US 12,286,592 B2
Process and apparatus for converting polymers into products
Richard Daley, London (GB); and William Rowlands, Alexandria (AU)
Assigned to Mura Technology Limited, London (GB)
Appl. No. 17/766,156
Filed by MURA TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, London (GB)
PCT Filed Oct. 2, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/059231
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 1, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/064647, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019903756 (AU), filed on Oct. 4, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0380682 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. C10G 1/10 (2006.01); B01D 3/06 (2006.01); B01D 3/14 (2006.01); B01D 3/38 (2006.01); B01J 3/00 (2006.01); B01J 19/00 (2006.01); B01J 19/24 (2006.01)
CPC C10G 1/10 (2013.01) [B01D 3/06 (2013.01); B01D 3/14 (2013.01); B01D 3/38 (2013.01); B01J 3/008 (2013.01); B01J 19/0013 (2013.01); B01J 19/002 (2013.01); B01J 19/006 (2013.01); B01J 19/2415 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00094 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00162 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00247 (2013.01); B01J 2219/0027 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00779 (2013.01); C10G 2300/1003 (2013.01); C10G 2300/807 (2013.01); C10G 2400/06 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for treating polymeric material to produce hydrocarbon products, the method comprising:
generating a reaction mixture comprising a synthetic polymeric material and an aqueous solvent;
treating the reaction mixture in a reactor apparatus at a reaction temperature and a reaction pressure over a period of time suitable for conversion of all or a portion of the synthetic polymeric material present in the reaction mixture into a liquid product stream, wherein the liquid product stream is at a temperature of at least 350° C. and a pressure of at least 180 bar;
depressurising the liquid product stream in a flash vessel, thereby vaporizing at least a portion of the liquid product stream to generate a vapor comprising constituent parts of hydrocarbon products, steam, and gas; and
injecting steam, superheated steam or supercritical water into the flash vessel to vaporize any remaining portion of the liquid product stream in the flash vessel to generate a vapor comprising constituent parts of hydrocarbon products, steam and gas;
wherein:
the depressurising comprises reducing the pressure of the liquid product stream to less than 25 bar in the flash vessel, and
wherein the vaporizing provides energy to facilitate fractionation of the vapor into the constituent parts; and collecting the fractionated vapor.