agricultural products, thermal or acoustical insulation, and various types of garments. The dry-laid nonwoven webs as described herein may also be used in a variety of filtration applications, including transportation (e.g., automotive or aerospace), commercial, residential, industrial, or other specialty applications. Examples may include filter elements for consumer or industrial air or liquid filters (e.g., gasoline, oil, water), including nanofiber webs for microfiltration and end uses such as tea bags, coffee filters, and dryer sheets. Further, the nonwoven webs as described herein may be used to form a variety of components for automobiles, including but not limited to brake pads, trunk liners, carpet tufts, and underfills.

The textile may comprise a single type or multiple types of natural fibers and/or a single type or multiple types of synthetic fibers. Examples of combinations of textile fibers include all natural, all synthetic, two or more types of natural fibers, two or more types of synthetic fibers, one type of natural fibers and one type of synthetic fibers, one type of natural fibers and two or more types of synthetic fibers, two or more types of natural fibers and one type of synthetic fibers, and two or more types of natural fibers and two or more types of synthetic fibers.

The polymer used to make the synthetic fibers may be a thermoplastic or thermoset polymer. The number average molecular weight of the polymer may be at least 300, or at least 500, or at least 1000, or at least 5,000, or at least 10,000, or at least 20,000, or at least 30,000, or at least 50,000, or at least 70,000, or at least 90,000, or at least 100,000, or at least 130,000. The weight average molecular weight of the polymer may be at least 300, or at least 500, or at least 1000, or at least 5,000, or at least 10,000, or at least 20,000, or at least 30,000 or at least 50,000, or at least 70,000, or at least 90,000, or at least 100,000, or at least 130,000, or at least 150,000, or at least 300,000.

Natural fibers include those of plant or animal origin. Natural fibers can be cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Examples of natural fibers of plant origin include: hardwood pulp, softwood pulp, and wood flour; and other plant fibers including those in wheat straw, rice straw, abaca, coir, cotton, flax, hemp, jute, bagasse, kapok, papyrus, ramie, vine, kenaf, abaca, devil's rush, sisal, soybean, cereal straw, bamboo, reed, esparto grass, bagasse, saururus, milkweed floss fiber, pineapple leaf fiber, switchgrass, lignin-containing plants, and the like. Examples of fibres of animal origin include wool, silk, mohair, cashmere, goat hair, horse hair, poultry fibres, camel hair, angora and alpaca hair.

Synthetic fibers are those fibers that are synthesized or derivatized, or regenerated, at least in part by chemical reactions, and include, but are not limited to: rayon, viscose, mercerized fiber or other types of regenerated cellulose (conversion of natural cellulose to soluble cellulose derivatives and subsequent regeneration), for example: lyocell (also known as lyocell), cuprammonium, modal, acetates such as polyvinyl acetate, polyamides including nylon, polyesters such as those of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), copolyesters including those made with IPA, CHDM and/or 2,2,4, 4-tetramethyl-1, 3-cyclobutanediol, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT) and other copolymers, olefin polymers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polycarbonates, polysulfates, polysulfones, polyethers such as polyether-ureas known as spandex or spandex, polyacrylates, acrylonitrile copolymers, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, sulfopolyester fibers, and combinations thereof.

The densified textile agglomerates are obtained from post-consumer textiles and/or from industrial textiles (also commonly referred to as pre-consumer textiles). Post-consumer textiles are those textiles that have been used at least once in their intended application at any time, whether abraded or not. Post-industrial densification of textile agglomerates includes reprocessing, regrinding, scrap, finishing, off-spec textiles not used for their intended application (e.g., fibers, yarns, webs, cloths, fabrics, finished textiles), or any textile not used by the end consumer.

The form of the textile used to make the densified textile agglomerates is not limited and may include any form of article or material used to make the above-described textiles; such as fibers, yarns, fabrics, cloths, finished forms, or sheets thereof. The densified textile agglomerates can have different ages and compositions.

The source of post-consumer or post-industrial textiles is not limited and may include textiles that are present in and isolated from municipal solid waste streams ("MSW"). For example, the MSW stream may be processed and sorted into several discrete components, including textiles, fibers, paper, wood, glass, metal, and the like. Other textile sources include those obtained from a collection facility, or those obtained from or on behalf of a textile brand owner or consortium or organization, or those obtained from a broker, or those obtained from an industrial post-source, such as waste from mills or commercial production facilities, unsold textiles from wholesalers or distributors, from mechanical and/or chemical sorting or separation facilities, from landfills, or stranded on a dock or vessel.

In one embodiment, the textile used to make the densified textile is within one of the components or streams separated from the MSW source.

The densified textile agglomerates are fed as a gasification fuel, either directly to a gasifier, or slurried and fed to a gasifier.

To obtain densified textile agglomerates, the size of the textile is reduced by any means, including by shredding, grinding, shredding, raking (harrowing), grinding (pulverizing), shredding, or cutting the textile feed to produce a reduced-size textile. Alternatively, if one desires to obtain finer particles, the reduced-size textile may continue to be ground, comminuted, or otherwise reduced to obtain the desired average particle size. The form of the reduced-diameter textile will depend on the desired densification process. For example, the reducing textile may be in the form of coarse or fine particles, even a powder (having any shape other than the original shape of the textile feed). Alternatively, the reducing textile may be in the form of a cohesive mass without discrete particles. Fluidized bed granulators, optionally together with drying gas, and drum granulators of disc or drum design coupled with high speed mixers with cutting blades on either horizontal or vertical axis can be used. Examples of different types of suitable reducing processes and equipment include air swept mills, knife cutting, fine mills that may have multiple grinding zones with internal classification systems, shredders with fine knives at the end, shredders that may handle the shredding of textiles even with high moisture feeds and then optionally fine cutting or grinding to smaller sizes, high speed cutting blades that may have multiple zones for moving coarse material to fine material. The reducing apparatus may also include drying prior to or simultaneously with the cutting.

After or simultaneously with the process of reducing the textile feedstock, the reduced diameter textile is treated to produce densified textile agglomerates, wherein the bulk density of individual particles in the densified textile agglomerates is higher than the bulk density used to produce the reduced diameter textile feedstock. The densification process increases the bulk density of the textile. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the bulk density of the densified textile agglomerates is higher than the bulk density of the textile fed to the reducing process. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the bulk density of the densified textile agglomerates is higher than the bulk density of the separated reduced-diameter textile.

The densification process is accomplished by forming agglomerates without the application of an external heat source ("agglomeration process") or by applying external heat energy in a process of forming particles ("heat treatment process"). In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates are obtained by an agglomeration process comprising pressure. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates are obtained by an agglomeration process that does not include the application of pressure. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates are obtained by a heat treatment process comprising the application of pressure.

Examples of pressure agglomeration include compactors (rolls, roller presses, twin roll presses). The compactor rolls the material into a sheet, which is then fed to a flake crusher and granulator. The process is generally a dry process. Another example of pressure agglomeration includes a briquetting machine that produces pillow shaped agglomerates in a roll press or a two roll press.

Examples of non-pressure agglomeration processes include forming agglomerates with a disk pelletizer (also known as a disk pelletizer or pelletizer), an agglomeration drum (agglomeration drum), a pin mixer (pin mixer), and a paddle mixer (paddle mixer).

Typically, the size of the agglomerates is larger than the size of the reduced diameter textile, for example by combining or consolidating smaller particles into larger particles to make microparticles, tablets, briquettes, pellets, and the like. Because the agglomerates are consolidated or pressure compacted rather than melted, they are more easily broken down to smaller sizes than extrudates in grinding or milling equipment such as those used in coal or petroleum coke mills or attritors. Agglomerates also produce less fines and dust and can flow easily.

After formation, the agglomerates may be cured, dried, or fired by applying an external heat source.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the reducing process and the densifying process in the agglomeration process may be in different zones in the same equipment, or in the same zone in the same equipment, or without discharging and separating the reduced-diameter textile before applying the densifying process. For example, a single apparatus may both reduce the size of the textile feed and densify in two zones within the body of the agglomerator or even in one zone within the body of the agglomerator.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the reduced diameter textile is discharged and separated from the apparatus prior to feeding the reduced diameter textile to the densification process.

As described above, the densified textile agglomerates can be formed by an agglomeration process. This can be done in a batch mode or a continuous mode in an agglomerator (also called densifier). The agglomeration process does not include the application of external thermal energy. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the agglomeration occurs under the application of frictional heat or frictional heat alone. There are many types of commercial agglomerators that can densify plastics in a similar manner. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the reducing and densifying may be formed in the same region by feeding loose textile into the chamber of rotating blades that chop the material for a sufficient time to friction the chopped textile mass Heated to the softening point T of the thermoplastic polymer contained in the chopped textile mass_gOr at least soften or produce a sticky or sticky shredded mass. The softened reduced diameter viscous mass may optionally be densified and cured by applying water to the mass. The method does not separate the reduced diameter textile into particles prior to densification. The processes of reducing and densifying may occur simultaneously. In the pulverization and densification process, the process may also be performed without applying air pressure or hydraulic pressure. The action of the rotating blades provides the motive force for discharging the densified textile agglomerates. Pressure may be applied to expel material from the densified regions.

A reduced-diameter textile is any textile that has been cut, shredded, comminuted, chopped or otherwise treated to reduce the size of the textile from one size to a smaller size.

In another embodiment, the reduced diameter textile is fed by means such as a pneumatic conveyor to a hopper which may be agitated, and then to an optional discharge auger or screw mounted perpendicular to the hopper or in-line and parallel to the hopper in a vertical plane. The rotational speed of the auger or screw is determined by the desired throughput of the agglomeration screw. Alternatively, the discharge outlet, screw or any location between the hopper and the agglomeration screw may be configured to intercept the metal and be removed, for example, by a magnet.

The discharge screw or auger feeds the reduced diameter textile into an agglomeration zone containing a chamber where the reduced diameter textile is softened, plasticized, sintered, or otherwise compacted. An example of such a chamber is a single or twin screw which is conical, with a diameter narrowing through at least a portion of the shaft length towards the die or outlet, or a straight screw of variable pitch and/or variable flight which provides compaction as the textile material moves towards the die, or any other screw design which provides compaction. The chamber may optionally be vented. The shearing action of the screw and the compaction of the textile material as the screw travels downward generates frictional heat to soften the textile to a temperature effective to produce agglomerates. The screw may be a variable or constant pitch screw or have a variable or constant flight. If a mold is used, the holes may be configured in any shape and size. A set of rotating knives cuts the agglomerated textile material exiting the die to form densified textile agglomerates.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the textile, the reduced-diameter textile, and/or the densified textile agglomerates can be fed to a chamber or process that applies thermal energy to the textile to melt at least a portion of the textile. Examples include a hot melt pelletizer or extruder with a die.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, a melt blend of a reduced-diameter textile obtained by any conventional melt blending technique is provided. The molten mixture includes a fully molten textile or a textile containing a portion of molten material and a portion of unmelted material. Some materials in textiles, such as some natural fibers, do not melt before thermal degradation.

The molten blend may be cooled to sheet or pellet form. For example, the melt blend may be extruded into any form, such as pellets, droplets or other granules, strands, rods or sheets, which may be further pelletized and/or pulverized to a desired size, if desired.

The type of densified textile agglomerates is not limited and can be any of those mentioned below, but at least a portion of the textile contains a thermoplastic polymer. Thermoplastic polymers help to maintain shape and particle integrity, allow their processing, and avoid excessive energy costs. Densified textile agglomerates that do not contain any or insufficient thermoplastic polymer content will not retain a consistent discrete shape during downstream sizing, will produce too much fines, and can have wide dimensional variations. The amount of thermoplastic polymer or thermoplastic fiber in any of the textile feed, the reduced-diameter textile, or the densified textile agglomerate is at least 5 wt.%, or at least 10 wt.%, or at least 25 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.% or 100 wt.%, based on the weight of the corresponding textile, i.e., the textile feed, the reduced-diameter textile, or the densified textile agglomerate.

The thermoplastic polymer source in the textile, the reduced-diameter textile, or the densified agglomerates can be included in the textile, and optionally no additional thermoplastic polymer source is added to the textile in the agglomerated or melted region that is densified by the application of heat. The thermoplastic polymer source can be combined with the textile or the reduced diameter textile if the textile does not contain the thermoplastic polymer or the amount of thermoplastic polymer is insufficient. Examples of thermoplastic polymer sources include binder powders. Desirably, the thermoplastic polymer source is a source of recycled plastic ("recycled plastic") other than the textile (whether virgin or recycled). This has the advantage of ensuring that the densified textile agglomerates have a recycle source content of 100%. The thermoplastic polymer source may be added to the textile feedstock prior to the size reduction, to the size reduced textile as a feedstock to the densification process, or as a separate feed stream to the densification process. At least a portion of the recycled plastic source may be from the same equipment or part of the same separation equipment set used to separate the textiles (which are densified) from the MSW. For example, separation equipment that processes MSW can separate glass, metal, plastic, and textile components from each other and isolate these components. The recycled plastic component and the textile component from the apparatus can be combined in a densification process to provide a densified textile agglomerate having a 100% recycle content. Alternatively, the separation equipment processing the MSW may be configured to separate the plastic and textile as one component from the MSW stream to further reduce the cost of mechanical separation. In each of these embodiments, the recycled plastic provides a convenient source of thermoplastic polymer as a material to bond textiles, particularly natural fibers, allowing further comminution of the agglomerates or hot melt particles, if desired, and provides a good fuel source with the textiles during the gasification process.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the level of recycle source in the densified textile agglomerates is at least 50 wt.%, or at least 60 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%, or at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 92 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.%, or at least 97 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.%, or at least 99 wt.%, or at least 99.5 wt.%, or even 100 wt.%, in each case based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates.

If a binder is used, it may be natural or synthetic. Any conventional thermoplastic known as a binder, as well as whey (or waste whey), sugar or lignosulfonate (or waste lignosulfonate) are suitable. The binder is desirably one that can be pelletized without disintegration, and thus, thermoplastic textile binders are more desirable.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments or in any of the mentioned embodiments, the textile or the reduced-diameter textile is densified without combining them with a feed containing a thermoplastic polymer (e.g., an adhesive powder or recycled plastic). Some reduced diameter textiles include sufficient thermoplastic textile synthetic fibers to allow the fibers to be densified by thermal energy (whether by friction energy or by an externally applied thermal energy source) that is higher than the T of the thermoplastic fibers in the reduced diameter textile _g. Some reduced diameter textiles contain at least 25 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.% thermoplastic textile fibers.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the mean average size of the reduced diameter textiles in their longest dimension is less than the mean average size of the agglomerates of the densified textiles in their longest dimension. This may be the case when the textile is reduced to a fine powder and the agglomerates or hot melt particles are large. Alternatively, the mean average size of the reduced-diameter textile is greater than the mean average size of the agglomerated particles of the densified textile in the longest dimension.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the step of densifying comprises applying heat or processing by a heat treatment process. Subjecting the reduced diameter textile to a T at or above the thermoplastic polymer contained in the synthetic fibers in the reduced diameter fiber stream_gOfA source of thermal energy to cause the softened or melted thermoplastic textile to flow around and bond the natural fibers and any thermoset synthetic fibers. Upon cooling, the partially or fully melted textile is solidified into a desired shape and optionally further pelletized or pulverized in one or more steps to a final desired size, or the final particulate shape is suitable for (i) transport to a gasification facility for further pelletization to a size suitable for introduction into a gasification furnace, or (ii) use as feed to a gasification furnace without further pelletization.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates in the feedstock composition or stream or at least a portion or all of the feedstock composition or stream fed into the gasifier or gasification zone are obtained from a textile or contain textile fibers. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates contain, or when fed to a gasifier or to a feedstock of a gasifier, the densified textile agglomerates contain, at least 10 wt.%, or at least 15 wt.%, or at least 20 wt.%, or at least 25 wt.%, or at least 30 wt.%, or at least 35 wt.%, or at least 40 wt.%, or at least 45 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 55 wt.%, or at least 60 wt.%, or at least 65 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, or at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.%, or at least 97 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.%, or at least 99 wt.%, or at least 99.5 wt.% of a material obtained from the textile or the textile fiber, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates in the feed stream.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, comprising densified textile agglomerates obtained from a textile or containing textile fibers, at least 20%, or at least 30%, or at least 50%, or at least 75%, or at least 80%, or at least 90%, or at least 95%, or at least 98% of the fibers in the textile feedstock have an aspect ratio L: D of at least 1.5:1, or at least 1.75:1, or at least 2:1, or at least 2.25:1, or at least 2.5:1, or at least 2.75:1, or at least 3:1, or at least 3.25:1, or at least 3.5:1, or at least 3.75:1, or at least 4:1, or at least 4.5:1, or at least 5:1, or at least 5.5:1, or at least 6: 1.

Non-combustible inorganic materials, such as metals and minerals, that prevent the densified textile aggregates from being incinerated and discharged, may be included in the densified textile aggregates for gasification. Examples include tin, cobalt, manganese, antimony, titanium, sodium, calcium, sulfur, zinc and aluminum, their oxides and other compounds can be present in the densified textile agglomerates because gasifiers, particularly slagging gasifiers, are well equipped to handle minerals and metals in the feedstock. Advantageously, titanium and calcium that may be present in the densified textile aggregate can be a slag modifier.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the amount of calcium compound present in the ash-densified textile agglomerates is at least 30 wt.%, or at least 40 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 55 wt.%, or at least 60 wt.%, or at least 63 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash. The upper amount is desirably no greater than 90 wt.%, or no greater than 80 wt.%, or no greater than 75 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile aggregate ash.

In another embodiment, the amount of sodium compound present in the ash of the densified textile agglomerates is at least 2 wt.%, or at least 3 wt.%, or at least 4 wt.%, or at least 5 wt.%, or at least 6 wt.%, or at least 7 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash. The upper amount is desirably no greater than 20 wt.%, or no greater than 17 wt.%, or no greater than 15 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile aggregate ash.

In another embodiment, the amount of titanium compound present in the ash of the densified textile agglomerates is at least 30 wt.%, or at least 40 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 60 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash. The upper amount is desirably no greater than 96 wt.%, or no greater than 90 wt.%, or no greater than 86 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash.

In another embodiment, the amount of iron compounds present in the ash of the densified textile agglomerates used in the feedstock is no greater than 5 wt.%, or no greater than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 2 wt.%, or at least 1.5 wt.%, or at least 2 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash.

In another embodiment, the amount of aluminum compound present in the ash of the densified textile agglomerates used in the feedstock is no greater than 20 wt.%, or no greater than 15 wt.%, or no greater than 10 wt.%, or no greater than 5 wt.%, or no greater than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 2 wt.%, or no greater than 1.5 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash.

In another embodiment, the amount of silicon compound present in the ash of the densified textile agglomerates used in the feedstock is no greater than 20 wt.%, or no greater than 15 wt.%, or no greater than 10 wt.%, or no greater than 8 wt.%, or no greater than 6 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate ash.

Desirably, the densified textile agglomerates contain low or no halide-containing polymers, particularly polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl fluoride, polyvinylidene fluoride, and polytetrafluoroethylene, as well as other fluorinated or chlorinated polymers, especially if the densified textile agglomerates are fed to a refractory lined gasifier. The release of chlorine or fluorine elements or free radicals over time can affect the life of the refractory lining on gasifiers operating at high temperatures and pressures. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerate comprises less than 10 wt.%, or not greater than 8 wt.%, or not greater than 6 wt.%, or not greater than 5 wt.%, or not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3.5 wt.%, or not greater than 3 wt.%, or not greater than 2.5 wt.%, or not greater than 2 wt.%, or not greater than 1.5 wt.%, or not greater than 1 wt.%, or not greater than 0.5 wt.%, or not greater than 0.25 wt.%, or not greater than 0.1 wt.%, or not greater than 0.05 wt.%, or not greater than 0.01 wt.%, or not greater than 0.005 wt.%, or not greater than 0.001 wt.%, or not greater than 0.0005 wt.%, or not greater than 0.0001 wt.%, or not greater than 0.00005 wt.% of halide-containing polymer, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerate. Desirably, the halide that is minimized or excluded is chlorine or fluorine.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates (those ground to a final size when incorporated into the feedstock composition) are desirably not pyrolyzed or torrefied prior to their introduction into the gasifier, and desirably, the densified textile agglomerates are not obtained from a source of textile that has been pyrolyzed or torrefied.

In another embodiment, the densified textile agglomerates, once made, are not subsequently melted or extruded before they enter the gasifier. In another embodiment, the densified textile agglomerates do not melt or extrude or receive a pyrolytic heat treatment, or a heat treatment higher than 225 ℃, or higher than 210 ℃, or higher than 200 ℃, or higher than 195 ℃, or higher than 190 ℃, or higher than 175 ℃, or higher than 160 ℃, or higher than 150 ℃, or higher than 140 ℃, or higher than 130 ℃, or higher than 120 ℃, or higher than 110 ℃, or higher than 100 ℃, or higher than 90 ℃, or higher than 80 ℃, or higher than 60 ℃, or higher than 58 ℃ or higher than their nominal temperature at their ambient conditions prior to their introduction into the gasification zone. It should be noted that the densified textile agglomerates can be dried before they are introduced into the solid fossil fuel feedstock composition, however, this is not necessary in slurry-based feedstock compositions (such as in water), or petroleum-based oil, hydrocarbon, or oxygenated hydrocarbon fuel feedstocks.

There is also provided a ring manufacturing method, the method comprising:

1. providing recycled textiles, and

2. densifying the recycled textile to form a densified textile aggregate, an

3. Gasifying the densified textile agglomerates to produce a recycled textile-derived syngas, and

4. or

(i) Reacting the recycled textile-derived syngas to produce a recycled content of an intermediate, polymer, or article (recycled PIA), each derived at least in part from the recycled textile-derived syngas, or

(ii) Apportioning a recovery amount quota obtained from the recovered textile to an intermediate, polymer, or article to produce a recovered PIA; and

5. optionally, at least a portion of the recovered PIA is returned as a feedstock to the gasification process step (i), or (ii), or (iii).

In the above process, a fully endless or closed loop process is provided in which the textile may be recycled multiple times to produce the same family or class of textiles.

Examples of articles included in the PIA are fibers, yarns, tows, continuous filaments, staple fibers, rovings, fabrics, textiles, sheets, composite sheets, and consumer articles.

In this or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the quota can be assigned to the intermediate, polymer or article to produce the recycled PIA directly from a recycled content value taken from the recycled textile or the densified textile agglomerates, or from a step of gasifying a feedstock comprising the fossil fuel and the densified textile agglomerates, or, by assigning a recycled content value taken from a recycling catalogue into which the recycled content value is stored from a recycled content present in the recycled textile, or in the densified textile agglomerates, or in a step of gasifying a feedstock comprising the fossil fuel and the densified textile agglomerates, the quota can be assigned to the intermediate, polymer or article to produce the recycled PIA indirectly.

In one embodiment, the recycled PIA is the same family or class of polymers or articles (e.g., fibers) as the polymers or articles (e.g., fibers) contained in the recycled textile used in step (i), or is a recycled textile used in step (i).

In one embodiment, the recycled PIA can be prepared by a process of gasifying densified textile agglomerates according to any of the processes described herein.

There is also provided a ring manufacturing method, the method comprising:

1. the manufacturer of the syngas, or one of its physical families, or the entity contracted with any of them (collectively referred to as the "Recipient"), optionally and desirably receives recycled textiles (whether post-industrial or post-consumer), from an industrial supplier of the articles (e.g., textiles) or fibers contained in or on the textiles, and

2. one or more recipients reducing the textile or fiber to produce a densified textile aggregate, and

3. one or more recipients gasify the densified textile agglomerates to produce a recycled textile derived syngas, and

4. or

(i) Reacting the recycled textile-derived syngas to produce a recycled content of an intermediate, polymer, or article (recycled PIA), each of which is derived at least in part from the recycled textile-derived syngas, or

(ii) Partitioning the recovery content quota obtained from the recycled textile or the densified textile agglomerates to an intermediate, polymer, or article to thereby produce a recycled PIA; and

5. optionally, at least a portion of the recycled PIA is provided to the industrial supplier, or to an entity contracted with the industrial supplier or with a member of an entity family of the industrial supplier, to supply the recycled PIA or an article of manufacture manufactured with the recycled PIA.

In this embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the quota may be assigned to the intermediate, polymer or article to directly produce recycled PIA from a recycle content value taken from recycled textiles or densified textile agglomerates, or from a step of gasifying a feedstock containing fossil fuels and recycled textiles or densified textile agglomerates, or, by assigning a recycle content value taken from a recycle catalog from which the recycle content value is deposited into the recycle catalog from which the recycle content value is present in recycled textiles, or in a step of gasifying a feedstock containing fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates, to indirectly produce recycled PIA.

In the above process, a fully endless or closed loop process is provided in which the textile may be recycled multiple times to produce the same family or class of textiles. An industrial supplier may provide textiles or articles comprising textiles to a processor entity to process these textiles or articles into a form suitable or more suitable for gasification as further described herein to produce densified textile agglomerates, and the processor entity in turn supplies the densified textile agglomerates or precursors thereof to a manufacturer of syngas or a member of its solid family, which may feed the densified textile agglomerates as such to a feed stream of a gasifier, or may further process the precursors or densified textile agglomerates into a final size suitable for gasification by any suitable process, such as, for example, comminution or grinding. The gasification process, equipment and design used may be any of those mentioned herein. The syngas produced using the feedstock containing densified textile agglomerates can then be converted by a reaction scheme to produce recycled PIA, or the quota resulting from such gasification step or obtained from recycled textiles or densified textile agglomerates can be stored in a quota catalog; and, from a catalog of quotas from any source, a portion of which can be taken and distributed to an intermediate, polymer, or article to make a recovered PIA. To close the loop of the textile, at least a portion of the recycled PIA may be provided to the supplier of the textile, or may be provided to any entity contracted with the supplier to process the recycled PIA into different forms, different sizes, or in combination with other ingredients or textiles (e.g., a compounder and/or sheet extruder), or to prepare articles containing the PIA for supply to or on behalf of the supplier. The recycled PIA supplied to an industrial supplier or one of its contracting entities is desirably the same family or type of textiles as the textiles or articles containing the textiles supplied by the industrial supplier to the recipient.

"recycle content quota" or "quota" refers to a recycle content value (which:

a. transferring from the recycle waste (which is any recycle waste stream, whether or not it contains recycled textiles) to a receiving composition (e.g., a compound, polymer, article, intermediate, feedstock, product, or stream) that may or may not have a physical component traceable to the recycle waste; or

b. Into a recycle catalog, at least a portion of which is derived from recycle waste.

The quota may be an allocation amount (allocation) or a credit (credit). Recycled waste is any waste stream identified in the present disclosure, including reduced diameter textiles, densified textiles, textiles from which they are derived, or feedstock compositions containing densified textiles.

The recycle content value (whether mass or percentage or any other unit of measure) may optionally be determined according to standard systems for tracking, distributing and/or crediting the recycle content in various compositions.

"recycle content value" is a unit of measure representing the amount of material derived from recycled textiles or densified textile agglomerates. The recycle content value may be derived from any type of recycled textile or any recycled textile processed in any type of process prior to gasification.

The specific recycle content value may be determined by mass balance methods or mass ratios or percentages or any other units of measure, and may be determined according to any system used to trace, distribute and/or credit the recycle content in the various compositions. The recycle content value can be deducted from the recycle catalog and applied to the product or composition to attribute the recycle content to the product or composition. The recycle content value need not originate from the gasified recycled textile, and can be a unit of measure having its known or unknown origin in any of the techniques for processing recycled textiles. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the recycled textiles from which the quota was obtained are also vaporized as described throughout one or more embodiments herein; for example, combined with fossil fuels and gasified.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the recycle content quota or recycle value deposited into the recycle content inventory is obtained from recycled textiles or densified textile agglomerates. Desirably, at least 60%, or at least 70%, or at least 80%, or at least 90%, or at least 95%, or up to 100% of:

a. quota, or

b. The amount stored in the recycle directory, or

c. Recycle content value in recycle catalog, or

d. Recovery content values for use in compositions to prepare recovered PIA

Obtained from recycled textiles or from densified textile agglomerates.

The recovery content quota may comprise a recovery content allotment or a recovery content credit obtained by the transmission or use of the raw material. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the polymer, intermediate, composition, article, or stream that receives the recovery content quota can be or contain a portion of a non-recovered composition (e.g., a compound, polymer, feedstock, product, or stream). "non-recycled" refers to compositions (e.g., compounds, polymers, feedstocks, products, or streams) none of which is derived, directly or indirectly, from any kind of recycled waste (including textiles).

"apportioned amount of recovered content" and "apportioned amount" refer to a quota of recovered content of the type in which an entity or individual supplying the composition sells or transfers the composition to a receiving individual or entity, and the individual or entity preparing the composition has a quota, at least a portion of which may be related to the composition sold by or transferred to the receiving individual or entity by the supplying individual or entity. The provisioning entities or individuals may be controlled by the same entity or individual, or by various affiliates that are ultimately at least partially controlled or owned by a parent entity ("entity family"), or they may be from different entity families. Typically, the recovery level apportionment proceeds with the composition and the downstream derivative of the composition. The apportioned amount may be deposited into and removed from the recycling inventory as the apportioned amount and applied to the composition to prepare the recycled PIA.

"content credit" and "credit" refer to a type of quota of recovered content that is available for sale or transfer or use, or has been sold or transferred or used, or:

a. does not sell a composition, or

b. Selling or transferring the composition, but the quota is not related to the sale or transfer of the composition, or

c. Into or out of a recycle catalog that does not trace back molecules of the recycle content feedstock and molecules of the resulting composition prepared with the recycle content feedstock, or that has such traceability but does not trace back a particular quota applied to the composition-in one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the quota can be deposited into the recycle catalog and credits can be withdrawn from the catalog and applied to the composition to prepare the recycle PIA. This would be the case where a quota is generated by recycled textiles and stored in a recycle inventory, a recycle content value is subtracted from the recycle inventory and applied to a composition to make a recycled PIA, the composition having no or indeed no portion derived from syngas, but such syngas that makes up that portion of the composition is not a recycle content syngas. In this system, there is no need to trace back the source of the reactant compound or composition to the manufacture of the densified textile derived syngas stream or to any atom contained in the densified textile derived syngas stream, but any reactant compound or composition prepared by any method may be used and has been associated with such a reactant compound or composition, or has been associated with a recycle PIA, a recycle content quota. In one embodiment, the recovered PIA reactant (the composition used to make the recovered PIA or the composition to which a quota is applied) is free of recovered content.

In one embodiment, the composition that receives the allotment to make recovered PIA is derived in part from a syngas stream obtained by any gasification process. The feedstock to the gasification process may optionally comprise a fossil fuel, such as coal. The feedstock may also optionally comprise a combination of fossil fuels and recycled textiles or densified textile agglomerates. In one embodiment, a method is provided, wherein:

a. the recycled textile is obtained and the textile is recycled,

b. obtaining a recycle content value (or quota) from the recycled textile, an

i. Into a recycle catalog, withdraw a quota (or credit) from the recycle catalog and apply it to the composition to obtain a recycle PIA, or

Applying to the composition to obtain recovered PIA; and

c. subjecting at least a portion of the recycled textiles to a gasification process, optionally by combining it with a fossil fuel as a feedstock to a gasifier, optionally according to any of the designs or methods described herein; and

d. optionally, at least a portion of the composition in step b.

Steps b.and c.do not have to occur simultaneously. In one embodiment, they occur within one year of each other, or within six (6) months of each other, or within three (3) months of each other, or within one (1) months of each other, or within two (2) weeks of each other, or within one (1) week of each other, or within three (3) days of each other. The method allows time to elapse between the time the entity or individual receives the recycled textiles and generates a quota (which may occur as soon as the recycled textiles are received or in possession of the recycled textiles) and the actual processing of the recycled textiles in the gasifier.

As used herein, "recycle inventory" and "inventory" mean a group or collection of quotas (allocated amounts or credits) from which credit and deductions of quotas in any unit can be traced. The catalog may be in any form (electronic or paper), using any one or more software programs, or using various modules or applications that are traced back together as a whole for deposit and deduction. Desirably, the total amount of reclaimed content withdrawn (or applied to the reclaimed PIA) is no greater than the total amount of reclaimed content quotas or credits credited in the reclaimed catalogue (from any source, not only from the gasification of the reclaimed textiles). However, if a deficit of the recycle content value is achieved, the recycle content directory is rebalanced to achieve a zero or positive available recycle content value. The timing of rebalancing can be determined and managed according to the rules of a particular certification system employed by the densified textile-derived syngas manufacturer or one of its physical families, or alternatively, rebalancing within one (1) year, or within six (6) months, or within three (3) months, or within one (1) month of achieving the deficit. The opportunities for depositing quotas into the recycling inventory, applying quotas (or credits) to the composition to make the recycled PIA, and gasifying the recycled textiles need not be simultaneous or in any particular order. In one embodiment, the step of vaporizing the volume of recycled textiles occurs after a recycle content value or quota from the volume of recycled textiles is deposited into a recycle inventory. Furthermore, the quotas or recycle content values taken from the recycle catalogue need not be traceable to recycled textiles or to gasified recycled textiles, but can be obtained from any waste recycle stream and any method of recycling waste streams from processing. Desirably, at least a portion of the recycle content values in the recycle inventory are obtained from recycled textiles, optionally at least a portion of the recycled textiles are processed in one or more gasification processes as described herein, optionally within one year of each other, optionally at least a portion of the volume of recycled textiles (from which the recycle content values are stored in the recycle inventory) is also processed by any one or more of the gasification processes described herein.

Determining whether recycled PIA is derived directly or indirectly from recycled waste is not based on whether intermediate steps or entities are present in the supply chain, but rather on whether at least a portion of the recycled textile molecules fed to the gasifier can be traced back to recycled PIA. Recovered PIA is considered to be directly derived from or in direct contact with recovered textiles if at least a portion of the molecules in the recovered PIA can be traced back to at least a portion of the densified textile-derived syngas molecules, optionally through one or more intermediate steps or entities. Any number of intermediates and intermediate derivatives can be prepared prior to preparation of the recovered PIA.

The recovered PIA may be indirectly derived from the recovered textiles if none, some, or some of its molecules are derived from the densified textile-derived syngas molecules, but the recovered PIA has a recovery content value that exceeds that associated with the densified textile-derived syngas molecules, and in the latter case, the recovered PIA may be directly and indirectly derived from the recovered textiles.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the recovered PIA is indirectly derived from recovered textiles or recovered content syngas. In another embodiment, the recovered PIA is derived directly from recovered textiles or recovered content syngas. In another embodiment, the recovered PIA is indirectly derived from a recovered textile or densified textile-derived syngas, and the portion without recovered PIA is directly derived from a recovered textile or recovered content of syngas.

In another embodiment, various methods are provided for apportioning recycle content among various recycle PIA compositions made from any one or combination of entities in a family of entities of which a densified textile-derived syngas manufacturer is a part. For example, a densified textile derived syngas manufacturer, or any combination or all of a family of entities thereof, or a site, may:

a. a symmetric distribution of recovery content values is employed in its product based on the same fractional percentage of recovery content in one or more feedstocks, or based on the amount of quota received. For example, if 5 wt.% of the gasified feedstock is densified textile agglomerates, or if the recycle content value is 5 wt.% of the total gasified feedstock, then all of the recycled PIA composition can have a recycle content value of 5 wt.%. In this case, the amount of the recovered content in the product is proportional to the amount of the recovered content in the raw material for producing the product; or

b. An asymmetric distribution of recovery content values is employed in its product based on the same fractional percentage of recovery content in one or more feedstocks, or based on the amount of quota received. For example, if 5 wt.% of the gasifier feed is recycled textiles, or if the quota value is 5 wt.% of the entire gasifier feed, then one volume or batch of recycled PIA may receive a greater amount of recycle content value than other batches or volumes of recycled PIA. One batch of PVA may contain a recovery content of 20 mass% and another batch may contain a recovery content of zero 0%, even though both volumes may be identical in composition, as long as the amount of the recovery content value taken from the recovery catalog and applied to the recovered PIA is not greater than the amount of the recovery content value deposited into the recovery catalog, or if a deficit is achieved, the overdraft is rebalanced to zero or a positive credit available state as described above. In an asymmetric distribution of recycle content, a manufacturer may tailor the recycle content to the volume of recycle PIA sold on demand between customers, thereby providing flexibility between customers, some of which may require more recycle content in the PVA volume than others.

The symmetric and asymmetric distributions of the recovered content can be scaled on a site wide basis or on a multi-site basis. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the recycle content input (recycled textiles or quota) can be within one station and the recycle content value from the input applied to one or more compositions prepared at the same station to prepare the recycled PIA. The recycle content values may be applied symmetrically or asymmetrically to one or more of the different compositions produced at the site.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the recovery content input or generation (recovery content feed or quota) may be to or at a first site, and the recovery content value from the input is transferred to a second site and applied to one or more compositions prepared at the second site. The recovery content value may be applied to the composition symmetrically or asymmetrically at the second site.

In one embodiment, the recovered PIA has associated therewith, or contains, or is tagged, advertised or certified as containing, an amount of recovered content of at least 0.01 wt.%, or at least 0.05 wt.%, or at least 0.1 wt.%, or at least 0.5 wt.%, or at least 0.75 wt.%, or at least 1 wt.%, or at least 1.25 wt.%, or at least 1.5 wt.%, or at least 1.75 wt.%, or at least 2 wt.%, or at least 2.25 wt.%, or at least 2.5 wt.%, or at least 2.75 wt.%, or at least 3 wt.%, or at least 3.5 wt.%, or at least 4 wt.%, or at least 4.5 wt.%, or at least 5 wt.%, or at least 6 wt.%, or at least 7 wt.%, or at least 10 wt.%, or at least 15 wt.%, or at least 20 wt.%, or at least 25 wt.%, or at least 30 wt.%, or at least 35 wt.%, or at least 40 wt.%, or at least 45 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 1.5 wt.%, or at least 1 wt.%, or at least 1.5 wt.%, or at least 1 wt.%, or at least 1.5 wt.%, or at least 1. Or at least 65 wt.% and/or the amount may be at most 100 wt.%, or at most 95 wt.%, or at most 90 wt.%, or at most 80 wt.%, or at most 70 wt.%, or at most 60 wt.%, or at most 50 wt.%, or at most 40 wt.%, or at most 30 wt.%, or at most 25 wt.%, or at most 22 wt.%, or at most 20 wt.%, or at most 18 wt.%, or at most 16 wt.%, or at most 15 wt.%, or at most 14 wt.%, or at most 13 wt.%, or at most 11 wt.%, or at most 10 wt.%, or at most 8 wt.%, or at most 6 wt.%, or at most 5 wt.%, or at most 4 wt.%, or at most 3 wt.%, or at most 2 wt.%, or at most 1 wt.%, or at most 0.9 wt.%, or at most 0.8 wt.%, or at most 0.7 wt.%. The recycle content associated with recycling the PIA can be correlated by applying a quota (credit or allotment) to any polymer and/or article manufactured or sold. The quota may be contained in a quota directory created, maintained, or operated by or for the recycling PIA manufacturer. This quota can be obtained from any source along any manufacturing chain of products, as long as it is derived from gasifying a feedstock comprising fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates.

The amount of recycle content in the reactant compound or composition, or the amount of recycle content applied to the recycle PIA, or (where all recycle content from the recycle textile feedstock is applied to the recycle PIA) the amount of densified textile agglomerates required to feed the gasifier (in the desired amount of recycle content required in the recycle PIA) can be determined or calculated by any of the following methods:

(i) the amount of quota associated with reclaimed PIA is determined by the amount certified or declared by the vendor of the transferred reclaimed PIA, or

(ii) The amount of quota declared by the entity using the recycled PIA, or

(iii) Using a mass balance method, the minimum amount of recovered content in the feedstock is back-calculated from the amount of recovered content declared, advertised, or responsible by the manufacturer, whether or not accurate, as applied to recovering a PIA product,

(iv) the non-recycle content is blended with the densified textile aggregate feedstock using a proportional mass process, or the recycle content is correlated with a portion of the feedstock.

In one embodiment, a recycled PIA manufacturer can prepare recycled PIA, or process a reactant compound or composition and prepare recycled PIA, or prepare recycled PIA by obtaining a reactant compound or composition from any source from a supplier, whether or not such reactant compound or composition has any recycle content, and:

i. From the same supplier of the reactant compounds or compositions, a recovery quota for application to the synthesis gas or to any product, article, polymer or composition is also obtained, or

Obtaining a recovery allowance from any individual or entity without the individual or entity that transfers the recovery allowance providing a reactant compound or composition.

(i) The quota of (a) may be obtained from a supplier of reactant compounds or compositions for preparing the recycled PIA, and the supplier also supplies and transfers the reactant compounds or compositions to the recycled PIA manufacturer or its physical family. (i) The situation described in (a) allows a recycled PIA manufacturer to obtain a supply of reactant compounds or compositions having a non-recycled content and also obtain a recycling content quota from the reactant compounds or compositions. In one embodiment, a reactant compound or composition supplier transfers a reclamation amount quota to a reclamation PIA manufacturer, and transfers a supply of the reactant compound or composition to the reclamation PIA manufacturer, wherein the reclamation amount quota is not associated with the supplied reactant compound or composition, provided that the transferred reclamation amount quota results from gasifying the reclaimed densified textile agglomerates. The recovery amount quota need not be associated with the amount of recovery amount in the reactant compound or composition or any monomer used to make the recovered PIA, but rather the recovery amount quota assigned by the reactant compound or composition supplier may be associated with other products in the synthesis gas stream derived from the densified textile rather than with products in the reaction scheme for making the polymer and/or article. This allows flexibility between suppliers of reactant compounds or compositions and manufacturers of recycled PIA to apportion the recycle content between the various products they each manufacture. However, in each of these cases, the recycling content quota stems from the gasification of the recycled textiles.

In one embodiment, a reactant compound or composition supplier transfers a reclamation amount quota associated with the reactant compound or composition to a reclamation PIA manufacturer and transfers a supply of the reactant compound or composition to the reclamation PIA manufacturer. Alternatively, the supplied reactant compound or composition can be derived from recycled textile feedstock, and at least a portion of the assigned recycle content quota can be the recycle content in the reactant compound or composition. The recycle content quota assigned to the recycle PIA manufacturer may be prior to the supply of the reactant compound or composition, optionally in batches, or with each reactant compound or composition partial supplier, or distributed between the parties as needed.

(ii) The distribution in (a) is obtained by a recycling PIA manufacturer (or a family of entities thereof) from any individual or entity, without obtaining a supply of reactant compounds or compositions from that individual or entity. The person or entity may be a manufacturer of the reactant compound or composition that does not provide the reactant compound or composition to the recycling PIA manufacturer or its entity family, or the person or entity may be a manufacturer that does not manufacture the reactant compound or composition. In either case, the case of (ii) allows the recycling PIA manufacturer to obtain the recycling content quota without having to purchase any reactant compounds or compositions from the entity supplying the recycling content quota. For example, an individual or entity may transfer a recovery amount quota to a recovery PIA manufacturer or its physical family through a buy/sell model or contract without the need to purchase or sell the quota (e.g., as a product exchange that is not a product of a reactant compound or composition), or the individual or entity may sell the quota directly to one of the recovery PIA manufacturer or its physical family. Alternatively, an individual or entity may transfer products other than reactant compounds or compositions to a recycling PIA manufacturer along with their associated recycling quota. This is attractive to recycled PIA manufacturers with diverse businesses that manufacture a variety of products other than recycled PIA that require starting materials that are not reactant compounds or compositions that individuals or entities can provide to the recycled PIA manufacturers.

The quota may be stored in a reclamation directory (e.g., quota directory). In one embodiment, the quota is a quota created by a manufacturer of the densified textile-derived syngas stream. The recycled PIA manufacturer can also manufacture polymers and/or articles, and take them out of inventory whether or not recycled content is applied to the polymer and/or article, and whether or not recycled content is applied to the polymer and/or article. For example, a densified textile derived syngas stream manufacturer and/or a recycled PIA manufacturer can:

a. storing the quota in a directory and only storing it; or

b. Storing the quota in the catalog and applying the quota from the catalog to products other than:

i. any product derived directly or indirectly from a densified textile derived synthesis gas stream, or

Polymers and/or articles made by recycled PIA manufacturers, or

c. Quotas from the inventory are sold or transferred, and at least one quota obtained as described above is stored in the inventory.

However, any amount of any recovery content quota can be deducted from the inventory and applied to the polymer and/or article to make a recovered PIA, if desired. For example, a recycle directory may be generated with quotas for the various sources that created the quotas. Some of the recovery content quotas (credits) may originate from the methanolysis of the recovered waste, or from the mechanical recovery of waste textiles or metal recovery, and/or from the pyrolytic recovered waste, or from any other chemical or mechanical recovery technique. The recycle directory may or may not track the source or basis from which the recycle content value was obtained, or the directory may not allow the source or basis of quotas to be associated with quotas applied to the recycle PIA. The quota is deducted from the quota inventory and applied to the recycled PIA sufficient, regardless of the source of the quota, as long as the quota of the recycle content obtained from the recycled textile feedstock comprising fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates is present in the quota inventory at the time of withdrawal, or the quota of the recycle content is obtained by the recycled PIA manufacturer as specified in step (i) or step (ii), regardless of whether the quota of the recycle content is actually stored in the inventory. In one embodiment, the quota of the reclaimed content obtained in step (i) or (ii) is stored in a quota directory. In one embodiment, the recovery content quota deducted from the inventory and applied to the recovery of PIA is derived from the recovered textiles or from the densified textile agglomerates, whereby the densified textile agglomerates are ultimately gasified with a fossil fuel.

As used throughout, the quota list may be owned by a syngas manufacturer derived from densified textiles, or by a recycled PIA manufacturer, or operated by either of them, or neither, but at least in part for the benefit of, or licensed by, either of them. Likewise, as used throughout, a densified textile derived syngas manufacturer or recycled PIA manufacturer can also include any of their physical families. For example, while any of them may not own or run a catalog, one of its entity families may own such a platform, either license it from an independent vendor, or operate it for any of them. Alternatively, the independent entity may own and/or run the catalog and operate and/or manage at least a portion of the catalog for any of them for a service fee.

In one embodiment, a recycling PIA manufacturer obtains a supply of a reactant compound or composition from a supplier, and also obtains a quota from the supplier, wherein such quota is derived from gasification of a feedstock comprising fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates, and optionally the quota is associated with the supplied reactant compound or composition. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the quota obtained by the recycled PIA producer is:

a. For use in recovering PIA prepared from a supply of reactant compounds or compositions;

b. application to recycled PIA that is not prepared from a supply of reactant compounds or compositions, such as where recycled PIA has been prepared and stored in inventory or is prepared in the future; or

c. Storing the quota (the quota for the recovered PIA application) into a directory, deducting the quota applied to the recovered PIA from the directory, wherein the stored quota contributes or does not contribute to the amount of the quota for the recovered PIA application taken out from the directory;

d. and storing the data in a directory.

In all examples, it is not necessary to use recycled textile raw materials to prepare recycled PIA compositions, or to obtain recycled PIA from a recycle content quota associated with a reactant compound or composition. Furthermore, it is not necessary to apply the quota to recycle textile raw materials to prepare recycle PIA to which the recycle content is applied. Rather, as described above, even if the reactant compound or composition is associated with it when it is obtained, the quota may be deposited into the electronic catalog. However, in one embodiment, the reactant compound or composition associated with this quota is used to prepare a recovered PIA compound or composition. In one embodiment, the recycled PIA is obtained from a recycling content quota associated with the densified textile agglomerates or with the gasified densified textile agglomerates. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the furnish obtained from making a densified textile agglomerate, or a gasified densified textile agglomerate, is applied to recycled PIA to make recycled PIA.

In one embodiment, a densified textile-derived syngas stream manufacturer generates a quota by gasifying a combination of fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates, and:

a. this quota is applied to any compound or composition (whether liquid or solid or polymer in any form, including pellets, sheets, fibers, flakes, etc.) prepared directly or indirectly (e.g., via a reaction scheme of several intermediates) from a densified textile derived synthesis gas stream; or

b. This quota is applied to compounds or compositions that are not prepared directly or indirectly from a densified textile derived synthesis gas stream, such as where the reactant compound or composition has been prepared and stored in inventory or a non-recycled content of the reactant compound or composition prepared in the future; or

c. (ii) into a catalogue, deducting from the catalogue any quota applied to the reactant compound or composition; and the quota stored is associated with or not associated with the particular quota applied to the reactant compound or composition; or

d. Is stored in a directory and stored for later use.

In any of the embodiments described throughout, the time to obtain or credit the allotment into the recycling inventory may be as early as when the recipient or one of its physical families receives or owns the recycled textiles, or when it is converted to densified textile agglomerates, or when the recipient or one of its physical families receives or owns the densified textile agglomerates, or when they are combined with fossil fuels, or when gasified, or when manufacturing a densified textile-derived syngas. For clarity, even if the timing of the attainment or validation allotment is earlier or later than the actual time of gasification of the densified textile agglomerates, dispensing is still considered to result from or result from gasification of the densified textile agglomerates, but provided that the gasification of the densified textile agglomerates is subject to gasification.

There is now also provided a package or combination of recycled PIA and a recycled content identifier associated with the recycled PIA, wherein the identifier is or comprises an indication that the recycled PIA contains or is derived from or associated with recycled content. The packaging may be any suitable packaging for containing a polymer and/or article, such as a drum (drum), railway car, tank container (isotainer), tote bag (tote), plastic tote bag (polytote), bale (bale), IBC tote bag (IBC tote), pressed bale, oil drum, plastic bag, bobbin, roving, wound, or cardboard packaging. The identifier may be a certificate document, a product specification stating the recycled content, a label, a logo or authentication mark from a certificate authority, which indicates that the article or packaging contains the content or the recycled PIA contains, or is made by the source or is associated with the recycled content, or it may be an electronic statement by the recycled PIA manufacturer accompanying the purchase order or product, or posted on a website as a statement, display, or the logo indicates that the recycled PIA contains or is made by the source associated with the recycled content or contains the recycled content, or it may be an advertisement transmitted electronically, associated with the recycled PIA in each case by the website or in the website, by email or by television or by commercial exhibition. The identifier need not state or indicate that the recycle content is derived from gasifying a feedstock comprising fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates. Rather, the identifier may merely convey or communicate that the recycled PIA has or originates from recycled content, regardless of origin. However, recycled PIA has a recycling content quota derived at least in part from the gasified densified textile agglomerates.

In one embodiment, the reclaimed content information regarding the reclaimed PIA can be communicated to a third party, where such reclaimed content information is based on or derived from at least a portion of the allocation amount or credit. The third party may be a customer of the densified textile derived syngas manufacturer or recycled PIA manufacturer or supplier, or may be any other individual or entity or governmental organization in addition to the entity owning any of them. The transfer may be electronic, through a document, through an advertisement, or any other means of communication.

In one embodiment, there is provided a system or package comprising:

a. recovering the PIA or articles made therefrom, and

b. an identifier, such as a credit, a label, or a certificate, associated with the recycled PIA or an article made therefrom, wherein the identifier is an indication that the polymer and/or article made therefrom has or is derived from recycled content,

provided that the recovered PIA, or articles made therefrom, have a quota, or are made from a reactant compound or composition, at least in part, directly or indirectly derived from gasified fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates.

The system may be a physical combination, such as a package having at least recycled PIA as its contents, and the package having a label, such as a logo, that the contents of, for example, recycled PIA have or are derived from recycled content. Alternatively, whenever it transfers or sells recycled PIA with or derived from recycled content, the tag or certificate may be issued to a third party or customer as part of the entity's standard operating procedures. The identifier need not be physically on the recycled PIA or on the packaging, and need not be on any physical document accompanying or associated with the recycled PIA. For example, the identifier may be an electronic credit that is electronically transmitted by the recycled PIA manufacturer to a customer associated with the sale or transfer of recycled PIA products, and that represents recycled PIA as having recycled content merely as a credit. The identifier itself need only communicate or communicate that the recycled PIA has or originates from recycled content, regardless of origin. In one embodiment, an article made from recycled PIA may have an identifier, such as a stamp (stamp) or a logo embedded in or adhered to the article. In one embodiment, the identifier is an electronic recycle content credit from any source. In one embodiment, the identifier is an electronic recycling content credit derived from gasifying a feedstock comprising a fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates.

Recycled PIA is made from reactant compounds or compositions, whether or not the reactant is a recycled content reactant (recycled textile raw material). Once the recycled PIA composition is prepared, it can be designated as having a recycled content based on and derived from at least a portion of the quota, again, whether or not recycled textile raw materials are used to prepare the recycled PIA composition. Quotas can be pulled or deducted from the directory. The amount subtracted and/or applied to the recovered PIA can correspond to any of the methods described above, such as mass balance methods.

In one embodiment, the recovered PIA compound or composition can be prepared by having a quota inventory, reacting the reactant compound or composition synthetically to produce recovered PIA, and applying a recovery amount to the recovered PIA, thereby obtaining recovered PIA by deducting the quota amount from the quota inventory. The recycling PIA manufacturer may have the quota directory by itself or by a member of its physical family who owns, processes, or runs the directory, or by a third party who runs at least a portion of the directory for the recycling PIA manufacturer or its physical family, or as a service provided to the recycling PIA manufacturer or a member of its physical family. The amount of quota deducted from the inventory is flexible and will depend on the amount of recycle content applied to recycle the PIA. Sufficient, if not an entire amount, to correspond to at least a portion of the recovered content applied to the recovered PIA. The calculation method may be a mass balance method or the above calculation method. The quota inventory can be established on any basis, and can be a basic mix, so long as at least a certain amount of quota in the inventory is attributable to gasifying a feedstock comprising fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates. The recycling content quota applied to recycling the PIA does not have to be derived from gasifying the feedstock containing fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates, but can be derived from any other method that generates a quota from the recycled waste, such as by methanolysis or gasification of the recycled waste, as long as the quota also contains or has a quota credit derived from gasifying the feedstock containing fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates. However, in one embodiment, the recycle content applied to recycle the PIA is a quota obtained by gasifying a feedstock containing at least densified textile agglomerates.

The following are examples that specify or state the recovered content to recover PIA or the recovered content to the reactant compound or composition:

1. recycling PIA manufacturers apply at least a portion of the quota to the polymer and/or article composition, wherein the quota is associated with the pre-ground densified textile-derived syngas stream, and the reactant compound or composition used to make the recycling PIA does not contain any recycle content or it does contain a recycle content; or

2. A recycled PIA manufacturer applying at least a portion of the quota to the polymer and/or article composition, wherein the quota is derived directly or indirectly from a recycled content of a reactant compound or composition, regardless of whether such reactant compound or composition volume is used to manufacture recycled PIA; or

3. A recycled PIA manufacturer applying at least a portion of the quota to a recycled PIA composition, wherein the quota is directly or indirectly derived from recycled textile feedstock used to manufacture the recycled PIA applying the quota, and:

a. using all recycle content in the recycled textile material to determine the amount of recycle content in the recycled PIA, or

b. Applying only a portion of the recycle content of the recycled textile raw material to determine the amount of recycle content applied to the recycled PIA, the remainder being stored in a catalog for future recycled PIA, or for application to other existing recycled PIA made from recycled textile raw material that does not contain any recycle content, or for increasing the recycle content on existing recycled PIA, or combinations thereof, or

c. The recycle content in the recycled textile material is not applied to the recycled PIA but is stored in a catalogue and the recycle content from any source is subtracted from the catalogue and applied to the recycled PIA; or

4. A recycled PIA manufacturer applying at least a portion of a quota to a reactant compound or composition used to manufacture the recycled PIA, thereby obtaining the recycled PIA, wherein the quota is obtained by assigning or purchasing the same reactant compound or composition used to manufacture the recycled PIA, and the quota is associated with a recycle content in the reactant compound or composition; or

5. A recycled PIA manufacturer applying at least a portion of a quota to a reactant compound or composition used to manufacture the recycled PIA, thereby obtaining the recycled PIA, wherein the quota is obtained by assigning or purchasing the same reactant compound or composition used to manufacture the recycled PIA, and the quota is not associated with a recycle content of the reactant compound or composition; but rather to the recovered content of monomers used to make the reactant compound or composition; or

6. A recycled PIA manufacturer applying at least a portion of a quota to a reactant compound or composition used to manufacture the recycled PIA, thereby obtaining the recycled PIA, wherein the quota is not obtained by assigning or purchasing the reactant compound or composition, and the quota is associated with a recycle content of the reactant compound or composition; or

7. A recycled PIA manufacturer applying at least a portion of a quota to a reactant compound or composition used to manufacture the recycled PIA, thereby obtaining the recycled PIA, wherein the quota is not obtained by assigning or purchasing the same reactant compound or composition, and the quota is not associated with a recycle content of the reactant compound or composition; but rather to the recovered content of any monomer used to make the reactant compound or composition; or

8. Recycling PIA manufacturers have obtained a quota derived from gasifying a feedstock containing fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates, and:

a. not applying a portion of the quota to a reactant compound or composition to produce recovered PIA, and applying at least a portion to recovered PIA to produce recovered PIA; or

b. Less than all of the portion is applied to the reactant compound or composition used to prepare the recovered PIA, while the remainder is stored in the inventory or applied to future prepared recovered PIA or to existing recovered PIA in the inventory.

In one embodiment, the recycled PIA, or articles made therefrom, can be offered for sale or sale as recycled PIA offers containing or obtained with recycled content. The sale or offering for sale may be accompanied by a proof or metaphor for a recovered content claim (claim) associated with the recovered PIA or an article made with the recovered PIA.

The quota and specified acquisition (whether internally, e.g., by a bookkeeping or inventory tracking software program, or externally, by declaration, authentication, advertising, presentation, etc.) may be by the recycled PIA manufacturer or within a family of recycled PIA manufacturer entities. The designation of at least a portion of the reclaimed PIA as corresponding to at least a portion of a quota (e.g., an allocation or credit) can be made in a variety of ways and according to the system employed by the manufacturer of the reclaimed PIA, which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. This specification may occur internally, for example, simply by recycling log entries in a book or file of the PIA manufacturer or other catalog software program, or by instructions, packaging, advertising or statements on the product, by a flag associated with the product, by an authentication statement associated with the product being sold, or by a formula that calculates the amount to be deducted from the catalog relative to the amount of recycled content applied to the product.

Alternatively, the recovered PIA may be sold. In one embodiment, a method of offering for sale or sale of a polymer and/or article is provided by:

a. a recycled PIA manufacturer, or a family of entities thereof, that obtains or generates a recycling content quota, and that quota can be obtained by any of the methods described herein and can be deposited into inventory, the recycling content quota being derived from recycled textiles made into densified textile agglomerates or from densified textile agglomerates,

b. Converting a reactant compound or composition during synthesis to produce a compound, composition, polymer, and/or article composition,

c. a recovery content is assigned (e.g., distributed or associated) to at least a portion of a compound, composition, polymer, and/or article composition from an allotment catalog, wherein the catalog comprises at least one entry, the at least one entry being an allotment associated with the gasification of a feedstock comprising densified textile agglomerates. The designation may be a quota amount deducted from the catalog, or a recycle content amount declared or determined in its account by the recycle PIA manufacturer. Thus, the amount of recovered content does not necessarily have to be physically applied to recover the PIA product. The designation may be an internal designation to or by the recycling PIA manufacturer or its physical family or a service provider having a contractual relationship with the recycling PIA manufacturer or its physical family, an

d. Offering to sell or sell a compound, composition, polymer, and/or article composition containing or obtained at least in part corresponding to the specified recovery level. An amount expressed as the recycle content contained in the recycle PIA for sale or sale has a relationship or association with the designation. The amount of recycle content can be a 1:1 relationship of the amount of recycle content declared on the recycle PIA offered for sale or sale to the amount of recycle content assigned or assigned to the recycle PIA by the recycle PIA manufacturer.

The steps need not be sequential and may be independent of each other. For example, the steps of obtaining a quota a) and preparing recovered PIA from the reactant compound or composition can be performed simultaneously.

As used throughout, the step of deducting quotas from the quota inventory need not be applied to the recovery of PIA products. Deduction does not mean that the amount disappears or is removed from the directory log. The deduction may be an adjustment entry, a withdrawal, an addition of an entry as a debit, or any other algorithm that adjusts inputs and outputs based on the amount of recycle content associated with the product and one or a cumulative credit amount in the catalog. For example, the deduction may be a simple step in the same program or book of deducting/debiting an entry from one column and adding/crediting to another, or an algorithm of automated deduction and entry/addition and/or application or assignment to a product information board. The step of applying quotas to reclaimed PIA products, wherein such quotas are deducted from the inventory, also does not require that quotas be physically applied to reclaimed PIA products or to any documents published in association with the sold reclaimed PIA products. For example, a recycled PIA manufacturer may ship recycled PIA product to a customer and meet an "application" to the quota on recycled PIA product by electronically transmitting a recycled content credit to the customer.

In one embodiment, the amount of recycle content in the recycled textile feedstock or the recycled PIA will be based on a distribution amount or credit obtained by the manufacturer of the recycled PIA composition, or an amount available in a quota catalog of the recycled PIA manufacturer. A portion or all of the allocation or credit obtained or owned by the manufacturer of the recycled PIA may be designated and allocated to recycled textile raw materials or recycled PIA based on the mass balance. The assigned value for the recycle content of recycled textile raw materials or recycled PIA should not exceed the total amount of all the allotments and/or credits available to the manufacturer of the recycled PIA or other entity authorized to assign the recycle content value to the recycled PIA.

There is now also provided a method of introducing or establishing a recovered level in a compound, composition, polymer and/or article without having to use a reactant compound or composition having a recovered level. In the case of this method, it is preferred that,

a. the synthesis gas manufacturer produces a recycle textile derived synthesis gas stream, and

b. polymer and/or article manufacturers:

i. a quota associated with the gasified densified textile agglomerates is obtained,

preparing polymers and/or articles from any reactant compound or composition, and

Associating at least a portion of the quota with at least a portion of the polymer and/or article, regardless of whether the reactant compound or composition used to prepare the polymer and/or article contains a recovery level.

In this method, the polymer and/or article manufacturer need not purchase the recycled reactant compound or composition from a particular source or supplier, and need not use or purchase the reactant compound or composition with a recycled content to successfully establish the recycled content in the polymer and/or article composition. A polymer or article manufacturer may use any source of reactant compound or composition and apply at least a portion of the apportioned amount or credit to at least a portion of the reactant compound or composition starting material or at least a portion of the polymer and/or article product. The association of the polymer and/or article manufacturer can occur in any form, whether by way of a catalog, internal accounting method, or statement or claim made to a third party or the public.

Also provided is the use of the reactant compound or composition, including the conversion of densified textile agglomerates in any synthesis process (e.g., gasification) to produce syngas and/or recover PIA.

Also provided is a use of a method of recovering densified textile agglomerates, comprising converting a reactant compound or composition during synthesis to produce a polymer and/or article, and applying at least a portion of a quota of the polymer and/or article to the reactant compound or composition, wherein the quota is associated with gasifying a feedstock containing a fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates, or is derived from a quota catalogue, wherein at least one entry into the catalogue is associated with gasifying the feedstock containing the fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates.

In one embodiment, a polymer and/or article composition obtained by any of the methods described above is provided.

The reactant compound or composition, e.g., the reactant compound or composition, can be stored in a storage vessel and transported to a recycled PIA manufacturing facility by truck, pipeline, or ship, or the reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility can be integrated with the recycled PIA facility, as described further below. The reactant compound or composition can be transported or transferred to an operator or facility that produces the polymer and/or article.

In one embodiment, the process for preparing recycled PIA can be an integrated process. One such example is a process for making recovered PIA by:

a. Gasifying a feedstock containing fossil fuels and recycled densified textile agglomerates to produce a densified textile-derived syngas stream; and

b. reacting the densified textile-derived syngas or a non-densified textile-derived syngas prepared in a reaction regime in a gasifier to produce a reactant compound or composition;

c. reacting any reactant compound or composition during the synthesis to produce a polymer and/or article;

d. storing a quota into a catalog, the quota resulting from gasifying a feedstock comprising a fossil fuel and recycled densified textile agglomerates; and

e. applying any quota from the catalog to the polymer and/or article to obtain a recovered content polymer and/or article composition.

In one embodiment, two or more facilities may be integrated and the recovered PIA prepared. The facilities for producing the recovered PIA, reactant compound or composition, or syngas can be separate facilities or facilities integrated with each other. For example, a system can be established that produces and consumes a reactant compound or composition, as follows:

a. providing a reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility configured to produce a reactant compound or composition;

b. Providing a polymer and/or article manufacturing facility having a reactor configured to receive a reactant compound or composition from a reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility and to produce a polymer and/or article; and

c. a supply system providing fluid communication between the two facilities, the supply system capable of supplying a reactant compound or composition from a reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility to a polymer and/or article manufacturing facility,

wherein the reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility generates or participates in a process of generating a quota and gasifying a feedstock containing a fossil fuel and recovering densified textile agglomerate, and:

(i) the quota being applied to the reactant compound or composition, or to the polymer and/or article reactant, or

(ii) Into an quota catalog, and any quota is removed from the catalog and applied to the reactant compound or composition or polymer and/or article.

The reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility can prepare recycled PIA by receiving any reactant compound or composition from the reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility and applying the recycled content to the polymer and/or article prepared with the reactant compound or composition by deducting the quota from its inventory and applying them, optionally in amounts using the methods described above. The quota taken from inventory and applied may be that obtained by any source of recycle content and need not be that associated with the gasified densified textile agglomerates.

In one embodiment, there is also provided a system for producing recycled PIA as follows:

a. providing a gasification manufacturing facility configured to produce an output composition comprising a densified textile-derived syngas stream;

b. providing a reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility configured to receive a flow of recycled textile-derived syngas from a gasification manufacturing facility and prepare one or more downstream products of the syngas via a reaction scheme to produce an output composition comprising a reactant compound or composition;

c. providing a polymer and/or article manufacturing facility having a reactor configured to receive a reactant compound or composition and to prepare an output composition comprising a recovered content of recovered PIA; and

d. a supply system providing fluid communication between at least two of these facilities and capable of supplying an output composition of one manufacturing facility to another one or more of the manufacturing facilities.

The polymer and/or article manufacturing facility can produce recycled PIA. In this system, the gasification manufacturing facility may place its output in fluid communication with the reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility, which in turn may place its output in fluid communication with the polymer and/or article manufacturing facility. Alternatively, the manufacturing facilities of a) and b) may be in fluid communication individually, or only b) and c). In the latter case, the polymer and/or article manufacturing facility can directly produce the recovered PIA by converting the recovered textile content syngas produced in the gasification manufacturing facility all the way to the recovered PIA; or indirectly preparing the recovered PIA by: any reactant compound or composition from a reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility is accepted, and the recycle content is applied to the recycled PIA by deducting the quota from its inventory and applying them (optionally in amounts using the methods described above) to the recycled PIA. The quota obtained and stored in the directory may be obtained by any of the methods described above.

The fluid communication may be gaseous or liquid or both. The fluid communication need not be continuous and may be interrupted by storage tanks, valves or other purification or treatment facilities, as long as the fluid can be transported from the manufacturing facility to subsequent facilities through the interconnected network of pipes and without the use of trucks, trains, ships or airplanes. Further, facilities may share the same site, or in other words, one site may contain two or more facilities. In addition, facilities may also share storage tank sites or storage tanks for auxiliary chemicals, or may also share utilities, steam or other heat sources, etc., but are also considered separate facilities because their unit operations are separate. Facilities are typically defined by equipment boundary lines (battery limit).

In one embodiment, the integration process includes at least two facilities co-located within 5 miles, or within 3 miles, or within 2 miles, or within 1 mile of each other (as measured in a straight line). In one embodiment, at least two facilities are owned by the same entity family.

In one embodiment, an integrated recycled PIA production and consumption system is also provided. The system comprises:

a. Providing a gasification manufacturing facility configured to produce an output composition comprising a recycled textile-derived syngas stream obtained by gasifying a fossil fuel and recycling densified textile agglomerates;

b. providing a reactant compound or composition manufacturing facility configured to receive a densified textile-derived syngas stream from a gasification manufacturing facility and prepare one or more downstream products of the syngas via a reaction scheme to produce an output composition comprising a reactant compound or composition;

c. providing a polymer and/or article manufacturing facility having a reactor configured to receive the reactant compound or composition and to prepare an output composition comprising a polymer and/or article; and

d. a piping system interconnecting at least two of the facilities, optionally with intermediate processing equipment or storage facilities, the piping system being capable of withdrawing an output composition from one facility and receiving the output at any one or more of the other facilities.

The system does not necessarily require fluid communication between the two facilities, although fluid communication is desirable. For example, the densified textile derived syngas can be transported to a reactant compound or composition facility through a network of interconnected conduits that can be interrupted by other processing equipment, such as processing, purification, pumping, compression, or equipment suitable for combining streams or storage facilities, all of which contain optional metering, valving, or interlocking equipment. The apparatus may be fixed to the ground or to a structure fixed to the ground. The interconnecting piping need not be connected to the reactant compound or composition reactor or cracker, but rather to the delivery and receiving points at the respective facilities. The interconnecting piping system need not connect all three facilities to each other, but the interconnecting piping system may be between facilities a) -b), or b) -c), or a) -b) -c).

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the total amount of carbon in the densified textile agglomerates is at least 60 wt.%, or at least 65 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, or at least 80 wt.%.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the total amount of hydrogen in the densified textile is desirably at least 5 wt.%, or at least 8 wt.%, or at least 10 wt.%.

In another embodiment, the ratio of total hydrogen to total carbon in the densified textile agglomerate feed is higher than the ratio of other fuel sources. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the ratio (by weight) of total hydrogen to total carbon in the densified textile agglomerates used in the gasifier feed is at least 0.075, or at least 0.08, or at least 0.085, or at least 0.09, or at least 0.095, or at least 0.1, or at least 0.11, or at least 0.12, or at least 0.13.

In another embodiment, the average fixed carbon content of the densified textile agglomerates used in the feedstock composition is less than 75 wt.%, or not greater than 70 wt.%, or not greater than 65 wt.%, or not greater than 60 wt.%, or not greater than 55 wt.%, or not greater than 45 wt.%, or not greater than 40 wt.%, or not greater than 35 wt.%, or not greater than 30 wt.%, or not greater than 25 wt.%, or not greater than 20 wt.%, or not greater than 15 wt.%, or not greater than 10 wt.%, or not greater than 8 wt.%, or not greater than 6 wt.%, or not greater than 5 wt.%, or not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3 wt.%, or not greater than 2 wt.%, or not greater than 1 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates. The fixed carbon content is the combustible solids (other than ash) remaining after the material is heated and volatiles removed. It can be determined by subtracting the percentages of moisture, volatiles, and ash from the sample.

If a large number of densified textile agglomerates are used, there is a large mismatch in their fixed carbon content compared to the fossil fuels used, and the syngas composition may vary beyond what is desired. For example, in an entrained flow (entrainment flow) high temperature gasifier, densified textile aggregate solids with very low fixed carbon content can be gasified more easily than coal, proceeding to produce more carbon dioxide over the residence time experienced by the coal, while co-feeding of solids with much higher fixed carbon content than coal will take longer to gasify and produce more unconverted solids. The extent to which the syngas composition can be tolerated will depend on the use of the syngas, and in the case of chemicals, it is desirable to minimize factors that can cause broader variations in the syngas composition. By keeping the concentration of the reduced-diameter textiles in the solids low during this process, the variation in syngas composition due to the use of densified textile agglomerates can be ignored.

The amount of densified textile agglomerates present in the feedstream is at most 25 wt.%, or at most 20 wt.%, or at most 15 wt.%, or at most 12 wt.%, or at most 10 wt.%, or at most 7 wt.%, or at most 5 wt.%, or less than 5 wt.%, based on the weight of solids in the fuel feedstream or composition, or may be in the range of from 0.1 wt.% to 25 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 20 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 15 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 12 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 7 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to less than 5 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 2 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 0.5 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.%, or from 0.1 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.%, based on the weight of the total weight of the fuel feed stream, or from 0.5 wt.% to 7 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to less than 5 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 2 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to less than 2 wt.%, or from 0.5 wt.% to 1.5 wt.%, 1 wt.% to 25 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 20 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 15 wt.%, or in the range of 1 wt.% to 12 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 7 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to less than 5 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 2 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or from 1 wt.% to 2 wt.%, based on the weight of the feed stock, in the case, the total weight of the feed is from 1.5 wt.% of the gasifier, or from 1 wt.% of the feed, or from 1 wt.% of the liquid, or from the gasifier, or alternatively based on the weight of all solids in the feed stream or composition fed to the gasifier or gasification zone. Since the densified textile agglomerates on average have a much lower fixed carbon content than solid fossil fuels, they will produce a greater amount of carbon dioxide than solid fossil fuels in the gasification zone at the same residence time as the solid fossil fuels and on the same weight basis. Desirably, the amount of densified textile agglomerates is low to obtain the advantage of minimizing the increase in carbon dioxide content over that produced by solid fossil fuels alone. For example, the amount of densified textile agglomerates is no more than 10 wt.%, or no more than 9 wt.%, or no more than 8 wt.%, or no more than 7 wt.%, or no more than 6 wt.%, or no more than 5 wt.%, or no more than 4 wt.%, or no more than 3.5 wt.%, or no more than 3 wt.%, or no more than 2.75 wt.%, or no more than 2.5 wt.%, or no more than 2.25 wt.%, or no more than 2 wt.%, or no more than 1.75 wt.%, or no more than 1.5 wt.%, or no more than 1.25 wt.%, or no more than 1 wt.%, based on the weight of all fuel gasifiers fed to the gasifier (and the fuel does not include oxidant, steam, water, or carbon dioxide gas), or based on the weight of all solids fed to the gasifier. Examples of the amount of densified textile agglomerates present in the feedstock composition include 0.25 wt.% to less than 5 wt.%, or 0.25 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or 0.25 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or 0.25 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, or 0.5 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or 0.5 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or 0.5 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or 0.5 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 4 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, each based on the weight of fuel or solids in the feedstock composition.

In another embodiment, the average fixed carbon content of the densified textile agglomerates used in the gasifier feed composition is at least 3% less, or at least 5% less, or at least 7% less, or at least 9% less, or at least 10% less, or at least 13% less, or at least 15% less, or at least 17% less, or at least 20% less, or at least 23% less, or at least 25% less, or at least 27% less, or at least 30% less, or at least 32% less, or at least 35% less, or at least 38% less, or at least 40% less, or at least 43% less, or at least 45% less, or at least 47% less, or at least 50% less, or at least 55% less, or at least 60% less than the fixed carbon content of all the solid fossil fuels employed in the gasifier feed composition, or any solid other than the densified textile agglomerates, or any other solid, or any other fuel fed to the gasifier, or at least 70% less, or at least 80% less, or at least 90% less, or at least 95% less.

The densified textile agglomerates can have a considerable average sulfur content, since high-temperature or slagging gasifiers are well equipped to treat sulfur, despite the fact that textiles have very low or only trace amounts of sulfur. The densified textile agglomerates can have an average sulfur content of at most 1 wt.%, or at most 0.5 wt.%, or at most 0.25 wt.%, or at most 0.1 wt.%, or at most 0.05 wt.%, or at most 0.01 wt.%, or at most 0.005 wt.%, or at most 0.0001 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates.

The densified textile agglomerates can have widely varying ash content depending on the type of textile from which they are made and the purity of the densified textile agglomerates flowing to the selected densified textile agglomerates. The densified textile agglomerates can have an average ash content of at least 1 wt.%, or at least 2 wt.%, or at least 3 wt.%, or at least 4 wt.%, or at least 5 wt.%, or at least 5.5 wt.%, or at least 6 wt.%, or at least 7 wt.%, or at least 10 wt.%, or at least 15 wt.%, or at least 20 wt.%, or at least 25 wt.%, or at least 30 wt.%, or at least 35 wt.%, or at least 40 wt.%, or at least 45 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates. The average ash content of the densified textile agglomerates can be greater than 60 wt.%, or not greater than 55 wt.%, or not greater than 40 wt.%, or not greater than 30 wt.%, or not greater than 20 wt.%, or not greater than 15 wt.%, or not greater than 10 wt.%, desirably not greater than 8 wt.%, or not greater than 7 wt.%, or not greater than 6 wt.%, or not greater than 5.5 wt.%, or not greater than 5 wt.%, or not greater than 4.5 wt.%, or not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3 wt.%, or not greater than 2.5 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates.

In another embodiment, the average oxygen content in the densified textile agglomerates may be zero or at least 0.1 wt.%, or at least 0.5 wt.%, or at least 1 wt.%, or at least 2 wt.%, or at least 4 wt.%, or at least 6 wt.%, or at least 8 wt.%, or at least 10 wt.%, or at least 13 wt.%, or at least 15 wt.%, or at least 18 wt.%, or at least 20 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates. Desirably, to improve HHV, the amount of oxygen is kept low, e.g., no greater than 20 wt.%, or no greater than 15 wt.%, or no greater than 10 wt.%, or no greater than 8 wt.%, or no greater than 5 wt.%, or no greater than 4 wt.%, or no greater than 2 wt.%, or no greater than 1 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates.

In the densified textile agglomerates, the content of minerals, metals, and elements other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur can be at least 0.01 wt.%, or at least 0.1 wt.%, or at least 0.5 wt.%, or at least 1 wt.%, or at least 1.5 wt.%, or at least 1.8 wt.%, or at least 2 wt.%, or at least 2.3 wt.%, or at least 2.5 wt.%, or at least 2.8 wt.%, or at least 3 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates. The upper limit amount is not particularly limited, and typically is not greater than 8 wt.%, or not greater than 7 wt.%, or not greater than 6 wt.%, or not greater than 5 wt.%, or not greater than 4.5 wt.%, or not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3.8 wt.%.

The particle size of the densified textile agglomerates is desirably no greater than the maximum size acceptable for the gasifier in use. Many coal fed gasifiers can grind or mill the coal to a desired size prior to feeding the coal to the gasification zone. Relying on such grinding or milling operations to achieve the desired particle size of the densified textile agglomerates densified by the heat treatment process is not desirable because the elasticity or elastic variability of the densified textile agglomerates can cause them to wafer, flake, or otherwise smear when co-pelletized or co-milled with harder and brittle carbonaceous fuel sources such as coal or petroleum coke. However, in one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates can be fed with the solid fossil fuel to a solid fossil fuel milling or grinding operation to reduce the size of the agglomerates because the agglomerates are more fragile and easier to separate than particles made by a heat treatment process. In this embodiment, the size of the agglomerates fed to the mill or grinder is greater than the maximum size acceptable to the gasifier in use, or greater than the average particle size of the solid fossil fuel after grinding or milling or when fed to the gasifier, in each case measured as the maximum size and taken as the average median particle size. However, if desired, due to the variability in thermoplastic content and polymer type in the densified textile agglomerates, whether in agglomerate form or in heat-treated particulate form, can have a size that does not exceed the maximum size that can be accepted by the gasifier in use, or that does not exceed or is less than the average target particle size of the solid fossil fuel after grinding or milling or when fed to the gasifier, in each case measured as the maximum size and as the average median particle size.

The actual particle size of the densified textile agglomerates can vary depending on the type of gasifier used. For example, particles having a maximum size with an average particle size of 1/4 inches or less cannot be processed through an entrained flow coal gasifier. However, fixed bed or moving bed gasifiers can accept larger particle sizes. Examples of suitable dimensions for the densified textile agglomerates fed to a fixed bed or moving bed gasifier are no greater than 12 inches, or no greater than 8 inches, or no greater than 6 inches, or no greater than 5 inches, or no greater than 4 inches, or no greater than 3.75 inches, or no greater than 3.5 inches, or no greater than 3 inches, or no greater than 2.75 inches, or no greater than 2.5 inches, or no greater than 2.25 inches, or no greater than 2 inches, or no greater than 1.75 inches, or no greater than 1.5 inches, or no greater than 1.25 inches. The dimension may be at least 2mm, or at least 1/8 inches, or at least 1/4 inches, or at least 1/2 inches, or at least 1 inch, or at least 1.5 inches, or at least 1.75 inches, or at least 2 inches, or at least 2.5 inches, or at least 3 inches, or at least 3.5 inches, or at least 4 inches, or at least 4.5 inches, or at least 5 inches, or at least 5.5 inches. Such relatively large densified textile agglomerates are more suitable for use in fixed bed or moving bed gasifiers, especially those of updraft fixed bed or moving bed gasifiers.

For many gasifier designs, fossil fuels (coal or petroleum coke) and densified textile aggregates are reduced in size for a variety of purposes. The densified textile agglomerates are of small size because the fossil fuel source (i) allows faster reaction once inside the gasifier due to mass transfer limitations, (ii) produces a stable, fluid, and water-flowable slurry at high solids concentration in the slurry-fed gasifier, (iii) is delivered through processing equipment with tight clearances, such as high pressure pumps, valves, and feed injectors, (iv) flows through screens between the mill or grinder and the gasifier, or (v) is delivered with the gas used to deliver the solid fossil fuel to the dry-fed gasifier.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerate particle size desirably is no more than 5 inches, or no more than 4 inches, or no more than 1 inch, or no more than 1/4 inches, or no more than 2 mm. The larger size is useful for addition to fixed or moving bed gasifiers, particularly updraft gasifiers, to provide sufficient density to allow them to contact the bed as solids that are not fully carbonized or converted to ash.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the solids in the gasifier feed, including the densified textile agglomerates, have a particle size of 2mm or less. This embodiment is particularly attractive for entrained flow gasifiers and fluidized bed gasifiers, including dry feed gasifiers and slurry feed gasifiers. As used throughout, unless expressed on a different basis (e.g., an average), the size means that at least 90 wt.% of the particles have a maximum size within the size, or alternatively, 90 wt.% pass through a sieve designated as that particle size. Either condition satisfies the granularity specification. For entrained flow gasifiers, densified textile agglomerates greater than 2mm in size have the potential to be blown through the gasification zone of the entrained flow gasifier without complete gasification, particularly when gasification conditions are established to gasify solid fossil fuels having a particle size of 2mm or less.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the size of the densified textile agglomerates themselves or in combination with fossil fuels, or the size in the gasifier feed, or the size injected into the gasification zone, is 2mm or less, or constitutes particles passing 10 mesh, or 1.7mm or less (those passing 12 mesh), or 1.4mm or less (those passing 14 mesh), or 1.2mm or less (those passing 16 mesh), or 1mm or less (those passing 18 mesh), or 0.85mm or less (those passing 20 mesh), or 0.7mm or less (those passing 25 mesh), or 0.6mm or less (those passing 30 mesh), or 0.5mm or less (those passing 35 mesh), or 0.4mm or less (those passing 40 mesh), or 0.35mm or less (those passing 45 mesh), or 0.3mm or less (those particles passing 50 mesh), or 0.25mm or less (those particles passing 60 mesh), or 0.15mm or less (those particles passing 100 mesh), or 0.1mm or less (those particles passing 140 mesh), or 0.07mm or less (those particles passing 200 mesh), or 0.044mm or less (those particles passing 325 mesh), or 0.037mm or less (those particles passing 400 mesh). In another embodiment, the size of the densified textile agglomerate particles is at least 0.037mm (or 90% retained on 400 mesh).

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the densified textile agglomerates have a particle size that is acceptable for gasification within the design parameters of the type of gasifier used after optional screening. The particle sizes of the densified textile agglomerates and the solid fossil fuel can be sufficiently matched to maintain the stability of the slurry and avoid coal/densified textile agglomerates separation at high solids concentrations prior to entering the gasification zone in the gasifier. Whether between solids/liquids or solids/solids in the slurry, or between solids/solids in a dry feed, or between solids/liquids in a liquid feedstock, the phase separated feedstock composition can plug pipelines, create localized areas of vaporized densified textile agglomerates, create inconsistent fossil fuel/densified textile agglomerate ratios, and can affect the consistency of the syngas composition. Variables to consider in determining the stability of the feedstock composition include setting the optimum particle size of the densified textile agglomerates, variables to determine the optimum particle size include the bulk density of the ground coal, the concentration of all solids in the slurry or the solids/solids concentration in the dry feed if a slurry is used, the effectiveness of any additives used, such as surfactants/stabilizers/viscosity modifiers, and the velocity and turbulence of the feedstock composition entering the gasifier and passing through the injector nozzle.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the bulk density of the final milled densified textile agglomerates is within 150%, or within 110%, or within 100%, or within 75%, or within 60%, or within 55%, or within 50%, or within 45%, or within 40%, or within 35% of the bulk density of the milled fossil fuel (used as feed to the gasification zone). For example, if the granulated coal has a bulk density of 40lbs./ft³The bulk density of the densified textile agglomerates was 33lbs./ft³The bulk density of the densified textile aggregate will be within 21% of the ground coal. For measurement purposes, after final grinding, the bulk density of the densified textile agglomerates and fossil fuel were determined on a dry basis (without addition of water), even though they were ultimately used as a slurry.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the maximum particle size of the densified textile agglomerates is selected to be similar to (lower than or higher than) the maximum particle size of the ground solid fossil fuel. The maximum particle size of the densified textile agglomerates used in the gasifier feed can be no more than 50%, or no more than 45%, or no more than 40%, or no more than 35%, or no more than 30%, or no more than 25%, or no more than 20%, or no more than 15%, or no more than 10%, or no more than 5%, or no more than 3%, or no more than 2%, or no more than 1%, or no more than or less than the maximum solid fossil fuel size in the gasifier feed. Alternatively, the maximum particle size of the densified textile agglomerates used in the gasifier feed as described above may be within the values (meaning not greater than and not less than). The maximum particle size is not determined as the maximum size of the particle distribution, but by sieving through a sieve opening. The maximum particle size is determined to be the first mesh size that allows at least 90 vol% (volume%) of the sample of particles to pass through. For example, if less than 90 vol% of a sample passes 300 mesh, then 100 mesh, 50 mesh, 30 mesh, 16 mesh, but successfully passes 14 mesh, the sample is considered to have a maximum particle size corresponding to a first mesh size that allows at least 90 vol% to pass, and in this case, 14 mesh corresponds to a maximum particle size of 1.4 mm.

The densified textile agglomerates are desirably separated as a densified textile agglomerate feed to be fed to a gasifier for final purposes. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.%, or at least 96 wt.%, or at least 97 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.%, or at least 99 wt.%, or at least 99.5 wt.%, or 100 wt.% of all solid feedstock other than solid fossil fuel and sand fed to the gasifier is densified textile agglomerates based on the cumulative weight of all solid-containing streams fed to the gasifier.

The densified textile agglomerates are combined with one or more fossil fuel components of the feedstock stream at any location prior to introducing the feedstock stream into a gasification zone within a gasifier. The solid fossil fuel milling apparatus will provide an excellent energy source for mixing the densified textile agglomerates with the solid fossil fuel while reducing the size of the solid fossil fuel particles. Thus, one of the desired locations for combining densified textile agglomerates of a target size for feeding into a gasifier is into the equipment for grinding other solid fossil fuel sources (e.g., coal, petroleum coke). This location is particularly attractive in slurry fed gasifiers, because it is desirable to use a feed with the highest stable solids concentration possible, and at higher solids concentrations, the viscosity of the slurry is also high. The torque and shear forces used in fossil fuel milling equipment are high and, in combination with the shear thinning behavior of solid fossil fuel (e.g., coal) slurries, good mixing of the densified textile agglomerates with the milled fossil fuel can be achieved in the fossil fuel milling equipment.

Other locations for combining the densified textile agglomerates with a fossil fuel source can be to combine fossil fuels loaded onto a primary fossil fuel conveyor feeding a mill or grinder, or to combine fossil fuels onto a primary fossil fuel before loading onto a conveyor to a mill or grinder, or to aggregate into a storage tank containing a fossil fuel slurry ground to a final size, particularly if the storage tank is agitated.

More particularly, there are several locations that provide a safe, economical, and efficient way to introduce densified textile agglomerates to a slurry-fed coal gasifier. In further embodiments of the present invention, fig. 5 shows four locations where post-consumer densified textile agglomerates can be introduced. All of these points are in the low pressure section of the process (lower than the pressure in the gasifier or gasification zone), thus reducing the cost of upgrading.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 5, the densified textile agglomerates can be introduced at location 100, i.e., a main fossil fuel conveyor belt (e.g., a coal feed conveyor belt). For convenience, reference is made to coal in fig. 5, but it should be understood that any solid fossil fuel may be used. The densified textile aggregate is metered onto the main coal feed conveyor as it moves with the coal already loaded on the conveyor. The densified textile agglomerates are added to a conveyor belt using a weigh belt feeder or other similar device to measure the mass of the material and the speed of the conveyor belt is measured to determine the rate of addition. Coal is similarly added to the same conveyor belt and will be below the densified textile aggregate. The combined solid mixture of coal and densified textile agglomerates in the appropriate proportions is then transferred to a surge hopper and other storage and transfer equipment until it is ultimately fed to a coal mill. In the coal mill, the coal, densified textile aggregate, water, and viscosity modifier are thoroughly mixed, and the size of the coal is reduced to a target grind size distribution, and the mixture becomes a viscous slurry. Because the densified textile agglomerates are a softer material, they undergo very little or no reduction, but because they are involved in the slurry production process, benefit from extreme mixing in the mill. The densified textile agglomerates have been reduced to the same average size as introduced to the gasification zone and do not require any further reduction after addition of the solid fossil fuel or water used to make the slurry.

In another embodiment of the present invention, densified textile agglomerates can be introduced, as shown in fig. 5 by position number 110. This is the same process as described in location 100 above, except that the densified textile agglomerates are first added to the main coal conveyor belt before the coal is added. In this way, the coal is at the top. Because the bulk density of the densified textile agglomerates can be lower than the bulk density of coal or other solid fossil fuels, they can be more easily blown off the conveyor belt with high winds while depositing or as the densified textile agglomerates move down the conveyor belt, or while screening. This dust and material loss can be greatly reduced due to the denser solid fossil fuel covering the densified textile aggregate.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the densified textile agglomerates can be added at location number 120, the mill. Existing equipment, coal, water and viscosity modifiers have been added to the mill to reduce the particle size of the coal or petroleum coke and produce a viscous slurry with a high solids content. The densified textile agglomerates can be conveyed separately to the entry point of the mill and added directly to the mill in the appropriate proportions. Then, in this process, the mill will grind the solid fossil fuel, producing a slurry and thoroughly mix in the densified textile aggregate. This avoids the effects of wind and weather on the coal, recycled material mixture.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the densified textile agglomerates can be introduced at location 130, the slurry storage tank. Since the densified textile aggregate is pre-ground to the appropriate particle size for introduction into the gasifier, it can be added directly to the slurry holding tank after the grinding/slurry operation. Alternatively, the densified textile agglomerates can be added to the tank through a separate screen or a screen used by the slurry to ensure that no oversized densified textile agglomerates enter the tank. This is the last low pressure addition point before the slurry is pumped under pressure to the gasifier. This will minimize the amount of material that is mixed together during processing. Agitation in the slurry tank will mix the densified textile agglomerates in the densified textile agglomerates to ensure their uniform distribution.

A granulator may be used to obtain the desired reduction. These may include chopping the textile using a high capacity chopper and, if desired, a fine/powder granulator in a final step. For the final step, the fine/powder granulator may be in communication with a conveying system to convey the densified textile agglomerates to a storage container from which the densified textile agglomerates can be fed to any location for preparing the feed stream, or the particles may be continuously fed from the fine granulator to a desired location for preparing the feed stream. The feeding of the granulated densified textile agglomerate particles from the storage vessel can be in batch mode or continuous mode.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the feedstock material, e.g., fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates, are advantageously loose and are not densified by mechanical or chemical means after the densified textile agglomerates are combined with a solid fossil fuel (e.g., coal) (except for natural compaction that may result from storage under its own weight). For example, once the densified textile aggregate is contacted with coal, the combination is not densified.

The solid fossil fuel is typically ground to a size of 2mm or less, and may be ground to any size less than 2mm as described above with respect to the densified textile agglomerates. The small size of the coal and densified textile aggregate particles is advantageous for enhancing uniform suspension in the liquid carrier without settling, allowing sufficient movement relative to the gaseous reactants, ensuring substantially complete gasification, and providing a pumpable slurry of high solids content with minimal grinding.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, both the densified textile agglomerates and the recycled plastic particles are fed to a gasifier. For example, a single feedstock composition may comprise the densified textile agglomerates and recycled plastic particles, or they may be contained in separate streams fed to a gasifier. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.%, or at least 96 wt.%, or at least 97 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.%, or at least 99 wt.%, or at least 99.5 wt.%, or 100 wt.% of all solid feedstocks other than solid fossil fuels fed to the gasifier are densified agglomerated textiles and recycled plastic particles based on the cumulative weight of all solid-containing streams fed to the gasifier.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the solid fed to the gasifier comprises a combination of densified textile agglomerate particles and recycled plastic particles as a solid/solid combination, and desirably also solid fossil fuel particles. The weight ratio of densified textile agglomerates to recycled plastic particles can be from 1:99 to 99:1, or from 10:90 to 90:10, or from 20:80 to 80:20, or from 30:70 to 70: 30.

If recycled plastic particles are used in combination with the densified textile agglomerates, it is desirable that the recycled plastic particles not exceed any of the above dimensions suitable for the densified textile agglomerates.

The solids in the feedstock composition are desirably free of sewage sludge, waste paper or biomass that has not been embedded in the thermoplastic matrix. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the feedstock composition contains any one of sewage sludge, waste paper not embedded in a thermoplastic matrix, biomass, or a combination of two or more in an amount of no greater than 10 wt.%, or no greater than 6 wt.%, or no greater than 5 wt.%, or no greater than 4 wt.%, or no greater than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 2 wt.%, or no greater than 1 wt.%, or no greater than 0.5 wt.%, or no greater than 0.25 wt.%, or no greater than 0.1 wt.%, each based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition.

The densified textile agglomerates can contain some level of inorganic materials other than polymers, such as metals, glass (whether in fibrous or particulate form), mineral fillers, and other inorganic materials. The amount of such material fed into the stock composition in the densified textile agglomerates is desirably less than 8 wt.%, or not greater than 6 wt.%, or not greater than 5 wt.%, or not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3.5 wt.%, or not greater than 2 wt.%, or not greater than 1.5 wt.%, or not greater than 1 wt.%, or not greater than 0.75 wt.%, or not greater than 0.5 wt.%, based on the weight of the densified textile agglomerates.

The amount of solid fossil fuel, e.g., coal, in the feedstock or fed to the gasifier may be at least 10 wt.%, or at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, or at least 93 wt.%, or at least 95 wt.%, or at least 97 wt.%, or at least 98 wt.%, or at least 98.5 wt.%, or at least 99 wt.% and less than 100 wt.%, or less than 99.5 wt.%, based on the weight of solids in the feedstock.

Coal contains a certain amount of ash, which also contains elements other than carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. The amount of elements other than carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur in the fossil fuel or in the feedstock composition desirably is no more than 15 wt.%, or no more than 13 wt.%, or no more than 10 wt.%, or no more than 9 wt.%, or no more than 8.5 wt.%, or no more than 8 wt.%, or no more than 7.5 wt.%, or no more than 7 wt.%, or no more than 6.5 wt.%, or no more than 6 wt.%, or no more than 5.5 wt.%, or no more than 5 wt.%, or no more than 4.5 wt.%, respectively, based on the dry weight of the fossil fuel or on the weight of all dry solids in the feedstock composition or on the weight of the feedstock composition.

The calorific value of the densified textile agglomerates is desirably similar to or better than that of coal. For example, the heat value of the densified textile agglomerates is at least 13,000, or at least 13,500, or at least 14,000BTU/lb, or in the range of 13,000 to 15,000BTU/lb (30MJ/Kg-35MJ/Kg), while bituminous coals can have a heat value in the range of 12,500 to 13,300BTU/lb (29-31 MJ/Kg). In addition, any ash or non-organic material will be melted and vitrified into an ash or slag matrix produced from the inorganics in the coal.

The concentration of solids (e.g., fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates) in the feedstock composition should not exceed the stability limit of the slurry or solid/solid mixture, or be no greater than the ability to pump or feed the feedstock to the gasifier at the target solids concentration. Desirably, the solids content of the slurry should be at least 50 wt.%, or at least 55 wt.%, or at least 60 wt.%, or at least 62 wt.%, or at least 65 wt.%, or at least 68 wt.%, or at least 69 wt.%, or at least 70 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, the balance being a liquid phase that may comprise water and liquid additives. The upper limit is not particularly limited as it depends on the gasifier design. However, given the practical pumpability limitations of the solid fossil fuel feed and maintaining a uniform distribution of solids in the slurry, the solids content of the slagging gasifier for the solid fossil slurry feed desirably should not exceed 75 wt.% or 73 wt.%, the remainder being a liquid phase that may include water and liquid additives (as noted above, gas is not included in the calculation of weight percentages). The solids concentration of the dry feed gasifier desirably is 95 wt.% or more, or 97 wt.% or more, or 98 wt.% or more, or 99 wt.% or more, or 100 wt.%, based on the weight of the gasifier feedstock composition (excluding the weight of gas and moisture contained in the solids).

The slurry feed composition is desirably stable over 5 minutes, or even 10 minutes, or even 15 minutes, or even 20 minutes, or even half an hour, or even 1 hour, or even two hours. The stock slurry is considered to be stable if the initial viscosity of the slurry stock is 100,000cP or less. The initial viscosity can be obtained by the following method. Under ambient conditions (e.g., 25 ℃ and about 1atm), 500-600g of well-mixed sample was left in a 600mL glass beaker. After the slurry was well mixed (e.g., to form a uniform distribution of solids), a Brookfield R/S rheometer equipped with V80-40 blades, operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S, was immersed into the slurry to the bottom of the beaker. After a specified period of time, a viscosity reading is obtained at the beginning of the rotation, which is an initial viscosity reading. The slurry is considered stable if the initial reading to begin viscosity measurement over the specified time period is no greater than 100,000 cP. Alternatively, the same procedure can be used with a Brookfield viscometer equipped with a LV-2 spindle, rotating at a rate of 0.5 rpm. Since different viscosity values will be obtained using different equipment, the type of equipment used should be reported. However, regardless of the difference, under either approach, the slurry is considered stable only if its viscosity is no greater than 100,000cP for the time reported.

The amount of solids in the feedstock composition and its particle size are adjusted to maximize the solids content while maintaining a stable and pumpable slurry. A pumpable slurry is one that has a viscosity of less than 30,000cP, or no greater than 25,000cP, or no greater than 23,000cP, and desirably no greater than 20,000cP, or no greater than 18,000cP, or no greater than 15,000cP, or no greater than 13,000cP in each case at ambient conditions (e.g., 25 ℃ and 1 atm). At higher viscosities, the slurry becomes too thick to be practical to pump. Viscosity measurements were made to determine pumpability of the slurry by mixing a sample of the slurry until a uniform distribution of particles was obtained, and immediately immersing a Brookfield viscometer with LV-2 spindle rotating at 0.5rpm in the well-mixed slurry, reading without delay. Alternatively, a Brookfield R/S rheometer operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S with a V80-40 blade spindle can be used. The measurement method is reported because the values measured at their different shear rates between the two rheometers will yield different values. However, the above cP values apply to either of the rheometer apparatus and procedure.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the slurry feedstock composition has a viscosity of 80,000cP or less, or 70,000cP or less, or 60,000cP or less, 50,000cP or less, or 40,000cP or less, or 35,000cP or less, or 25,000cP or less, or 20,000cP or less, or 15,000cP or less, or 10,000cP or less, in each case at 5 minutes, or even 10 minutes, or even 15 minutes, or even 20 minutes, desirably at 5 minutes or 20 minutes, desirably at 60,000cP or less, or 40,000cP or less.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the fossil fuel is at least coal. The quality of the coal used is not limited. Anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous, lignite, and firewood coals can be a source of coal feedstock. To improve the thermal efficiency of the gasifier, the carbon content of the coal used desirably exceeds 35 wt.%, or at least 42 wt.%, based on the weight of the coal. Accordingly, bituminous or anthracite coals are desirable because of their relatively high energy content.

Sulfur is also commonly present in solid fossil fuels. Desirably, the amount of sulfur is less than 5 wt.%, not greater than 4 wt.%, or not greater than 3 wt.%, or not greater than 2.5 wt.%, and may also include a measure of sulfur, such as at least 0.25 wt.%, or at least 0.5 wt.%, or at least 0.75 wt.%, based on the weight of the solid fossil fuel.

It is also desirable to use solid fossil fuels with low inherent moisture content to increase the thermal efficiency of the gasifier. It is desirable to use coal with a moisture content of less than 25 wt.% or less than 20 wt.% or less than 15 wt.% or not more than 10 wt.% or not more than 8 wt.% to improve the energy efficiency of the gasifier.

Desirably, the heating value of the coal feedstock is at least 11,000BTU/lb, or at least 11,500BTU/lb, or at least 12,500BTU/lb, or at least 13,000BTU/lb, or at least 13,500BTU/lb, or at least 14,000BTU/lb, or at least 14,250BTU/lb, or at least 14,500 BTU/lb.

In slurry feed gasifiers, while the feedstock composition may contain a small amount of liquid hydrocarbon oil leached from the densified textile agglomerates or coal, the feedstock composition desirably contains less than 5 wt.%, or no greater than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 1 wt.%, or no greater than 0.1 wt.% of liquid (at ambient conditions) non-oxygenated hydrocarbon petroleum oil, which is introduced into the feedstock composition as is. Desirably, the feedstock composition contains less than 2 wt.%, or no greater than 1 wt.%, or no added liquid fraction, which is any such fraction from the refined crude oil or reformed slurry feed stream or sent to the slurry feed gasifier.

In the slurry gasifier feed, the liquid or water content present in the feed composition is desirably no greater than 50 wt.%, or no greater than 35 wt.%, or no greater than 32 wt.%, or no greater than 31 wt.%, or no greater than 30 wt.%, based on the weight of the feed composition. Desirably, the amount of liquid or water in the feedstock composition for the slurry feed gasifier is desirably at least 10 wt.%, or at least 15 wt.%, or at least 20 wt.%, or at least 25 wt.%, or at least 27 wt.%, or at least 30 wt.%, based on the weight of the feedstock composition, in each case. The liquid present in the slurry gasifier feed desirably contains at least 95 wt.% water, or at least 96 wt.% water, or at least 97 wt.% water, or at least 98 wt.% water, or at least 99 wt.% water, based on the weight of all liquid fed to the gasifier. In another embodiment, the liquid content of the feedstock composition, other than the chemically synthesized chemical additives that contain oxygen or sulfur or nitrogen atoms, is at least 96 wt.% water, or at least 97 wt.% water, or at least 98 wt.% water, or at least 99 wt.% water, based on the weight of all liquids fed to the gasifier.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, at least a portion of the fuel feedstock to the gasifier is liquid at 25 ℃ and 1 atmosphere, such as an organic feedstock, petroleum or a fraction from refining or distilling crude oil, a hydrocarbon, an oxygenated hydrocarbon, or a synthetic compound. These liquid feedstocks may be derived from any fraction of petroleum distillation or refining, or any chemical synthesized at a chemical manufacturing facility, provided that they are liquids. These liquids are the carbon fuel source for gasification to syngas. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, there is now also provided a combination of a densified textile aggregate and a hydrocarbon liquid fuel or oxygenated hydrocarbon liquid fuel that is liquid at 25 ℃ and 1 atmosphere. Depending on the nature of the liquid fuel feedstock, the densified textile agglomerates may be insoluble, partially soluble, or soluble in the liquid fuel feedstock.

In one embodiment, the water present in the feed stream is not wastewater, or in other words, the water fed to the solids to produce the feed stream is not wastewater. Desirably, the water used is not industrially discharged from any process for the synthesis of chemicals, or it is not municipal wastewater. The water is desirably fresh water or potable water.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the feed stream comprises at least ground coal and densified textile agglomerates. Desirably, the feed stream further comprises water. The amount of water in the feed stream may be from 0 wt.% to 50 wt.%, or from 10 wt.% to 40 wt.%, or from 20 wt.% to 35 wt.%. The feed stream is desirably an aqueous slurry.

In addition to the coal solid fossil fuel and the densified textile aggregate, other additives may be added to and included in the feedstock composition, such as viscosity modifiers and pH modifiers. The total amount of additives may be 0.01 wt.% to 5 wt.%, or 0.05 wt.% to 3 wt.%, or 0.5 wt.% to 2.5 wt.%, based on the weight of the feedstock composition. The amount of any individual additive may also be within these recited ranges.

Viscosity modifiers (which include surfactants) can improve the solids concentration in the slurry gasifier feed. Examples of viscosity modifiers include:

(i) alkyl-substituted amine surfactants such as alkyl-substituted aminobutyric acid, alkyl-substituted polyethoxyamides, alkyl-substituted polyethoxy quaternary ammonium salts, and the like; and

(ii) sulfates, such as organic sulfonates, including ammonium, calcium, and sodium sulfonates, particularly those of lignins and sulfoalkylated lignites;

(iii) A phosphate salt;

(iv) polyoxyalkylene anionic or nonionic surfactants.

More specific examples of alkyl-substituted aminobutyric acid surfactants include N-coco- β -aminobutyric acid, N-tallow- β -aminobutyric acid, N-lauryl- β -aminobutyric acid, and N-oleyl- β -aminobutyric acid. N-coco-beta-aminobutyric acid.

More specific examples of alkyl substituted polyethoxyamide surfactants include polyoxyethylene oleamide, polyoxyethylene tallow amide, polyoxyethylene lauramide, and polyoxyethylene cocamide, wherein 5 to 50 polyoxyethylene moieties are present.

More specific examples of alkyl substituted polyethoxy quaternary ammonium surfactants include methyl bis (2-hydroxyethyl) cocoammonium chloride, methyl polyoxyethylene cocoammonium chloride, methyl bis (2-hydroxyethyl) oleylammonium chloride, methyl polyoxyethylene oleylammonium chloride, methyl bis (2-hydroxyethyl) octadecyl ammonium chloride, and methyl polyoxyethylene octadecyl ammonium chloride.

More specific examples of the sulfonate include sulfonated formaldehyde condensates, naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensates, benzene sulfonate-phenol-formaldehyde condensates, and lignosulfonates.

More specific examples of the phosphate include trisodium phosphate, potassium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, or potassium tripolyphosphate.

Examples of polyoxyalkylene anionic or nonionic surfactants have 1 or more repeating units derived from ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, or from 1 to 200 oxyalkylene units.

Desirably, the surfactant is an anionic surfactant, such as an organic sulfonic acid. Examples are the calcium, sodium and ammonium salts of organic sulfonic acids such as 2, 6-dihydroxynaphthalenesulfonic acid, montanesulfonic acid and ammonium lignosulfonate.

Examples of pH adjusters include aqueous alkali metal and alkaline earth metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide, and ammonium compounds such as 20 to 50 wt.% aqueous ammonium hydroxide. The aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution may be added directly to the feedstock composition prior to entering the gasifier, for example in a coal milling plant or any downstream vessel containing the slurry.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the atomic ratio of total oxygen to carbon entering the gasification zone may be a value in a range of 0.70 to less than 2, or 0.9 to 1.9, or 0.9 to 1.8, or 0.9 to 1.5, or 0.9 to 1.4, or 0.9 to 1.2, or 1 to 1.9, or 1 to 1.8, or 1 to 1.5, or 1 to 1.2, or 1.05 to 1.9, or 1.05 to 1.8, or 1.05 to 1.5, or 1.05 to 1.2. The atomic ratio of free oxygen to carbon entering the gasification zone may also be within these same values. The weight ratios (in pounds) of total oxygen and free oxygen to carbon entering the gasification zone may also each be within these stated values.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the total carbon content in the feedstock composition is at least 40 wt.%, or at least 45 wt.%, or at least 50 wt.%, or at least 55 wt.%, or at least 60 wt.%, or at least 65 wt.%, and desirably at least 70 wt.%, or at least 75 wt.%, or at least 80 wt.%, or at least 85 wt.%, or at least 90 wt.%, each based on the total solids content.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the gasifier feedstock composition is desirably injected with an oxidant into a refractory lined combustion chamber (gasification zone) of a syngas generating gasifier. The feed stream (desirably a slurry) and oxidant are desirably injected into the gasification zone by an injector. The gasification zone can be at a significant pressure, typically about 500psig or greater, or 600psig or greater, or 800psig or greater, or 1000psig or greater. For entrained flow gasifiers, the velocity or flow rate of the feedstock and oxidant streams injected into the gasification zone (or combustion chamber) from the injector nozzle will exceed the rate of flame propagation to avoid flashback.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, it is advantageous to feed only one feedstock composition to the gasifier or gasification zone, or in other words, to feed all of the carbon fuel source to the gasifier in only one stream.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments of the invention, only one feed stream is necessary or used to generate a synthesis gas or product stream, which is a feedstock for the synthesis of the compound.

In another embodiment, the chemical is produced from a first syngas that is sourced from a first gasifier that is fed with a first feedstock composition comprising a solid fossil fuel, without being combined with a second syngas stream that is sourced from any other gasifier that is fed with a second fossil fuel feedstock composition, wherein the solid fossil fuel content between the first and second feedstock compositions differs by greater than 20%, or greater than 10%, or greater than 5% based on the weight of all solids fed to the gasifier. For example, a first syngas stream produced from a first feedstock composition containing 90 wt.% coal will not be combined with syngas streams produced from different gasifiers fed with feedstock compositions containing 70 wt.% coal or no coal, but may be combined with syngas streams containing 72 wt.% coal or more.

In another embodiment, a first syngas from a first gasifier fed with a first feedstock composition comprising a first fixed carbon content is not combined with a second syngas stream from any other gasifier fed with a second feedstock comprising a second fixed carbon content, wherein the difference between the first and second fixed carbon contents is greater than 20%, or greater than 10%, or greater than 5% of each other based on the weight of all solids fed to the gasifier. For example, a first syngas stream produced from a first feedstock composition containing 70 wt.% fixed carbon, based on solids weight, will not be combined with syngas streams produced from different gasifiers fed with feedstock compositions containing 30 wt.% fixed carbon, but may be combined with a syngas stream containing 56 wt.% fixed carbon if a 20% limit is selected.

The feedstock composition may be subjected to a variety of other optional processes prior to entering the gasifier. For example, the slurry may flow through a thickener where excess water is removed from the slurry to achieve the final desired solids concentration of the slurry entering the gasifier vessel. The feedstock composition may be preheated prior to entering the gasifier. In this example, the slurry feed composition is heated to a temperature below the boiling point of water at the operating pressure present in the reaction zone. When the preheater is used, the preheater reduces the heat load on the gasifier and improves the utilization efficiency of both fuel and oxygen.

In one embodiment, or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, at least 80 wt.% of all water required to generate syngas in the reaction zone is supplied in the liquid phase. When petroleum coke is used as the fuel for the gasifier, a portion of the water, for example from 1 wt.% to about 90 wt.% water based on the weight of the water, may be vaporized in the slurry feed preheater or combined with the oxidant stream as vaporized water.

The oxidant is desirably an oxidizing gas, which may include air, and is desirably an oxygen-rich gas in an amount greater than that found in air. The reaction of oxygen and solid fossil fuel is exothermic. Desirably, the oxidant gas contains at least 25 mol% oxygen, or at least 35 mol%, or at least 40 mol%, or at least 50 mol%, or at least 70 mol%, or at least 85 mol%, or at least 90 mol%, or at least 95 mol%, or at least 97 mol%, or at least 98 mol% oxygen, or at least 99 mol%, or at least 99.5 mol%, based on the total moles in the stream of oxidant gas injected into the reaction (combustion) zone of the gasifier. In another embodiment, the total concentration of oxygen in all gases supplied to the gasification zone is also the above-mentioned amount. The specific amount of oxygen supplied to the reaction zone is desirably sufficient to obtain a near or maximum yield of carbon monoxide and hydrogen obtained from the gasification reaction relative to the components in the feedstock composition, taking into account the amount of feedstock, process conditions, and gasifier design.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, no steam is supplied to the gasification zone in the slurry-fed gasifier. The amount of water in the slurry feed system is typically greater than that required for the co-reactant and heat sink to regulate the vaporization temperature. Adding a stream in a slurry fed gasifier will generally unduly absorb heat from the reaction zone and reduce its efficiency. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, steam is fed to a gasification zone in any type of dry feed gasifier, such as an entrained flow gasifier, a fluidized bed gasifier or a fixed or moving bed gasifier. In the case of a dry feed gasifier, steam needs to be added to provide the raw materials needed to produce carbon monoxide.

Other reducible oxygen-containing gases may be supplied to the reaction zone, for example carbon dioxide or simply air. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, no stream enriched in carbon dioxide or nitrogen (e.g., greater than the molar amount present in air, or greater than 2 mol%, or greater than 5 mol%, or greater than 10 mol%, or greater than 40 mol%) is charged to the slurry feed gasifier. Many of these gases are used as carrier gases to propel the dry feed to the gasification zone. Thus, in another embodiment, one or more of these gases are added to the gasification zone as a carrier gas for the dry feed of the solid fossil fuel and densified textile agglomerates. Due to the pressure within the gasification zone, these carrier gases are compressed to provide the motive force for introduction into the gasification zone. Avoiding the energy and equipment consumption for compressing the carrier gas to the feedstock composition, is the slurry feed. Thus, in yet another embodiment, the feed composition comprising at least densified textile agglomerates and solid fossil fuel, or the feed composition introduced into an injector or a filler tube, or the feed composition introduced into a gasification zone, or a combination of all of the foregoing, flowing into a gasifier is free of gas compressed in a gas compression device. Alternatively or additionally, no gas compressed in the gas compression device is fed to the gasification zone or even to the gasifier, other than the oxygen-rich stream described above. Notably, the high pressure feed pump that processes the slurry feed for introduction into the gasification zone is not considered a gas compression device.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, no gas stream containing greater than 0.03 mol%, or greater than 0.02 mol%, or greater than 0.01 mol% carbon dioxide is charged to the gasifier or gasification zone. In another embodiment, no gas stream containing greater than 77 mol%, or greater than 70 mol%, or greater than 50 mol%, or greater than 30 mol%, or greater than 10 mol%, or greater than 5 mol%, or greater than 3 mol% nitrogen is added to the gasifier or gasification zone. In another embodiment, a gas stream containing greater than 77 mol% or greater than 80 mol% nitrogen is fed to the gasifier or gasification zone. In another embodiment, steam is added to the gasification zone or furnace. In yet another embodiment, a gaseous hydrogen stream (e.g., a gaseous hydrogen stream containing greater than 0.1 mol% hydrogen, or greater than 0.5 mol%, or greater than 1 mol%, or greater than 5 mol% hydrogen) is not fed to the gasifier or gasification zone. In another embodiment, a methane gas stream (e.g., a methane gas stream containing greater than 0.1 mol% methane, or greater than 0.5 mol%, or greater than 1 mol%, or greater than 5 mol% methane) is not added to the gasifier or gasification zone. In another embodiment, the only gas stream introduced to the gasification zone is an oxygen-rich gas stream as described above.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the gasifier may be fed to the gasification zone with two or more separate streams. For example, one feedstock composition may contain natural gas (methane) at a concentration of at least 50 mol%, and a second feedstock composition may contain densified textile agglomerates as a dry feed or as a slurry or dispersion in a fuel liquid other than water or in a liquid containing water or containing greater than 50 wt.% water based on the weight of water. In a natural gas fed gasifier, the amount of methane fed to the gasifier is at least 50 mol%, or at least 70 mol%, or at least 80 mol%, or at least 90 mol%, based on the moles of all the gas fed to the gasifier, or based on the moles of all the raw fuel and reactants fed to the gasifier, or even based on the moles of all the fuel fed to the gasifier. Liquids suitable as fuels include those described above that are liquid at 25 ℃ and 1 atmosphere.

The gasification process desirably employed is a partial oxidation gasification reaction. To increase the yield of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, the oxidation process involves partial rather than complete oxidation of fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates, and therefore desirably operates in an oxygen-deficient environment relative to the amount required to completely oxidize 100% of the carbon and hydrogen bonds. This is in contrast to combustion reactions which will use a large stoichiometric excess of oxygen over that required to produce carbon monoxide, resulting in the production of primarily carbon dioxide and water. In a particulate oxidation gasification process, the total oxygen requirement of the gasifier desirably exceeds the amount theoretically required to convert the carbon content of the solid fuel and densified textile agglomerates to carbon monoxide by at least 5%, or at least 10%, or at least 15%, or at least 20%. In general, satisfactory operation can be obtained with a total oxygen supply of 10% to 80% in excess of the theoretical requirement for carbon monoxide production. Examples of suitable amounts of oxygen per pound of carbon are 0.4 to about 3.0 pounds of free oxygen, or 0.6 to 2.5, or 0.9 to 2.5, or 1 to 2.5, or 1.1 to 2.5, or 1.2 to 2.5 pounds of free oxygen per pound of carbon.

The mixing of the feedstock composition and the oxidant is desirably accomplished entirely within the reaction zone by introducing separate streams of the feedstock and oxidant so that they impinge upon each other within the reaction zone. Desirably, the oxidant stream is introduced into the reaction zone of the gasifier at a high velocity to both exceed the flame propagation rate and improve mixing with the feedstock composition. The oxidant is desirably injected into the gasification zone in the range of 25 to 500 feet per second, or 50 to 400 feet per second, or 100 to 400 feet per second. These values will be the velocity of the gaseous oxidizing stream at the injector-gasification zone interface, or the injector tip velocity.

One method for increasing the velocity of the oxidant feed to the gasification zone is by reducing the diameter of the injector or the oxidant ring near the injector tip. Near the tip of the injector, the annular channel converges inwardly in a hollow cone as shown in fig. 3 and 4. Whereby the oxidizing gas is accelerated and discharged from the injector as a high-speed conical stream having a top angle in the desired range of about 30 deg. to 45 deg.. The streams from the injectors converge at a point located about 0-6 inches outside the injector surface. The high velocity stream of oxidizing gas impinges upon the relatively low velocity stream of feedstock material, atomizing it and forming a fine mist comprising minute particles of water and particulate solid fossil fuel highly dispersed in the oxidizing gas. The particles of solid carbonaceous material collide with each other and break down further.

The velocity of the fuel feedstock is determined by the desired production of syngas. A suitable example of the velocity of the feedstock introduced into the gasification zone prior to contact with the oxidant is from 5 to 50 feet per second.

The feedstock composition and oxidant may optionally be preheated to a temperature of greater than about 200 ℃, or at least 300 ℃, or at least 400 ℃. Advantageously, the gasification process does not require preheating of the feedstock composition to efficiently gasify the fuel, and the preheating treatment step can result in a reduction in the energy efficiency of the process. Desirably, the feedstock composition and optional oxidant are not preheated prior to their introduction into the gasifier. The pre-heat treatment step will be to contact the feedstock composition or oxidant with a device that raises the temperature of the feedstock composition sufficiently that the temperature of the feedstock composition or oxidant stream is above 200 ℃, or above 190 ℃, or above 170 ℃, or above 150 ℃, or above 130 ℃, or above 110 ℃, or above 100 ℃, or above 98 ℃, or above 90 ℃, or above 80 ℃, or above 70 ℃, or above 60 ℃ immediately prior to introduction into the injector on the gasifier. For example, while coal may be dried with hot air above 200 ℃, if the feedstock composition is below 200 ℃ when introduced into the injector, this step will not be considered preheating of the feedstock composition.

In another embodiment, no thermal energy (other than the incidental heat from processing equipment such as mills, grinders or pumps) is applied to the feedstock composition containing densified textile agglomerates and solid fossil fuel, or to the oxidant stream, at any point prior to the introduction of the feedstream containing densified textile agglomerates and solid fossil fuel into the injector or gasifier or gasification zone (other than the temperature increase experienced in the injector), which would raise the temperature of the stream by more than 180 ℃, or more than 170 ℃, or more than 160 ℃, or more than 150 ℃, or more than 140 ℃, or more than 130 ℃, or more than 120 ℃, or more than 110 ℃, or more than 100 ℃, or more than 90 ℃, or more than 80 ℃, or more than 70 ℃, or more than 60 ℃, or more than 50 ℃, or more than 40 ℃, or more than 30 ℃.

The method employs a gasification process that is different from an incineration process that produces primarily carbon dioxide and water, or a pyrolysis process, which is a thermal process where pyrolysis degrades a fuel source in the absence of air or oxygen and produces primarily liquid, or a plasma process, because gasification does not employ a plasma arc.

In one embodiment, the type of gasification technology employed is a partial oxidation entrained flow gasifier that produces syngas. This technology is different from fixed bed (or moving bed) gasifiers and fluidized bed gasifiers. In a fixed bed (or moving bed gasifier), the feed stream moves in countercurrent flow with the oxidant gas, and the oxidant gas typically used is air. The feed stream falls into the gasification chamber, accumulates and forms a feed bed. Air (or alternatively oxygen) flows continuously upward from the bottom of the gasifier through the bed of feedstock material while fresh feedstock falls continuously from the top due to gravity to refresh the bed as it burns. The combustion temperature is generally below the melting temperature of the ash and does not slag. Whether the fixed bed is operated in a countercurrent or, in some cases, in a cocurrent manner, the fixed bed reaction process produces significant amounts of tar, oil and methane in the bed resulting from pyrolysis of the feedstock, thereby contaminating the syngas and gasifier produced. Contaminated syngas requires a significant amount of effort and cost to remove the tarry residue that will condense once the syngas is cooled, and thus, such syngas streams are typically not used to make chemicals, but are used in direct heating applications, or as liquid fuels. The down-draft fixed or moving bed gasifier produces little or no tar. Fixed or moving bed gasifiers that have been equipped or built to be equipped with tar removal processes are suitable for receiving the feed of densified textiles.

In a fluidized bed, the feedstock material in the gasification zone is fluidized by the action of an oxidant flowing through the bed at a sufficiently high velocity to fluidize the particles in the bed. The homogeneous reaction temperature and the low reaction temperature of the gasification zone also promote the production of large amounts of unreacted feedstock material and low carbon conversion in the fluidized bed, which is typically operated at temperatures between 800 ℃ and 1000 ℃. Furthermore, in a fluidized bed, it is important to operate under slagging conditions to maintain fluidization of the feed particles which would otherwise adhere to the slag and agglomerates. These disadvantages of fixed bed (or moving bed) and fluidized bed gasifiers commonly used for treating waste materials are overcome by using entrained flow gasification.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the feed stream is introduced at the top 1/12 of the gasifier height defined by the gasifier shell (excluding injector heights protruding from the top of the shell or tubes protruding from the bottom of the shell) at the top 1/8 portion of the gasifier. The feedstock composition is desirably not introduced into the sidewall of the gasifier. In another embodiment, the feedstock composition is not a tangential feed injector.

In another embodiment, the oxidant is introduced at a top 1/8 portion of the gasifier, desirably at a top 1/12 of the gasifier height defined by the gasifier shell. The oxidant is desirably not introduced into the sidewall of the gasifier or the bottom of the flow gasifier. In another embodiment, both the feedstock composition and the oxidant are introduced at a top 1/8 portion of the gasifier, desirably at a top 1/12 of the gasifier height defined by the gasifier shell. Desirably, the oxidant and feedstock composition are fed co-currently to ensure good mixing. In this regard, co-current feed means that the axes of the feed stream and the oxidant stream are substantially parallel (e.g., not more than 25 °, or not more than 20 °, or not more than 15 °, or not more than 10 °, or not more than 8 °, or not more than 6 °, or not more than 4 °, or not more than 2 °, or not more than 1 ° apart from each other and in the same direction.

The feed stream and oxidant stream are desirably introduced into the gasification zone through one or more injector nozzles. Desirably, the gasifier is equipped with at least one injector nozzle through which the feed stream and the oxidant stream are introduced into the gasification zone.

While the feed stream may be a dry feed or a slurry feed, the feed stream is desirably a slurry.

The syngas produced in the gasification process is desirably used at least in part to produce chemicals. Many synthesis processes for the production of chemicals are at high pressure and in order to avoid energy input to pressurise the synthesis gas stream, it is desirable that the gasifier also operates at high pressure, particularly when the synthesis gas stream is in direct or indirect gas communication with the vessel of the synthesis chemical. The dry feed to a gasifier operated at high pressure is specially treated to ensure that the feed can be efficiently blown and injected into the high pressure gasification zone. Some techniques include entraining a nitrogen stream at high pressure and velocity, which tends to dilute the syngas stream and reduce the concentration of desired components such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Other carrier or motive gases include carbon monoxide, but like nitrogen, these gases are compressed prior to addition to or compression with the solid fossil fuel, increasing the energy requirements and capital cost of the feed lock hopper and/or compression equipment. To address these problems, many dry-fed gasifiers will operate at lower pressures, which is sufficient for generating electricity only, but is undesirable for gasifiers that generate syngas streams for the manufacture of chemicals. For slurry feeding, a motive gas is not necessary and can be easily fed to a high pressure gasifier that produces high pressure syngas, which is desirable for the manufacture of chemicals. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the feed stream is not processed through the lock hopper prior to entering the injector or entering the gasification zone. In another embodiment, the feedstock composition comprising the reduced diameter textiles and the solid fossil fuel is not pressurized in the lock hopper prior to feeding to the injector or gasification zone.

Desirably, the gasifier is non-catalytic, meaning that the gasifier does not contain a catalyst bed, and desirably, the gasification process is non-catalytic, meaning that the catalyst is not introduced into the gasification zone as discrete unbound catalyst (which may incidentally be catalytically active as opposed to trapped metals in the reducing textile or solid fossil fuel). The gasification process in the reaction zone is desirably carried out without the addition of a catalyst and does not contain a catalyst bed. The gasification process is also desirably a slagging gasification process; i.e. operating at slagging conditions (well above the melting temperature of the ash) so that slag is formed in the gasification zone and flows down the refractory wall.

In another embodiment, the gasifier is not designed to contain a pyrolysis zone. Desirably, the gasifier is not designed to contain a combustion zone. Most preferably, the gasifier is designed to contain no, or virtually no, combustion zone or pyrolysis zone. The pyrolysis zone does not completely consume the fuel source, resulting in potentially large amounts of ash, char, and tar-like products. A combustion zone, although not present in the tar, producing a substantial amount of CO₂And lesser amounts of the more desirable carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Desirably, the gasifier is a single stage reactor, meaning that there is only one zone within the gasifier shell for converting the carbon in the feedstock into syngas.

The gasification zone is a void or empty space defined by walls in which oxidation reactions occur and gases are allowed to form within the space. Desirably, the gasification zone has no molten pool of molten material or molten material that accumulates at the bottom of the gasification zone to form a molten pool. The gasification zone is desirably not closed at the bottom, but is in gaseous communication with other areas below the gasification zone. The slag does not accumulate at the bottom of the gasification zone as it melts, but instead flows down the sides of the refractory material and into the area below the gasification zone, such as the quench zone, to solidify the slag.

The flow of the hot raw syngas in the gasifier is desirably vertically downward, or down-flow gasifier. Desirably, the syngas stream produced in the gasifier is downward from the highest point of injection into the feed stream, desirably from the point of all feedstock composition locations. In another embodiment, the location at which the syngas stream is withdrawn from the gasifier is below at least one location, desirably all locations, at which the feedstream is introduced.

The gasifier may include a refractory lining in the gasification zone. While a steam generating membrane or jacket may be used between the gasifier wall and the surface facing the gasification zone, desirably the gasifier does not contain a membrane wall, or a steam generating membrane, or a steam jacket in the gasification zone or between the inner surface facing the gasification zone and the gasifier shell wall, as this removes heat from the gasification zone. Desirably, the gasification zone is lined with refractory material, and optionally there is no air or steam or water jacket between the refractory lining of the gasification zone (or optionally in any reaction zone, e.g. combustion or pyrolysis) and the shell of the gasifier.

The gasification process is desirably a continuous process, meaning that the gasifier is operated in a continuous mode. The inclusion of the densified textile agglomerates in the feedstock composition can be intermittent or continuous, so long as a continuous feed of fossil fuel is fed to the gasifier, as the gasification process in the gasifier is a continuous mode. The continuous mode of operation of the gasifier means that the gasification process is continuous for at least 1 month, or at least 6 months, or at least 1 year. Desirably, the inclusion of densified textile agglomerates in the feedstock composition is for at least 1 day, or at least 3 days, or at least 14 days, or at least 1 month, or at least 6 months, or at least 1 year in duration. The process is considered continuous despite a shutdown due to maintenance or repair.

The feedstock may be fed into the gasification zone by one or more injectors. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the gasifier comprises only one injector. In another embodiment, the gasifier contains only one location for introducing feedstock. Typically, the injector nozzle serving the gasification chamber is configured such that the feed stream concentrically surrounds the oxidant gas stream along an axial core of the nozzle. Alternatively, the oxidant gas stream may surround the feed stream ring as a larger substantially concentric ring. Radially around the outer wall of the outer oxidant gas passage may be an annular cooling water jacket terminating in a substantially flat end-face heat sink aligned in a plane substantially perpendicular to the nozzle discharge axis. The cooling water is directed from outside the combustion chamber into direct contact with the backside of the end face of the radiator for conducting the exhaust heat.

The reaction between the hydrocarbon and oxygen should be carried out completely outside the injector to prevent local concentration of the combustible mixture at or near the surface of the injector element.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the gasification zone and optionally all reaction zones in the gasifier are operated at a temperature in the range of at least 1000 ℃, or at least 1100 ℃, or at least 1200 ℃, or at least 1250 ℃, or at least 1300 ℃, and up to about 2500 ℃, or up to 2000 ℃, or up to 1800 ℃, or up to 1600 ℃, each well above the melting temperature of the ash, and desirably operated to form a molten stream of slag in the reaction zone. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the reaction temperature is desirably autogenous. Advantageously, the gasifier operating in steady state mode is at autogenous temperature and no external energy source needs to be applied to heat the gasification zone. In fixed bed, moving bed or fluidized bed gasifiers, the gasification zone is generally below 1000 ℃, or not above 950 ℃, or not above 800 ℃.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the gasifier does not contain a region within the gasifier housing that dries the feedstock, such as coal, petroleum coke, or densified textile agglomerates, prior to gasification. The temperature increase within the injector is not considered to be an area for drying.

Desirably, the gasification zone is not at a negative pressure during operation, but is at a positive pressure during operation. The gasification zone is desirably not equipped with any aspirator or other device to generate negative pressure at steady state operation.

The gasifier can be operated at a pressure within the gasification zone (or combustion chamber) of at least 200psig (1.38MPa), or at least 300psig (2.06MPa), or at least 350psig (2.41MPa), and desirably at least 400psig (2.76MPa), or at least 420psig (2.89MPa), or at least 450psig (3.10MPa), or at least 475psig (3.27MPa), or at least 500psig (3.44MPa), or at least 550psig (3.79MPa), or at least 600psig (4.13MPa), or at least 650psig (4.48MPa), or at least 700psig (4.82MPa), or at least 750psig (5.17MPa), or at least 800psig (5.51MPa), or at least 900psig (6.2MPa), or at least 1000psig (6.89MPa), or at least 1100psig (7.58MPa), or at least 1200psig (8.2 MPa). The specific operating pressure at the high end is adjusted according to various considerations, including operating efficiency, the operating pressure required in the chemical synthesis gasifier, particularly in the chemical synthesis reactor with integrated equipment, and the process chemistry. Suitable operating pressures in the gasification zone need not exceed 1300psig (8.96MPa), or need not exceed 1250psig (8.61MPa), or need not exceed 1200psig (8.27MPa), or need not exceed 1150psig (7.92MPa), or need not exceed 1100psig (7.58MPa), or need not exceed 1050psig (7.23MPa), or need not exceed 1000psig (6.89MPa), or need not exceed 900psig (6.2MPa), or need not exceed 800psig (5.51MPa), or need not exceed 750psig (5.17MPa) at the high end. Examples of suitable desirable ranges include 400 to 1000, or 425 to 900, or 450 to 900, or 475 to 900, or 500 to 900, or 550 to 900, or 600 to 900, or 650 to 900, or 400 to 800, or 425 to 800, or 450 to 800, or 475 to 800, or 500 to 800, or 550 to 800, or 600 to 800, or 650 to 800, or 400 to 750, or 425 to 750, or 450 to 750, or 475 to 750, or 500 to 750, or 550 to 750, each in psig.

Desirably, the average residence time of the gas in the gasifier reactor is very short to increase throughput. Since the gasifier operates at high temperature and pressure, substantially complete conversion of the feedstock into gas can occur in a very short time frame. The average residence time of the gas in the gasifier can be as short as less than 30 seconds, or no greater than 25 seconds, or no greater than 20 seconds, or no greater than 15 seconds, or no greater than 10 seconds, or no greater than 7 seconds. Desirably, the average residence time of the gas in all zones designed to convert the feedstock material into gas is also very short, such as less than 25 seconds, or no greater than 15 seconds, or no greater than 10 seconds, or no greater than 7 seconds, or no greater than 4 seconds. Within these time ranges, at least 85 wt.%, or at least or greater than 90 wt.%, or at least 92 wt.%, or at least 94 wt.% of the solids in the feedstock can be converted to gases (species that remain gaseous if the gas stream is cooled to 25 ℃ and 1 atm) and liquids (species that are liquid if the gas stream is cooled to 25 ℃ and 1atm, such as water), or greater than 93 wt.%, or greater than 95 wt.%, or greater than 96 wt.%, or greater than 97 wt.%, or greater than 98 wt.%, or greater than 99 wt.%, or greater than 99.5 wt.%.

A portion of the ash and/or char in the gasifier may be entrained in the hot raw syngas stream exiting the gasification reaction zone. Ash particles in the raw syngas stream within the gasifier are particles that do not reach the melting temperature of the minerals in the solid fuel. Slag is essentially molten ash or molten ash that has solidified into glassy particles and stays within the gasifier. The slag melts until quenched and then forms beads of molten mineral. Char is a porous particle of fuel particles that is devolatilized and partially combusted (incomplete conversion). The particulate matter that collects in the bottom of the gasifier or quenching zone is primarily slag (e.g., over 80 wt.% slag), with the remainder being char and ash. Desirably, there is only a trace amount of tar or no tar (as can be determined by the amount of tar condensed from the syngas stream when cooled to a temperature below 50 ℃) in the gasifier, or in the quench section, or in the gasification section, or in the hot raw syngas within the gasifier, or in the raw syngas discharged from the gasifier. Traces are less than 0.1 wt.% (or less than 0.05 wt.% or less than 0.01 wt.%) of solids present in the gasifier, or less than 0.05 vol.%, or no more than 0.01 vol.%, or no more than 0.005 vol.%, or no more than 0.001 vol.%, or no more than 0.0005 vol.%, or no more than 0.0001 vol.% of the raw syngas stream discharged from the gasifier.

In another embodiment, the method does not increase the amount of tar to a significant extent relative to the same method, except that the densified textile agglomerates are replaced with the same amount and type of solid fossil fuel used in the feedstock composition comprising the densified textile agglomerates.

The amount of tar produced in the process with the blended feedstock comprising densified textile agglomerates is less than 10%, or less than 5%, or less than 3%, or less than 2%, or not higher at all than the amount of tar produced under the same conditions with the same feedstock replacing the densified textile agglomerates with the same solid fossil fuel.

To avoid fouling of the equipment downstream of the gasifier (scrubber, CO/H2 shift reactor, acid gas removal, chemical synthesis) and intermediate pipelines, the syngas stream should have low or no tar content. The syngas stream discharged from the gasifier desirably contains no or less than 4 wt.%, or less than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 2 wt.%, or no greater than 1 wt.%, or no greater than 0.5 wt.%, or no greater than 0.2 wt.%, or no greater than 0.1 wt.%, or no greater than 0.08 wt.%, or no greater than 0.05 wt.%, or no greater than 0.02 wt.%, or no greater than 0.01 wt.%, or no greater than 0.005 wt.% tar, based on the weight of all condensable solids in the syngas stream. For measurement purposes, condensable solids are those compounds and elements that condense at a temperature of 15 ℃/1 atm.

In another embodiment, the tar, if present, present in the syngas stream discharged from the gasifier is less than 10g/m3, or not more than 9g/m3, or not more than 8g/m3, or not more than 7g/m3, or not more than 6g/m3, or not more than 5g/m3, or not more than 4g/m3, or not more than 3g/m3, or not more than 2g/m3, and desirably not more than 1g/m3, or not more than 0.8g/m3, or not more than 0.75g/m3, or not more than 0.7g/m3, or not more than 0.6g/m3, or not more than 0.55g/m3, or not more than 0.45g/m3, or not more than 0.4g/m3, or not more than 0.3g/m3, or not more than 0.2g/m3, or not more than 0.3g/m3, or not more than 0.05g/m3, or not more than 0.01g/m3, or not more than 0.005g/m3, or not more than 0.001g/m3, or not more than 0.0005g/m3, in each case normal (15 ℃/1 atm). For measurement purposes, tars are those that condense at a temperature of 15 ℃/1atm, and include primary, secondary and tertiary tars, and are aromatic organic compounds and not ash, char, soot or dust. Examples of tar products include naphthalene, cresol, xylenol, anthracene, phenanthrene, phenol, benzene, toluene, pyridine, catechol, biphenyl, benzofuran, benzaldehyde, acenaphthylene, fluorene, naphthofuran, benzanthracene, pyrene, fluoranthene, benzopyrene, and other high molecular weight aromatic polynuclear compounds. The tar content can be determined by GC-MSD.

In another embodiment, the yield of tars from the gasifier (tar in syngas and tar at the bottom of the reactor and combination of tars in or on ash, char, and slag) is no greater than 4 wt.%, or no greater than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 2.5 wt.%, or no greater than 2.0 wt.%, or no greater than 1.8 wt.%, or no greater than 1.5 wt.%, or no greater than 1.25 wt.%, or no greater than 1 wt.%, or no greater than 0.9 wt.%, or no greater than 0.8 wt.%, or no greater than 0.7 wt.%, or no greater than 0.5 wt.%, or no greater than 0.3 wt.%, or no greater than 0.2 wt.%, or no greater than 0.1 wt.%, or no greater than 0.05 wt.%, or no greater than 0.01 wt.%, or no greater than 0.005 wt.%, or no greater than 0.001 wt.%, or no greater than 0.0005 wt.%, or no greater than 0.0001 wt.%, based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition fed to the gasification zone.

The amount of char (or incompletely converted carbon in the feedstock) produced by conversion of the carbon source in the feedstock composition is no greater than 15 wt.%, or no greater than 12 wt.%, or no greater than 10 wt.%, or no greater than 8 wt.%, or no greater than 5 wt.%, or no greater than 4.5 wt.%, or no greater than 4 wt.%, or no greater than 3.5 wt.%, or no greater than 3 wt.%, or no greater than 2.8 wt.%, or no greater than 2.5 wt.%, or no greater than 2.3 wt.%, or no greater than 4.5 wt.%.

In this process, the coke can be recycled back to the feedstock composition of the gasifier containing the densified textile agglomerates. In another embodiment, efficiencies and features may be obtained without recycling char back to the gasification zone.

The total amount of char (or incompletely converted carbon in the feedstock) and slag (if any) produced in the gasifier or by the process is desirably not greater than 20 wt.%, or not greater than 17 wt.%, or not greater than 15 wt.%, or not greater than 13 wt.%, or not greater than 10 wt.%, or not greater than 9 wt.%, or not greater than 8.9 wt.%, or not greater than 8.5 wt.%, or not greater than 8.3 wt.%, or not greater than 8 wt.%, or not greater than 7.9 wt.%, or not greater than 7.5 wt.%, or not greater than 7.3 wt.%, or not greater than 7 wt.%, or not greater than 6.9 wt.%, or not greater than 6.5 wt.%, or not greater than 6.3 wt.%, or not greater than 6 wt.%, or not greater than 5.9 wt.%, or not greater than 5.5 wt.%, in each case based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition. In another embodiment, the same values apply to the total amount of ash, slag and char in the gasifier or produced by the process, based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition. In another embodiment, the same values apply to the total amount of ash, slag, char, and tar in the gasifier or produced by the process, based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition.

The raw syngas stream flows from the gasification zone to a quench zone at the bottom of the gasifier where the slag and raw syngas stream are cooled, typically to a temperature below 550 c or below 500 c or below 450 c. The quench zone contains water in a liquid state. The hot syngas from the gasification zone may be cooled by directly contacting the syngas stream with liquid water. The syngas stream may bubble through the liquid water pool, or simply contact the surface of the water pool. Additionally, the hot syngas stream can be cooled in a water jacket chamber having a height above the top surface of the water basin to allow the hot syngas to both contact the water basin and be cooled in the water jacket chamber. The molten slag is solidified by the quenching water, and most of the ash, slag, and char are transferred to the water in the quenching tank. The gas stream, which has been partially cooled by the water in the quench section, can then be discharged from the gasifier as a raw syngas stream and passed through a water wash operation to remove any remaining entrained particulate matter.

The pressure in the quench zone is substantially the same as the pressure in the gasification zone above the water level in the gasifier, and quench water and a portion of the solids at the bottom of the quench tank are removed by a lock hopper system. The fine particle entrained quench water stream exits the gasifier quench zone in response to the level controller and may be directed to a settler. The solids and water from the lock hopper can then flow into a sump or settler where optionally coarse solids can be removed by a screen or filter to produce a dispersion of fine solids.

The raw gas stream discharged from the gasification vessel comprises gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and may include other gases such as methane, hydrogen sulfide, and nitrogen, depending on the fuel source and reaction conditions. Carbon dioxide in the raw syngas stream discharged from the gasification vessel is desirably present in an amount of less than 20 mol%, or less than 18 mol%, or less than 15 mol%, or less than 13 mol%, or no greater than 11 mol%, based on the total moles of gases in the stream. Depending on the purity of the fuel and oxygen supplied to the process, some nitrogen and argon may be present in the raw syngas stream.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the raw syngas stream (the stream discharged from the gasifier and prior to any further processing by scrubbing, shift conversion or acid gas removal) may have the following composition, in mol% on a dry basis, and based on the moles of all gases (elements or compounds in the gaseous state at 25 ℃ and 1 atm) in the raw syngas stream:

a.H₂: 15 to 60, or 18 to 50, or 18 to 45, or 18 to 40, or 23 to 40, or 25 to 40, or 23 to 38, or 29 to 40, or 31 to 40

20 to 75, or 20 to 65, or 30 to 70, or 35 to 68, or 40 to 60, or 35 to 55, or 40 to 52 CO

c.CO₂: 1.0 to 30, or 2 to 25, or 2 to 21, or 10 to 25, or 10 to 20

d.H₂O: 2.0 to 40.0, or 5 to 35, or 5 to 30, or 10 to 30

e.CH₄: 0.0 to 30, or 0.01 to 15, or 0.01 to 10, or 0.01 to 8, or 0.01 to 7, or 0.01 to 5, or 0.01 to 3, or 0.1 to 1.5, or 0.1 to 1

f.H₂S: 0.01 to 2.0, or 0.05 to 1.5, or 0.1 to 1, or 0.1 to 0.5

And g, COS: 0.05 to 1.0, or 0.05 to 0.7, or 0.05 to 0.3

h. Total sulfur: 0.015 to 3.0, or 0.02 to 2, or 0.05 to 1.5, or 0.1 to 1

i.N₂: 0.0 to 5, or 0.005 to 3, or 0.01 to 2, or 0.005 to 1, or 0.005 to 0.5, or 0.005 to 0.3

The gas composition may be determined by FID-GC and TCD-GC or any other accepted method for analyzing the composition of a gas stream.

The hydrogen/carbon monoxide molar ratio is desirably at least 0.65, or at least 0.68, or at least 0.7, or at least 0.73, or at least 0.75, or at least 0.78, or at least 0.8, or at least 0.85, or at least 0.88, or at least 0.9, or at least 0.93, or at least 0.95, or at least 0.98, or at least 1.

The total amount of hydrogen and carbon monoxide is high, on a dry basis, relative to the total amount of syngas discharged from the gasifier, on the order of greater than 70 mol%, or at least 73 mol%, or at least 75 mol%, or at least 77 mol%, or at least 79 mol%, or at least 80 mol%, based on the discharged syngas.

In another embodiment, the dry syngas production, expressed as gas volume per kilogram solid fuel-gas volume exhausted from the gasifier per kilogram solid fuel charged to all locations on the gasifier (e.g., densified textile agglomerates and coal), is at least 1.7, or at least 1.75, or at least 1.8, or at least 1.85, or at least 1.87, or at least 1.9, or at least 1.95, or at least 1.97, or at least 2.0, in each case N m3 gas per kilogram feed solids.

The per pass carbon conversion is good and can be calculated according to the following formula:

the single pass carbon conversion efficiency in the process can be at least 70%, or at least 73%, or at least 75%, or at least 77%, or at least 80%, or at least 82%, or at least 85%, or at least 88%, or at least 90%, or at least 93%.

In another embodiment, the raw syngas stream comprises particulate solids in an amount of greater than 0 wt.% to at most 30 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 10 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 5 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 1 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 0.5 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 0.3 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 0.2 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 0.1 wt.%, or greater than 0 wt.% to at most 0.05 wt.%, each based on the weight of solids in the feedstock composition. In this case, the amount of particulate solids is determined by cooling the synthesis gas stream to a temperature below 200 ℃, such as may occur in a scrubbing operation.

The percentage of cold gas efficiency of the process using the densified textile aggregate/solid fossil fuel can be calculated as:

the cold gas efficiency is at least 60%, or at least 65%, or at least 66%, or at least 67%, or at least 68%, or at least 69%, or desirably at least 70%, or at least 71%, or at least 72%, or at least 73%, or at least 74%, or at least 75%, or at least 76%, or at least 77%, or at least 78%, or at least 79%.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the raw syngas stream discharged from the gasifier or from the scrubbed or purified syngas stream are not recovered or recycled back to the gasification zone in the gasifier. Desirably, carbon dioxide from the raw syngas stream discharged from the gasifier or from the scrubbed or purified syngas stream is not recovered or recycled back to the gasification zone in the gasifier. Desirably, no portion of the syngas stream discharged from the gasifier or from the scrubbed or purified syngas stream is recovered or recycled back to the gasification zone in the gasifier. In another embodiment, no portion of the syngas discharged from the gasifier is used to heat the gasifier. Desirably, no portion of the syngas produced in the gasifier is combusted to dry the solid fossil fuel.

The feedstream is desirably gasified with an oxidizing agent, such as oxygen, in an entrained flow reaction zone under conditions sufficient to produce slag and ash. Separating the slag and ash from the syngas, quenching, cooling and solidifying. In the partial oxidation reactor, the coal/reduced-diameter textile/water mixture is injected with oxygen, and the coal/rubber will react with the oxygen to produce various gases, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen (syngas). Slag and unreacted carbon/reducing textiles accumulate in a water sump in a quench zone at the bottom of the gasifier to cool and solidify these residues.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the slag discharged from the gasifier is a solid. The slag is cooled and solidified in a quenching zone within the gasifier housing within the gasifier and discharged from the gasifier housing as solids. The same applies to ash and char. The solids discharged from the gasifier accumulate in the lock hopper, which can then be emptied. The lock hopper is typically isolated from the gasifier and the quench zone within the gasifier.

The process can be carried out on an industrial scale and on a scale sufficient to provide synthesis gas as a feedstock for the production of chemicals on an industrial scale. At least 300 tonnes/day, or at least 500 tonnes/day, or at least 750 tonnes/day, or at least 850 tonnes/day, or at least 1000 tonnes/day, or at least 1250 tonnes/day, and desirably at least 1500 tonnes/day, or at least 1750 tonnes/day, or even at least 2000 tonnes/d of solids may be fed to the gasifier. The gasifier is desirably not designed to be mobile, but is fixed to and above the ground, and desirably is stationary during operation.

The variability of the composition of the synthesis gas produced by gasification of a feedstock containing solid fossil fuels and densified textile agglomerates is rather low over time. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, the composition of the syngas stream is less diverse during the period of time that the feedstock composition contains the solid fossil fuel and the densified textile agglomerates. The compositional variability of the synthesis gas stream can be determined by making at least 6 measurements of the relevant gaseous compound concentrations in moles over an equal time sub-period, over a period of consistent feedstock solids content and containing densified textile agglomerates, the total period not exceeding 12 days. The average concentration of the gaseous compound was determined in 6 measurements. The absolute value of the difference between the number furthest from the mean and the mean is determined and divided by the mean x 100 to obtain the percent compositional variability.

A composition variability of any one of:

amount of CO, or

b.H₂Amount of, or

c.CO₂Amount of, or

d.CH₄Amount of, or

e.H₂Amount of S, or

Amount of COS, or

g.H₂+ CO amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof (e.g. H)₂CO ratio), or

h.H₂+CO+CO₂Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

i.H₂+CO+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

j.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄Amount, or sequential molar ratio thereof, or

k.H₂An amount of S + COS, or a sequential mole ratio thereof, or

l.H₂+CO+CO₂+CH₄+H₂S+COS，

The variability may be no greater than 5%, or no greater than 4%, or no greater than 3%, or no greater than 2%, or no greater than 1%, or no greater than 0.5%, or no greater than 0.25% over the shorter of the 12 day period or the time that the densified textile agglomerates are present in the feedstock composition.

In another embodiment, the variability of the syngas stream produced from all feedstock sources comprising fuel (liquid, gas or solid), at least one of which comprises densified textile agglomerates ("textile case"), is compared to a baseline variability of the syngas stream produced from the same feedstock without densified textile agglomerates, and the amount of densified textile agglomerates is replaced by a corresponding amount of the same fuel ("base case") and treated under the same conditions to obtain a% conversion variability, or in other words, a syngas variability resulting from conversion between the two feedstock compositions. The syngas variation for the textile case may be less than or equal to or if higher may be similar to the syngas variation for the base case. The time period for determining the change is set by the shorter of the 12 day period or the time that the densified textile aggregate is present in the feedstock composition, and is the same time period for measurements taken with solid fossil fuels only. The measurements made on the base are made before the feedstock containing densified textile agglomerates is fed to the gasifier or within 1 month after the feedstock containing densified textile agglomerates is fed to the gasifier expires. The change in the composition of the syngas produced from each stream was measured according to the procedure described above. A syngas variability in the case of textiles of less than or equal to or no greater than 15%, or no greater than 10%, or no greater than 5%, or no greater than 4%, or no greater than 3%, or no greater than 2%, or no greater than 1%, or no greater than 0.5%, or no greater than 0.25% of the syngas variability in the base case. This can be calculated as:

Wherein% SV is the syngas switch variability percentage of one or more measured constituents in the syngas composition; and

V_tis a syngas composition variability using a feedstock comprising densified textile agglomerates and a second fuel source together in one stream or in a separate feed stream; and

V_bis the syngas composition of the base case stream (same type and amount of fuel feedstock without densified textile agglomerates) is used is diverse, where the solids concentration is the same in both cases, the fuel is the same in both cases except for the presence or absence of densified textile agglomerates, and the feedstock is gasified under the same conditions except for the temperature fluctuations that may have been self-generated due to having densified textile agglomerates in the feedstock, and the diversity is relative to any one or more of the synthetic gas compounds identified above. In the case of negative% SV, the syngas textile case is less versatile than the syngas base case.

In another embodiment, the ratio of carbon monoxide/hydrogen produced from one or more streams comprising densified textile agglomerates and other fuel source (textile case) is similar to the ratio of carbon monoxide/hydrogen produced from the same stream (base case) with the same fuel replacing the content of densified textile agglomerates. The carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios between the textile and base conditions can differ from one another Within 10%, or within 8%, or within 6%, or within 5%, or within 4%, or within 3%, or within 2%, or within 1.5%, or within 1%, or within 0.5%. Percent similarity can be determined by taking the CO/H ratio between the textile case and the base case₂The absolute value of the difference in the ratios and dividing this number by the CO/H of the base case₂The ratio is calculated x 100.

In another embodiment, the amount of CO2 produced by the textile case is similar to the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the base case. The method can be performed such that CO is produced by the condition of the textile₂Is greater than the amount of carbon dioxide produced from the base case by no more than 25%, or no more than 20%, or no more than 15%, or no more than 13%, or no more than 10%, or no more than 8%, or no more than 7%, or no more than 6%, or no more than 5%, or no more than 4%, or no more than 3%, or no more than 2%, or no more than 1%, or no more than 0.75%, or no more than 0.5%, or no more than 0.25%, or no more than 0.15%, or no more than 0.1%. Percent similarity can be determined by the CO generated in the syngas stream from the use base case₂Less the amount of CO generated in the syngas stream using the textile ₂And dividing the number by the CO generated in the synthesis gas stream using the base case₂X 100.

In another embodiment, a continuous process is provided for feeding a gasifier with a continuous feedstock composition containing solid fossil fuels and intermittently feeding a feedstock composition containing densified textile agglomerates and solid fossil fuels while maintaining a negative, zero, or minimum syngas composition as a function of conversion over a time horizon that includes feedstocks with and without densified textile agglomerates using syngas prepared with feedstocks that do not contain densified textile agglomerates as a benchmark. For example, the switching frequency between a feedstock without densified textile agglomerates (base case) and the same feedstock in which a portion of the fuel is replaced with densified textile agglomerates (textile case) may be at least 52x/yr, or at least 48x/yr, or at least 36x/yr, or at least 24x/yr, or at least 12x/yr, or at least 6x/yr, or at least 4x/yr, or at least 2x/yr, or at least 1x/yr or at least 1x/2yr, and up to 3x/2yr, without inducing syngas switching polytropism in excess of the aforementioned percentages. One switch is counted as the number of times a textile is used during a time period.

Referring to fig. 1, a slagging entrainment flow process for a slurry feed is illustrated. Coal is fed through line 1 into a coal milling zone 2 where it is mixed with water from stream 3 and milled to the desired particle size. Suitable coal grinding processes include shearing processes. Examples of suitable equipment include ball mills, rod mills, hammer mills, raymond mills or ultrasonic mills; ideally a rod mill. The rod mill is desirably of the wet milling type to produce a slurry. Rod mills contain a number of rods within a cylinder, with the rods rotating about a horizontal or near horizontal axis. The coal is ground as it is sandwiched between the rod and the cylinder wall by the rolling/rotating action of the rod. The rod mills may be flooded type, end peripheral discharge and central peripheral discharge, desirably flooded type.

The mill may also be equipped with a classifier to remove particles above the target maximum particle size. An example of a classifier is a vibrating screen or weir screw classifier.

The coal milling area (which includes at least the grinding apparatus, the feed mechanism of the mill, and any classifiers) is a convenient location for binding the densified textile agglomerate particles via line 4 to the coal. The required amounts of coal and densified textile agglomerates can be bound to the weighing belt or fed separately through their dedicated weighing belts, which feed the grinding equipment. An aqueous slurry of ground coal and densified textile agglomerates is withdrawn through line 5 and pumped into a storage/addition tank 6, which is desirably agitated to maintain a uniform slurry suspension. Alternatively, or in addition to the location of the grinder 2, the densified textile agglomerates can be fed via line 7 to a feed/storage tank 6, particularly while the tank is being agitated.

The feedstock composition is discharged from tank 6 directly or indirectly to gasifier 9 through line 8 into injector 10 where the coal/rubber/water slurry is co-injected with oxygen-rich gas from line 11 into gasification reaction zone 12 where gasification occurs. The injector 10 may optionally be cooled with a jacketed water line 13 on the injector and discharged through line 14. After start-up and at steady state, the reaction in reaction zone 12 spontaneously occurs at an autogenous temperature within the ranges described above, e.g., 1200 ℃ to 1600 ℃, and at a pressure within the ranges described above, e.g., 10 to 100 atmospheres. The gaseous reaction products of the partial oxidation reaction include carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and lesser amounts of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Molten ash, unconverted coal or rubber and slag may also be present in reaction zone 12.

The gasifier 9 is shown in more detail in fig. 2, as also shown in U.S. patent 3,544,291, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The gasifier includes a cylindrical pressure vessel 50 having a refractory lining 75 defining a cylindrical, compact, unfilled reaction zone 54. A mixture of coal, densified textile agglomerates, water and oxygen is injected by an injector axially through inlet passage 76 into the upper end of reaction zone 54. The reaction products are discharged from the lower end of the reaction zone 54 axially through the outlet channel 77 into the slag quenching chamber 71. The quenching chamber 71 and the reaction zone 54 are within the housing 50 of the gasifier and are in continuous gas and fluid communication with each other during combustion and reaction in the reaction zone 54. A water bath 78 is maintained in the lower portion of the quenching chamber 71 and a water jacket 79 is provided in the upper portion of the quenching chamber 71 to protect the pressure vessel shell from excessive heating by the hot gases from the gasification zone 54. Unconverted solid fuel and slag, as well as ash from the solid fuel, are discharged with the product gas stream through outlet 77 into quench chamber 71 where larger particles of solids and any molten ash or slag fall into a water sump. The partially cooled gas is discharged from the quenching chamber 71 through line 58, which is optionally also provided with a refractory lining 75.

Returning to fig. 1, the hot reaction product gases from reaction zone 12 are discharged, together with the slag formed on the refractory surface facing reaction zone 12, into a quenching chamber 15 where they are rapidly cooled and solidified below the reaction temperature in zone 12 to form solid slag, ash and unconverted coal, which are separated from the hot raw syngas to form a raw syngas stream, which is discharged from the gasifier vessel. This process achieves separation of ash, slag and unconverted products from the reaction product gas and has advantages over fixed or moving bed waste gasifiers, because within the gasifier vessel, a first step of purifying the gaseous reaction products from reaction zone 12 has occurred prior to discharging the raw syngas stream from the gasifier vessel. At the same time, the slag and gasified unconverted fossil fuel components solidify in the quench water in the quench zone 15 and a portion of the quench water vaporizes to produce steam that can be used in subsequent operations, such as the water gas shift reaction for the scrubbed raw syngas stream, wherein hydrogen is produced by the reaction of carbon monoxide with steam in the presence of a suitable catalyst, such as an iron oxide-chromium oxide catalyst.

The temperature of the raw syngas stream exiting the gasification vessel via line 16 can be in the range of 150 ℃ to 700 ℃ or 175 ℃ to 500 ℃. Desirably, the temperature of the raw syngas discharged from the gasifier is no greater than 500 ℃, or less than 400 ℃, or no greater than 390 ℃, or no greater than 375 ℃, or no greater than 350 ℃, or no greater than 325 ℃, or no greater than 310 ℃, or no greater than 300 ℃, or no greater than 295 ℃, or no greater than 280 ℃, or no greater than 270 ℃. The temperature of the raw synthesis gas exiting the gasification vessel is significantly reduced compared to the temperature of the reaction product gas within the reaction zone. The temperature reduction between the gasification zone gas temperature (or alternatively all reaction zones if more than one stage is used) and the temperature of the raw syngas discharged from the gasifier vessel may be at least 300 ℃, or at least 400 ℃, or at least 450 ℃, or at least 500 ℃, or at least 550 ℃, or at least 600 ℃, or at least 650 ℃, or at least 700 ℃, or at least 800 ℃, or at least 900 ℃, or at least 1000 ℃, or at least 1050 ℃, or at least 1100 ℃.

As shown in fig. 1, the raw syngas is discharged from the gasifier via line 16 to a suitable scrubber 17 where it is contacted with water from line 18 to remove remaining solid particulates from the raw syngas stream. The gas scrubber 17 may comprise a venturi scrubber, a plate scrubber or a packed tower or a combination thereof, wherein the raw syngas stream is in tangential contact with water to effect removal of solid particles from the raw syngas stream. Has been washed Is withdrawn via line 19 for further use in other processes such as acid gas (e.g., sulfur compound) removal processes to render the resulting purified synthesis gas stream suitable for the manufacture of chemicals. Suitable methods for acid gas removal include Rectisol^TMAnd Selexol^TMAcid gas removal process. Once the sulfur species are removed from the syngas stream, elemental sulfur can be recovered and converted to sulfuric acid and other sulfur products, which can be passed, for example, through Claus^TMThe method of the method is commercialized.

As shown in fig. 1, the solid-water mixture from the gas scrubber 17 is withdrawn from the scrubber through line 20 optionally into line 21 where it is mixed with quench water containing solids withdrawn from the quench zone 15 through line 22 and the mixture is passed through a pressure reduction valve 23 into a settling tank 24. Heat exchanger 25 is used to heat relatively cool make-up and recovered water supplied from a suitable source via line 26 and pumped to a line for cooling and/or scrubbing product gas from the gasifier by heat exchange with hot cooling water from line 22.

Solids including unconverted particulate coal settle out of the water in settling tank 24 under gravity and are withdrawn through line 27 as a concentrated slurry of ash, unconverted coal and soot in the water. The slurry may optionally be recycled to grinding zone 2 via line 28. If desired, a portion of the slurry from line 27 can be transferred to the mixing tank 6 via line 29 to adjust the solids concentration in the water-coal-rubber slurry feed stream to the gasifier. Further, as shown in fig. 2, water and solids can be discharged from settling tank 66 for processing via line 83, while water and ash, unconverted coal and soot can be discharged from settling tank 66 via line 84 and mixed with the coal, densified textile aggregate and water feedstock.

As shown in fig. 1, the gases released in the settler 24 can be vented through line 30 and recovered as potential fuel gas. Clarified water from settler 24 is withdrawn through line 31 and recycled to the quench water system through line 32. A portion of the water from line 32 is supplied to the quenching zone 15 via line 33 after passing through the heat exchanger 25, and another portion of the water passes via line 18 to the gas scrubber 17. In addition, water from the quench zone can be discharged through line 22 to a settler 24 via a control valve 23. The water level may be controlled by a level controller on the gasifier to maintain a substantially constant water level in the quench zone.

Alternatively or additionally, the quench water fed to the quench water zone via line 33 may be provided by a syngas scrubber downstream of the gasifier, as shown in fig. 2. The quench water stream, which is optionally also fed to the quench zone, may be clear or may contain about 0.1 wt.% soot to about 1.5 wt.% soot, based on the weight of the quench water stream fed to the gasifier.

If desired, the high temperature surfactant can be added directly to the quench water and into the quench zone/chamber. Examples of such surfactants include any of the surfactants described above for stabilizing the feedstock composition, such as ammonium lignosulfonate or an equivalent surfactant that is thermally stable at temperatures of about 300 ° F to about 600 ° F. Other surfactants include organic phosphate, sulfonate and amine surfactants. The surfactant is used to establish a stable suspension of soot in the water in the bottom of the quenching chamber, wherein the soot concentration may be at least 1 wt.%, or in the range of about 3.0 wt.% to about 15.0 wt.%, each based on the weight of the water in the quenching chamber. The concentration of the active surfactant at the bottom of the quench zone may vary in the range of about 0.01 wt.% to about 0.30 wt.%.

Further, as shown in fig. 2, an internal water jacket 79 is provided in the upper portion of the quenching zone 71 within the pressure vessel shell 50. The water jacket 79 prevents overheating of the pressure vessel shell below the level of the refractory material 75 surrounding the reaction zone 54. Water is introduced into water jacket 79 from line 80 and is withdrawn therefrom via line 81 through valve 82 and may be fed directly or indirectly (via settling tank 66) to scrubber 59.

As shown in fig. 1, slag and other heavy, non-combustible solids that settle to the bottom of the quenching zone 15 are periodically discharged as a water-solids slurry through line 34 and valve 35 into lock hopper 36. Accumulated solid material from lock hopper 36 is discharged through line 37 under control of valve 38. In lock hopper operation, during filling, valve 35 is open and valve 38 is closed, wherein solid material from quench chamber 15 is transferred into lock hopper 36. Valve 35 is then closed and lock hopper 36 is emptied via line 37 by opening valve 38. Solid residue and water are withdrawn from lock hopper 36 via line 37. Equivalent equipment and lines for outlet 85, valves 86 and 88, line 89 and lock hopper 87 are shown in FIG. 2.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in fig. 1, fresh water can be charged to lock hopper 36 to replace the sour water in lock hopper 36. Cold fresh water from line 39 is introduced into the lower portion of lock hopper 36 through valve 40. Valve 41 in line 42 opens to establish communication between line 33 and lock hopper 36. As cold clear water enters the lower portion of lock hopper 36, hot sour water is discharged from the lock hopper and flows through line 42 and line 33 as part of the quench system make-up water to quench zone 15. After sour water has been drained from lock hopper 36, valves 40 and 41 are closed and valve 38 is opened to allow slag and clean water to drain from the lock hopper through line 37.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, a stripping gas such as carbon dioxide or a gas produced by the gasifier (from which acid gas has been removed by chemical treatment) can be introduced into the lower portion of lock hopper 36 via line 43 after the lock hopper has been charged with slag and acid water from quenching zone 15 and valve 35 closed. Pressurized stripping gas is introduced into the lower portion of lock hopper 36 by opening valve 44 in line 43. At the same time, valve 41 in line 42 is opened to allow gas to enter the quench zone 15 through lines 42 and 33. The stripping gas from line 43 desorbs acid gases, i.e., sulfides, cyanides and other harmful gases, from the water in lock hopper 36. When the desorbed gases are introduced back into the gasifier, they are mixed with the hot product gas and discharged as part of the product gas stream after passing through the quench zone through line 16 to a gas scrubber 17 for further purification and utilization.

An example of the operation of the gasifier and scrubber is shown in fig. 2. The coal/densified textile aggregate feedstock slurry is fed to gasifier 50 through injector 51 mounted at the top 52 of the gasifier and fed with oxygen through line 53 and injected into gasification zone 54 to produce a raw syngas. The raw synthesis gas discharged from the gasification furnace is fed to the contactor 55. Water is injected into the contactor 55 from line 56 through injectors 56 and 57. Intimate contact between the raw syngas from line 58 and the water from line 56 is desirably achieved by a venturi, nozzle, or plate orifice. In the contactor 55, the syngas stream is accelerated and water is injected into the accelerated gas stream from a plurality of injectors 56 and 57 at the throat of the nozzle, venturi or orifice.

The resulting mixture of gas and water formed in contactor 55 is directed into scrubber 59 through diplegs (dip legs) 60 that extend downward into the lower portion of scrubber 59. The gas stream from contactor 55 also carries entrained solid particles of unconsumed fuel or ash. A portion of the water is maintained in the scrubber 59, the level of which may be controlled in any suitable manner, for example by means of a schematically shown level controller 61. Diplegs 60 discharge a mixture of water and gas below the water level in scrubber 59. Solid particles from the gas stream are captured in the water by discharging a mixture of gas and water through the open end of dipleg 60 into intimate contact with the water.

Scrubber 59 is suitably in the form of a column with an optional packed section 62 above the entry point of the gas stream from contactor 55. Water from line 63 is introduced into scrubber 59 above the level of packing material 62. In the packing section 62, the gas stream is brought into intimate contact with water in the presence of a suitable packing material, such as a ceramic shaped body, to effect substantially complete removal of solid particles from the gas stream. The product gas, which comprises carbon monoxide and hydrogen and contains water vapour, atmospheric gases and carbon dioxide, is discharged from the upper end of the scrubber 59 through line 64 and has a temperature corresponding to the equilibrium evaporation temperature of the water at the pressure present in the scrubber 59. The clean syngas from line 64 can be further processed, for example, for production of higher concentrations of hydrogen via the water gas shift reaction, and suitable downstream purification to remove sulfur.

Water from the lower portion of the scrubber 59 is passed by a pump 65 through line 56 to the injectors 56 and 57. Clarified water from settler 66 may also be fed to line 56 by pump 67 via line 68. Water is removed from the scrubber 59 by a pump 69 and passed through a valve 70 responsive to the level controller 61 on the scrubber and into a quench zone 71 through line 72 to control the level of liquid in the scrubber 59.

Any heavy solid particles removed from the gas stream in dipleg 60 settle into a water slurry, collect in a water bath at the bottom of scrubber 59, and are discharged at periodic intervals at bottom pipe 73 through line 74 under the control of valve 75.

Any suitable scrubber design may be used in the process. Other scrubber designs include tray-type contacting columns in which the gas is counter-currently contacted with water. Water is introduced into the scrubber at a location near the top of the tower.

To illustrate one embodiment of the injector, reference is made to FIG. 3, which shows a partial cross-sectional view of a syngas gasifier at the injector location. The gasifier vessel includes a structural shell 90 and an inner refractory lining 91 (or linings) surrounding an enclosed gasification zone 93. Projecting outwardly from the housing wall is an injector mounting neck 94 for supporting an elongated fuel injector assembly 95 within the gasifier vessel. The injector assembly 95 is aligned and positioned such that the face 96 of the injector nozzle 97 is substantially flush with the inner surface of the refractory lining 91. The injector mounting flange 96 secures the injector assembly 95 to the mounting neck flange 97 of the gasifier vessel to prevent the injector assembly 95 from being ejected during operation. The oxygen feed flows through conduit 98 into the central inner nozzle. The feed stream is fed to the injector assembly via line 99 into the annular space surrounding the central oxidant nozzle. A cooling jacket surrounding the injector assembly 95 above the injector mounting flange 96 is supplied with cooling water 100 to prevent overheating of the injector assembly. The optional second oxidant feed flows through line 101 into the annular space surrounding at least a portion of the outer surface of the shell defining the feedstock annulus.

A more detailed view of the injector is shown in fig. 4. A cross-sectional view of a portion of the injector assembly 80 toward the injector nozzle tip is shown. The injector assembly 80 includes an injector nozzle assembly 125 comprising three concentric nozzle housings and an outer cooling water jacket 110. The inner nozzle housing 111 discharges oxidant gas from the axial bore opening 112, which is delivered along the upper assembly axis conduit 98 in FIG. 3. The intermediate nozzle housing 113 directs the feed stream into the gasification zone 93. The reduced-diameter textile/coal slurry is ejected as fluidized solids from an annular space 114 defined by the inner housing wall 111 and the intermediate wall 113. An outer oxidant gas nozzle housing 115 surrounds an outer nozzle discharge ring 116. As shown in fig. 3, the upper assembly port 101 supplies an additional flow of oxidizing gas to the outer nozzle discharge ring. Centering fins 117 and 118 extend laterally from the outer surface of the inner and intermediate nozzle casing walls 111 and 113, respectively, to keep their respective casings coaxially centered with respect to the longitudinal axis of the injector assembly. It will be appreciated that the configuration of the fins 117 and 118 forms a continuous band around the inner and intermediate casings and provides little resistance to fluid flow within the respective annular spaces.

To vary the flow, both the inner nozzle housing 111 and the intermediate nozzle housing 113 may be axially adjustable relative to the outer nozzle housing 115. As the intermediate nozzle 113 is axially displaced from the conically tapered inner surface of the outer nozzle 115, the outer bleed ring 116 is enlarged to allow greater oxygen flow. Similarly, the raw slurry discharge area 114 decreases as the outer tapered surface of the inner nozzle 111 is drawn axially toward the inner conical surface of the intermediate nozzle 113.

Surrounding the outer nozzle casing 115 is a coolant fluid jacket 110 with an annular end cap 119. Coolant fluid conduit 120 delivers coolant, such as water, directly from upper assembly supply port 100 in fig. 3 to the inner surface of endcover plate 119. The flow channel baffles 121 control the path of the coolant flow around the outer nozzle casing to ensure substantially uniform heat extraction and to prevent coolant channeling and the creation of localized hot spots. The end cap 119 includes a nozzle lip 122 that defines an exit orifice or discharge opening for feeding the reactant material into the injection injector assembly.

The planar end of the cooling jacket 119 includes an annular surface 123 disposed facing the combustion chamber. Typically, the annular surface 123 of the cooling jacket is constructed of a cobalt-based metal alloy material. Although cobalt is the preferred material of construction for the nozzle assembly 125, other high temperature melting point alloys, such as molybdenum or tantalum, may also be used. The heat shield 124 is formed of a high temperature melting point material such as silicon nitride, silicon carbide, zirconia, molybdenum, tungsten, or tantalum.

While this discussion is based on the injector and feed stream arrangement as previously described, it should be understood that the injector may consist of only two channels for introducing and injecting oxidant and feed streams, and that they may be in any order, with the feed stream passing through the central axial bore opening while the feed passes through the annulus around at least a portion of the central oxidant conduit, or the order may be reversed as described above.

In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments shown in fig. 3, the reducing textiles may be introduced at position 100, i.e. the main feed conveyor. The reducing textiles are metered onto the main coal feed conveyor as the main feed conveyor moves with the feed already loaded on the conveyor. The reducing textile is added to the conveyor belt using a weigh belt feeder or other similar device to measure the mass of the material and the speed of the conveyor belt is measured to determine the rate of addition. Solid fossil fuels are similarly added to the same conveyor belt and will be below the reducing textiles. The combined solid mixture of solid fossil fuel and reduced-diameter textiles in the appropriate proportions is then transferred to a surge hopper and other storage and transfer equipment until it is ultimately fed to a grinder. In the mill, the solid fossil fuel, the reducing textile, water, and the viscosity modifier are thoroughly mixed, and the solid fossil fuel size is reduced to a target mill size distribution, and the mixture becomes a viscous slurry. As the reducing textile is a softer material it undergoes very little reduction but benefits from extreme mixing in the mill as it is involved in the pulp production process. The reduced diameter textile has been pre-ground.

In another embodiment, a reducing textile may be incorporated, as shown in FIG. 3 at location number 110. This is the same process as described above in position 100 except that the reducing textile is first added to the main conveyor before the addition of the solidified fossil fuel. In this way, the solid fossil fuel is located on top. Since the reducing textiles will be pre-ground and may be inherently less dense than solid fossil fuels, such materials may be more easily blown off the conveyor belt in high winds. This dust and material loss will be greatly reduced due to the denser solid fossil fuel covering the reducing textile.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the reducing textile may be added at location number 120, the mill. Existing equipment, solid fossil fuels, water, and viscosity modifiers have been added to mills to reduce the particle size of the solid fossil fuels and to produce a slurry of high solids content. The size reduced textile may be delivered separately to the entry point of the mill and added directly to the mill in the appropriate proportions. Then, in this process, the mill will grind the solid fossil fuel, producing a slurry and thoroughly mix in the reduced-diameter textile. This avoids the effects of wind and weather on the solid fossil fuel, reducing textile blend.

In another embodiment, the reducing textiles may be introduced at location 130, i.e. the stock storage tank. Since the size reduced textiles are pre-ground to the appropriate particle size for introduction into the gasifier, they can be added directly to the slurry holding tank after the grinding/slurry operation. Alternatively, it may be added to the tank through a separate screen or screens used by the slurry to ensure that no large particles enter the tank. This is the last low pressure addition point before the slurry is pumped under pressure to the gasifier. This will minimize the amount of material that is mixed together during processing. Agitation in the slurry tank will mix in the reducing textile to ensure its uniform distribution.

The slurry is pumped under high pressure through an injector into the gasifier. Alternatively, for the above options, the reduced-diameter textile may be pulped and pumped in a similar manner into the gasifier to a second feed injector or even a common slurry injector. This will ultimately control both feeds and is ideal on a theoretical basis. However, in existing systems, even in new constructions, it would be extremely expensive to implement such an approach. Moreover, the reducing textiles do not form a slurry like solid fossil fuels (lower slurry solids) and therefore carry additional unwanted water to the gasifier system.

For gasifiers with small particle feed (<4mm), there are several options.

1. The material may be mixed with the coal as it is unloaded from the coal car to the storage heap or silo. The mixed material will then be subsequently processed in existing plants as coal or other carbonaceous material is normally operated.

2. The material may be added to the coal as it is delivered from the silo on its way to further processing. This provides some flexibility to add material only when needed, rather than having the bulk mix at the start. The mixed material will then be subsequently processed in existing plants as coal or other carbonaceous material is normally operated.

3. The material can be added directly to and co-current with existing reducing equipment where no additional reduction is expected due to the plastic (non-brittle) nature of the material. However, existing grinding equipment will greatly aid in the mixing of the material with other components such as coal, petroleum coke or other carbonaceous fuels.

4. This material can be added downstream of existing reducing equipment and mixed only with the main flow of slurry or dry feed.

5. This material can be slurried separately and pumped independently as a second gasifier feed to the gasifier injection point, or mixed with the initial gasifier feed that is closely coupled to the gasifier to minimize mixing or incompatibility issues with the streams. This would apply to a slurry feed gasifier or a dry feed gasifier receiving a liquid feed or a natural gas gasifier (POX) receiving a liquid feed.

6. For dry feed gasifiers, the material may be pneumatically conveyed as a second gasifier feed alone to the gasifier injection point or mixed with the initial gasifier feed closely coupled to the gasifier to minimize mixing or incompatibility issues with the flow.

The present invention describes a solid fossil fuel/water slurry gasifier, but the present invention will be directly applied to gasifiers utilizing petroleum coke, slurry feed gasifiers and conceptually to dry coal feed gasifiers. In one embodiment of the present invention, the reduced-diameter textiles described herein include consumer plastics for packaging, apparel, and durable goods, cellulosic plastics, textile car tires, and other polymers and solid waste with significant chemical/energy content.

To meet the market demand for producing products with improved environmental footprints, a family of acetyl chemicals, their derivatives and intermediates have been developed, which are made from syngas produced from reduced-diameter textiles. These acetyl chemicals include acetic acid, acetic anhydride and methyl acetate with methanol intermediates. Derivatives are numerous, such as solvent esters, cellulose esters, certain monomers, polymers, and plasticizers.

There is a need in the marketplace for consumer products that typically contain significant amounts of renewable, recycled, re-used, biodegradable, or other materials that will improve carbon emissions, waste disposal, and other environmental sustainability issues. Families of acetyl chemicals and their intermediates and derivatives are produced from synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) in a multi-step process. The syngas is produced by a gasification process. The problem to be solved is to produce these same acetyl chemicals, intermediates and derivatives from synthesis gas derived from reduced diameter textiles, such as consumer plastics for packaging, textiles, apparel and durable goods, cellulosic plastics, automotive tires and other polymers and solid waste with significant chemical/energy content. Acetyl products, intermediates and derivatives may then claim environmental advantages.

The size reduced textiles are gasified in a gasifier with oxygen and water alone or as a co-feed with fossil fuel feedstocks such as coal, petroleum coke, natural gas, oil and residual oil to produce a synthesis gas consisting primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. In one embodiment, the synthesis gas is reacted in a series of steps, starting with methanol, then through acetic acid, methyl acetate, then through acetic anhydride. These processes are the same as those used for fossil fuel-derived syngas. These acetyl products can then be further combined with other substances to produce a number of derivative products. Examples include solvent esters such as methyl acetate and butyl acetate, cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate, vinyl acetate monomers, polymers, plasticizers such as triacetin and many others.

Acetic acid and acetic anhydride are key products. They are sold as products and are also used to prepare higher value derivatives, such as cellulose esters. In one embodiment or in combination with any of the mentioned embodiments, acetic acid and acetic anhydride are produced by a multi-step process comprising methanol and methyl acetate intermediates starting with syngas (primarily a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen). In one embodiment, the syngas is produced by a coal gasifier that is purified and conditioned to produce a clean syngas stream consisting primarily of hydrogen and carbon. The synthesis gas stream and the carbon monoxide stream are reacted in a multi-step process to produce methanol, acetic acid, methyl acetate and acetic anhydride. The textiles may be fed to a gasifier to produce a syngas similar to the gas stream produced in a coal gasifier. The textile-derived syngas can then be used to produce methanol, methyl acetate, and acetic anhydride using exactly the same process as using syngas derived from coal or other fossil fuels. When textiles are used to produce synthesis gas, acetyl chemicals, their intermediates and derivatives may require recovery levels. In one embodiment or combination with any of the above embodiments, the organic compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: acetic acid, methanol, methyl acetate, acetic anhydride, C2-C5 oxygenates, methyl formate, formic acid, formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, MTBE, carbonylation products, aldehydes or isobutene. In another embodiment, the organic compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: acetic acid, methanol, methyl acetate, acetic anhydride, C2-C5 oxygenates, methyl formate, formic acid, formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, MTBE, carbonylation products, aldehydes or isobutene. In yet another embodiment, the organic compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, methanol, methyl acetate, acetate esters, and acetic anhydride.

In further embodiments, the textile byproducts can be used as feedstock for a gasifier, either alone or in combination with conventional feeds, by mechanically reducing the size of the materials to convert them into a form that is more easily processed by conventional feed methods.

Once the textile has been reduced in diameter, it can be added at multiple locations to optimize implementation costs and mixing efficiency.

Gasifiers that can accept larger particles (up to 4") may not require any reduction and are more direct.

1. The material may be mixed with the coal as it is unloaded from the coal car to the storage heap or silo. The mixed material will then be subsequently processed in existing plants as coal or other carbonaceous material is normally operated.

2. The material may be added to the coal as it is delivered from the silo on its way to further processing. This provides some flexibility to add material only when needed, rather than having the bulk mix at the start. The mixed material will then be subsequently processed in existing plants as coal or other carbonaceous material is normally operated.

Synthesis gas (syngas) may be used as a feedstock in any chemical process in which one or more of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the syngas is converted to a reaction product. In one embodiment of the present invention, an exemplary method is illustrated in FIG. 6. Any chemical process that can efficiently convert a syngas feedstock into useful chemical products can be used. For example, the chemical process may include a process for making methanol, methyl acetate, acetic acid, acetic anhydride, alkyl formates, dimethyl ether, ammonia, methane, hydrogen, a fischer-tropsch product, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the syngas is used to produce methanol. The synthesis gas is about 2: 1H from hydrogen and carbon monoxide₂CO, wherein a small amount of carbon dioxide, which may be produced by the gasification of coal or recycled material, is fed to the methanol production plant. And then contacted with a catalyst to bring about 2 equivalents of H₂And 1 equivalent of CO to form 1 equivalent of methanol. Simultaneously, passing 1 equivalent of CO₂With 3 equivalents of H₂Reaction to form1 equivalent of methanol and water to consume CO₂. The methanol produced can be purified by distillation.

The methanol process may include any type of methanol synthesis plant known to those skilled in the art, and many of these are widely practiced on a commercial basis. Most commercial methanol synthesis plants operate in the gas phase at pressures ranging from about 25 to about 140 bar using various copper-based catalyst systems known in the art and in accordance with the technology used. Many different prior art processes are known for the synthesis of methanol, such as the ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries), Lurgi-method, Haldor-Topsoe-method and Mitsubishi-method. Liquid phase processes are also well known in the art. Thus, the methanol process of the present invention may comprise a fixed bed methanol reactor containing a solid or supported catalyst, or a liquid slurry phase methanol reactor using a slurried catalyst in which metal or supported catalyst particles are slurried in a non-reactive liquid medium such as mineral oil.

Examples of suitable methanol synthesis catalysts include, but are not limited to, oxides of zinc and chromium; oxides of zinc, copper and chromium; and oxides of zinc, copper and aluminum; and zinc, copper and aluminum; and zinc-copper-chromium-lanthanum oxide.

Depending on the process used, the synthesis gas stream is typically supplied to the methanol reactor at a pressure of from about 25 to about 140 bar. The syngas is then reacted over a catalyst to form methanol. The reaction is exothermic; therefore, heat removal is generally required. The crude or impure methanol is then condensed and may be purified to remove impurities such as higher alcohols, including ethanol, propanol, etc., or combusted as a fuel without purification. The uncondensed vapor phase containing unreacted syngas feedstock is typically recycled to the methanol process feed.

When methanol is reacted with carbon monoxide, the methanol produced from the synthesis gas can be used to produce acetic acid. Any method known in the art may be used to produce acetic acid. In one embodiment, an acetic acid product consisting of synthesis gas consisting essentially of hydrogen and carbon oxides, consisting of acetic acid, acetic anhydride and/or methyl acetate, may be produced by reactions known in the art of simple reaction sequences and high degrees of conversion, which when combined, allow, in a first step, in a first reactor, synthesis gas is converted in the gas phase into methanol at a pressure of from 5 to 200 bar and a temperature of from 150 ℃ to 400 ℃ (reaction 1), wherein at least a substantial proportion of the methanol is converted to dimethyl ether in the same reactor in the presence of one or more catalysts which together catalyse the reaction (reaction 2), and then the entire effluent is passed from the first reactor to the second reactor, wherein methanol and dimethyl ether are carbonylated to the desired product in the presence of one or more catalysts that catalyze reactions together at pressures of 1 to 800 bar and temperatures of 100 ℃ to 500 ℃:

CO+2H₂→CH₃OH (methanol) (1)

2CH₃OH→CH₃OCH₃(dimethyl ether) + H₂O (2)

And

CO+H₂O→CO₂and H₂ (3)

The entire effluent from the first reactor is then passed to a second reactor where methanol and dimethyl ether are carbonylated to the desired products in the presence of one or more catalysts that together catalyze the reaction at pressures of 1 to 800 bar and temperatures of 100 to 500 ℃.

CH₃OH+CO→CH₃COOH (acetic acid) (4)

CH₃OCH₃(dimethyl ether) + CO → CH₃COOCH₃(methyl acetate) (5)

And optionally also,

CH₃OCH₃+2CO→(CH₃CO)₂o (acetic anhydride) (6)

And

CH₃COOCH₃+CO→(CH₃CO)₂o (acetic anhydride) (7)

And possibly even hydrolysis of the water, is possible,

CH₃COOCH₃+H₂O→CH₃COOH+CH₃OH (8)

or the alcoholysis of the methanol,

CH₃COOCH₃+CH₃OH→CH₃COOH+CH₃COOCH₃ (9)

methanol produced from synthesis gas can be used for the synthesis of methyl acetate. Acetic acid and methanol are contacted with an acid catalyst to produce methyl acetate and water. For example, the contacting may be performed inside a distillation column. The acetic acid used is also derived from syngas as it is produced in subsequent acetic acid and acetic anhydride production facilities. The resulting methyl acetate is removed from the top of the column by distillation and the resulting water is removed from the bottom of the column.

Methyl acetate produced from methanol and acetic acid derived from synthesis gas is fed to the carbonylation unit. It is contacted with CO produced by the gasification of coal or recycled materials. Methyl acetate and CO react to form acetic anhydride. The reaction is carried out in an acetic acid solvent and is catalyzed by a metal catalyst (typically a salt of rhodium or iridium) and a lithium iodide (LiI) promoter. Methanol may be co-fed to the reactor; it may be carbonylated to acetic acid by the above steps, or may be contacted with acetic anhydride and reacted to form methyl acetate and acetic acid. The methyl acetate formed in the process can ultimately be converted to acetic anhydride or acetic acid. In this way, synthesis gas derived acetic anhydride and acetic acid are produced as by-products. They can be recovered and separated by distillation. This process is described in more detail elsewhere. In the manner described herein, methanol, methyl acetate, acetic acid, and acetic anhydride are all completely synthesized from syngas derived from gasification of coal or recycled materials. In the case of using the recycled material, methanol, methyl acetate, acetic acid and acetic anhydride contain recycled carbon and hydrogen atoms.

The following patents disclose information about the production of chemicals from syngas: U.S. Pat. nos. 4,525,481; 5,741,440, respectively; 6,706,770, respectively; 7,253,304, respectively; 7,503,947, respectively; all of these documents are incorporated by reference to the extent they do not contradict statements herein.

In addition to methanol, dimethyl ether, methyl acetate, acetic acid and acetic anhydride, it is also within the scope of the present invention to produce any chemical efficiently obtained from a synthesis gas feedstock, such as alkyl formates, methane, ammonia, dimethyl ether, hydrogen, fischer-tropsch products, or a combination of one or more of these chemicals.For example, ammonia and/or hydrogen may be generated. Typical conversion of carbon monoxide to hydrogen and carbon dioxide is greater than 95%. If desired, the carbon dioxide may be removed by conventional absorption or adsorption techniques and then subjected to a final purification step. For example, using pressure swing adsorption, the oxygenate content of hydrogen can typically be reduced to less than 2ppm by volume. Hydrogen gas may be sold or used for the production of Ammonia gas by the Haber-Bosch process by methods known in the art, such as Leblance et al, "Ammonia", Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Volume 2,3^rdEdition,1978, pp.494-500.

In another embodiment of the invention, fischer-tropsch products, such as hydrocarbons and alcohols, may be prepared by fischer-tropsch reactions as exemplified in us patents 5,621,155 and 6,682,711. Typically, the fischer-tropsch reaction may be carried out in a fixed bed, slurry bed or fluidised bed reactor. The fischer-tropsch reaction conditions may include the use of reaction temperatures of from 190 ℃ to 340 ℃, with the actual reaction temperature being determined primarily by the reactor configuration. For example, when a fluidized bed reactor is used, the reaction temperature is preferably between 300 ℃ and 340 ℃; when a fixed bed reactor is used, the reaction temperature is preferably between 200 ℃ and 250 ℃; when a slurry bed reactor is used, the reaction temperature is preferably between 190 and 270 ℃.

It is possible to use a pressure of from 1 to 50 bar, preferably from 15 to 50 bar, of the inlet synthesis gas of the fischer-tropsch reactor. H of synthesis gas in fresh feed₂The CO molar ratio may be 1.5:1 to 2.5:1, preferably 1.8:1 to 2.2: 1. The syngas typically contains 0.1wppm or less of sulfur. Alternatively, gas recycle may be used for the reaction stage and the molar ratio of the gas recycle rate to the fresh synthesis gas feed rate may be from 1:1 to 3:1, preferably from 1.5:1 to 2.5: 1. Space velocities of 1 to 20, preferably 8 to 12, in m can be used in the reaction stage ³(kg catalyst)^-1hr^-1And (6) counting.

In principle, iron-based, cobalt-based or iron/cobalt-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts may be used in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction stage, although Fischer-Tropsch catalysts operating with a high chain growth probability (i.e. an alpha value of 0.8 or more, preferably 0.9 or more, more preferably 0.925 or more) are typicalAnd (4) carrying out the following steps. The reaction conditions are generally selected to minimize the formation of methane and ethane. This tends to provide a mixture comprising mainly wax and heavy products, i.e. mainly paraffinic C₂₀+ product stream of straight chain hydrocarbons.

The iron-based fischer-tropsch catalyst may comprise iron and/or iron oxide that has been precipitated or melted. However, iron and/or iron oxides that have been sintered, glued or impregnated onto a suitable support may also be used. Prior to fischer-tropsch synthesis, the iron should be reduced to metallic Fe. The iron-based catalyst may contain various levels of promoters, the effect of which may be to alter one or more of the activity, stability and selectivity of the final catalyst. Typical promoters are those that affect the surface area of the reduced iron ("structural promoters"), and these include oxides or metals of Mn, Ti, Mg, Cr, Ca, Si, Al or Cu, or combinations thereof.

The products of the fischer-tropsch reaction typically comprise gaseous reaction products and liquid reaction products. For example, the gaseous reaction products typically include hydrocarbons boiling below about 343 ℃ (e.g., tail gas via middle distillates). The liquid reaction product (condensed fraction) comprises hydrocarbons boiling above about 343 ℃ (e.g., vacuum wax oil via heavy paraffins) and alcohols of varying chain length.

In another example, alkyl formates such as methyl formate may be produced chemically. There are currently several known processes for the synthesis of alkyl formates from synthesis gas and alkyl alcohol feedstocks, such as described in U.S. patent 3,716,619, which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the statements herein. Other examples of alkyl formate processes include: us patent 3,816,513 wherein carbon monoxide and methanol are reacted in the liquid or gas phase at elevated pressure and temperature in the presence of a basic catalyst and sufficient hydrogen to form methyl formate to allow the conversion of carbon monoxide to methanol; and, U.S. patent 4,216,339, wherein carbon monoxide is reacted with a liquid reaction mixture stream containing methanol and an alkali or alkaline earth methoxide catalyst at elevated temperature and pressure to produce methyl formate. However, in the broadest embodiment of the present invention, any effective commercially viable process for forming alkyl formates from a feedstock comprising the corresponding alkyl alcohol and a produced synthesis gas that is sufficiently rich in carbon monoxide is within the scope of the present invention. As known to those skilled in the art, the catalyst or catalysts and the concentrations, contact times, etc. may vary widely. Examples of suitable catalysts are disclosed in U.S. patent 4,216,339, but a variety of other catalysts known to those skilled in the art may also be used.

Examples of the invention

Example 1

Various slurries were prepared and tested for stability and viscosity. The reported samples were processed through an agglomerator, extruder, or melt press. The material from the agglomerator and extruder was then further ground to a size of < 1 mm. Thin materials of 1mm or less in width exiting the melters are brittle and processed directly through rod mills with the coal. The rod mill successfully comminuted the particles to a satisfactory size. PET-cotton blends can be a variable ratio, but are expected to be about 25-35% cotton. Spandex blends can be varied, but up to 15% spandex is contemplated.

The coal was dried and crushed in a Retsch jaw crusher to a nominal size < 2 mm. A predetermined amount of water was added to a 4.5L metal bucket. The viscosity modifier (ammonium lignosulfonate, ALS) was added to the water and mixed with a spatula until it was evenly distributed. The treated textile material and coal are added to the water and ALS mixture, and the blend is then mixed by an overhead mixer (overhead mixer). A pH adjuster (ammonia water) was added to the slurry to adjust the pH to 8 ± 0.2. After thorough mixing, the samples were placed in a laboratory rod mill equipped with 5 1/2 "x 9" stainless steel rods, 8 5/8 "x 9" stainless steel rods, 8 3/4 "x 9" stainless steel rods, 2 1 "x 9" stainless steel rods, and 1 bar 1 ¹/₄". times.9" stainless steel rods. The slurry was milled at about 28rpm (11.75 inches outside mill diameter) for 1 hour. While the slurry was mixed by the overhead mixer, the pH was adjusted to 8 ± 0.2 again using aqueous ammonia. Each batch of slurry was made up to about 3000 grams total, with about 70% solids, and with varying amounts of recycled textile material.

Samples of 500-550g coal slurry were transferred to 600mL glass beakers for viscosity and stability measurements. Viscosity was measured at room temperature using a Brookfield R/S rheometer operating at a shear rate of 1.83/S with a V80-40 blade spindle. The average of 3 viscosity measurements is reported. Stability was measured using a Brookfield rheometer with a V80-40 spindle by allowing the slurry to stand for 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or more minutes while the spindle is submerged, and then measuring viscosity. Viscosity increases with settling and the slurry is considered to have settled if the initial reading at the start of the viscosity measurement is > 100,000 cP. Slurries with settling times of less than 10 minutes are considered unstable. The results are reported in table 1.

TABLE 1

Example 2

Various slurries were tested with densified and ground textiles according to the procedure in example one, using different sources of coal. The control viscosity at the same ALS loading was much higher than the viscosity of the coal source in example 1. An important comparison is the comparison of the control viscosity to the textile containing tackiness. Good slurries have a viscosity similar to or lower than the control with the closest amount of ALS.

The results are reported in table 2. Each #1 in table 2 is a primary slurry. ALS was added to primary slurry #1 in an amount such that the total amount of ALS reported in table 2 was # 2-4. ALS is added after rod mill processing to reduce viscosity.

TABLE 2