Patent Application
20180339903
The present invention relates to a carbonization material, and more particularly to a carbonized material which is formed at a low temperature in an environmental friendly way, and a method for making the carbonized material.
Most of the carbon containing materials can be carbonized through different processes. Carbonization per se is a thermal cracking reaction, which is a chemical decomposition reaction wherein solid or liquid organic matter are heated in a hypoxic environment to cause chemical bonding fracture or damage of the organic matter. The carbonation reaction is endothermic reaction, therefore, the reactor heat transfer mode and efficiency is the top priority in choosing carbonization reaction equipment. Plant material and processing waste are often seen biomass material in carbonization production, which include wood, stone, shell, pulping wastewater, waste tires and so on. In the carbonization process, most of the non carbon elements, such as hydrogen and oxygen, are converted into volatile products by the cracking process and are removed, and the carbon atoms form carbide in the form of aromatic ring.
The carbonization includes low temperature carbonization and high temperature carbonization. The low temperature carbonization reaction requires a very large amount of activation energy, and the reaction rate is therefore very slow. At a high temperature below 800° C., the carbonization reaction is controlled by diffusion rate. At present, the carbonization of the polymer material or raw material is carried out in high temperature furnace to perform the pyrolysis at a temperature above 500° C. For example, the carbonization of the rice husk and sorghum shell is performed at a temperature of 700 to 900° C. for 30 to 120 minutes.
It is learned from the above description that the existing carbonization technology requires expensive equipment investment and consumes huge energy. It should be noted that the products from the abovementioned carbonization process are mostly solid and therefore have the disadvantages of less plasticity and are difficult to process, which result in a low added value and limited applicability.
Besides, the current development trend of waste heat treatment technology has shifted from waste incineration to carbonization technology. Namely, carbonizing the organic matter, and recycling of the carbonization caused energy and products can not only reduce the dependence on foreign resources, but also effectively reduce the load of waste disposal, and extend the service life of the landfill. A part of the carbon components of the organic matter is converted into carbon containing matter. The carbon containing matter can be used as alternative fuel, and the treatment process can also reduce the CO2 emission, which is in line with the global demand for CO2 emission reduction.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.
One objective of the present invention is to provide a low temperature carbonized material and a method for making the same. With the method for forming carbonized film by using the low temperature carbonized material, the present invention is capable of saving energy, reducing the CO2 emission and the industrial cost. Besides, the waste polyester polymer and biomass material can also be used as raw material for carbonization, which can reduce the amount of garbage hoarding, making the waste resource recyclable.
To achieve the above objective, a low temperature carbonized material provided by the invention comprises: 30-60 wt % polyester polymer material; 20-50 wt % biomass material; and 20-50 wt % phosphorous catalyst which catalyzes polyester polymer fracture to produce alcohol group and acid group.
Preferably, the polyester polymer material is selected from the group consisting of general polyester, biodegradable polyester and waste polyester polymer material.
Preferably, the polyester polymer material is selected from a group consisting of polylactic acid, polybutylene succinate and polyethylene terephthalate.
Preferably, the biomass material is selected from a group consisting of cellulose or lignin containing agricultural material and agricultural wastes containing lignin or cellulose.
Preferably, the biomass material is selected from a group consisting of pineapple fiber, nano pineapple fiber and bamboo fiber.
Preferably, the phosphorous catalyst is selected from a group consisting of phosphoric acid, phosphoric acid compounds, amine phosphate and amine phosphate compounds.
Preferably, the low temperature carbonized material has a surface resistance of 2×102 to 2×105Ω/□.
A method for making a low temperature carbonized material in accordance with the present invention, comprises:
a step of material preparation: providing the polyester polymer material, the biomass material, and the phosphorous catalyst;
a step of heating: heating the polyester polymer material to a soft state; and
a step of blending: blending the polyester polymer material which has been softened in the previous step with the biomass material and the phosphorous catalyst at a blending temperature 170 to 250° C.
Preferably, the step of blending further comprises a stirring step which is performed by a stirring device stirring at a stirring speed of 50-80 rpm.
Preferably, the stirring step is performed for 10-30 minutes.
With the polyester polymer material, the biomass material and the phosphorous catalyst, carbonization process can be performed at a lower temperature with less time as compared to the conventional art. The obtained products can be processed into desired shapes or even pressed into films, therefore, the products of the present invention can be further processed into activated carbon, fire retardant, thermal conductive material, reinforcing material, etc. Besides, the catalytic chain reaction of the phosphorous catalyst allows carbonization to be performed at a low temperature without the use of furnace, which is not only environmental friendly, but also effectively reduces the cost.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
The present invention provides a low temperature carbonized material and a method for making the same. The low temperature carbonized material and the method for making the same include polyester polymer materials, biomass material and catalyst. The phosphorous catalyst catalyzes polyester polymer fracture to produce alcohol group and acid group, which further catalyzes the carbonization reaction of the biomass material, and forms a catalytic chain reaction. Through the catalytic chain reaction, carbonization temperature can be effectively lowered and the carbonization time can be shortened.
The composition of the low temperature carbonized material, the method for making the low temperature carbonized material and efficacy test thereof are described as follows with reference to tables 1 and 2.
The low temperature carbonized material of the present invention comprises: 30-60 wt % polyester polymer material, 20-50 wt % biomass material, and 20-50 wt % phosphorous catalyst which catalyzes polyester polymer fracture to produce alcohol group and acid group.
In this embodiment, the polyester polymer material is selected from the group consisting of general polyester, biodegradable polyester and/or waste polyester polymer material. More particularly, the polyester polymer material is selected from PLA (polylactic acid), PBS (polybutylene succinate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
In this embodiment, the biomass material includes cellulose or lignin containing agricultural material and/or agricultural wastes containing lignin or cellulose. More particularly, the biomass material can be selected from pineapple fiber, nano pineapple fiber or bamboo fiber.
In this embodiment, the phosphorous catalyst is selected from phosphoric acid or its compounds, and amine phosphate or its compounds.
The method for making the low temperature carbonized material comprises the following steps:
a step of material preparation: providing 30-60 wt % polyester polymer material, 20-50 wt % biomass material, and 20-50 wt % phosphorous catalyst, wherein the polyester polymer material is selected from the group consisting of general polyester, biodegradable polyester and/or waste polyester polymer material, the biomass material includes cellulose or lignin containing agricultural material and/or agricultural wastes containing lignin or cellulose, and the phosphorous catalyst is selected from phosphoric acid or its compounds, and amine phosphate or its compounds;
a step of heating: heating the polyester polymer material to a soft state; and
a step of blending: blending the polyester polymer material which has been softened with the biomass material and the phosphorous catalyst at a blending temperature above 170° C., wherein the blending step is performed by a stirring device which stirs at a stirring speed of 50-80 rpm (rotation per minute) for 10-30 minutes, and the blending temperature is preferably 170 to 250° C.
In this embodiment, the low temperature carbonized material made by the aforementioned method can be further processed into a desired shape, for example, it can be pressed into carbonized films by hot pressing, wherein the hot pressing temperature is determined by the material of the polyester polymer.
The below table 1 shows the detailed embodiments of the present invention, wherein the biomass material is selected from AF (pineapple fiber), NAF (nano pineapple fiber) or BF (bamboo fiber), and the polyester polymer material is selected from PLA (polylactic acid), PBS (polybutylene succinate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The catalyst is APP (ammonium polyphosphate) or PA (phosphoric acid). The embodiment includes the following groups: PLA+APP, APP+AF, PLA+APP+AF, PLA+APP+BF, PBS+APP+AF, PET+APP+AF, PLA+APP+NAF, PLA+PA+AF, and PET+PA+AF.
The composition of the embodiment 1 includes: 60 wt % PLA (polylactic acid) and 40 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate).
The composition of the embodiment 2 comprises: 50 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate) and 50 wt % AF (pineapple fiber).
The composition of the embodiment 3 comprises: 40 wt % PLA (polylactic acid), 20 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate) and 40 wt % AF (pineapple fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 3 is 1.84×103Ω/□.
The composition of the embodiment 4 includes: 40 wt % PLA (polylactic acid), 20 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate) and 40 wt % BF (bamboo fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 4 is 1.25×105Ω/□.
The composition of the embodiment 5 includes: 40 wt % PBS (polybutylene succinate), 20 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate) and 40 wt % AF (pineapple fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 5 is 1.43×103Ω/□.
The composition of the embodiment 6 includes: 40 wt % PET (polyethylene terephthalate), 20 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate) and 40 wt % AF (pineapple fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 6 is 2.79×103Ω/□. FIG. shows the state of the product of the embodiment 6 after 225° C. blending and 215° C. hot pressing. It is obvious that the product of the embodiment 6 is fully carbonized.
The composition of the product of the embodiment 7 includes: 40 wt % PLA (polylactic acid), 20 wt % APP (ammonium polyphosphate) and 40 wt % NAF (nano pineapple fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 7 is 7.0×102Ω/□.
The composition of the product of the embodiment 8 includes: 40 wt % PLA (polylactic acid), 20 wt % PA (phosphoric acid) and 40 wt % AF (pineapple fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 8 is 2.79×102Ω/□.
The composition of the product of the embodiment 9 includes: 40 wt % PET (polyethylene terephthalate), 20 wt % PA (phosphoric acid) and 40 wt % AF (pineapple fiber). The surface resistance of the product of embodiment 9 is 9.18×102Ω/□.
Please refer to
Please refer to the below table 2, which is the analysis on the degree of carbonization of the formula containing 40 wt % plant fiber, the results show that the degree of the plant fiber carbonization is greater than 90% when hot pressing is performed longer than 30 minutes.
Currently, the polymer or biomass material needs to be heated in a furnace for several hours in order to be carbonized, and the after-carbonization product has no plasticity, is difficult for mold forming, and cannot be made into films, which results in a low added value and limited applicability. When the present invention uses the polyester polymer material (general polyester and biodegradable polyester), the biomass material (cellulose or lignin containing agricultural material), and the phosphorous catalyst as raw materials for making low temperature carbonization material, the phosphorous catalyst catalyzes polyester polymer fracture to produce alcohol group and acid group, which forms a catalytic chain reaction to further catalyze the carbonization reaction of the biomass material. Besides, the catalytic chain reaction can also effectively lower the carbonization temperature, which allows the carbonization process to be completed within 30 minutes at a temperature of 200° C., so that the obtained product can be more easily molded.
In particularly, let's take the film formed by hot pressing the low temperature carbonized material of the embodiment, its surface resistance can be as low as 3×103Ω/□, which is lower 1019 than the resistance of the polymeric membrane, and is close to the resistance (3×103Ω/□) of the conducting polymer coating on a polyester fabric. Therefore, as compared to the carbonized material or conducting polymer material obtained by other high temperature processes, the low temperature carbonized material obtained by the invention has the advantages of low temperature low cost, and being environmental friendly, energy saving and easy for molding.
The polyester material used in the invention can also be waste polyester polymer material (general polyester and biodegradable polyester) and the biomass material (cellulose or lignin containing agricultural material). The waste PET bottle is made from PET which is a polyester polymer material. The annual recycling of PET in Taiwan is about 90000 tons, which is a huge quantity equal to a recovery of 4.5 billion 600 ml PET bottles. Polylactic acid is a biodegradable polymer, the decomposition of the abandoned soil biological in soil will produce CO2, thus increasing CO2 emission. Although some scholars have put forward the method for recycling PET bottles and waste polylactic acid by pyrolysis, but the energy yield is not good as expected. At present, the disposal of agricultural waste is to discard waste away or burn it, which causes environmental pollution. Hence, with the low temperature carbonized material of the invention and the method for making the same, the waste PET bottles or waste polylactic acid can be made into recyclable carbonization material. In addition to reducing the amount of garbage hoarding and CO2 emission, the present invention is further capable of recycling the waste, and increasing industrial output.
In conclusion, the present invention can effectively recycle the waste polyester polymer and agriculture waste, and the catalytic chain reaction of the phosphorous catalyst allows carbonization to be performed at a low temperature without the use of furnace, which is not only environmental friendly, but also effectively reduces the cost. Besides, due to the ease of processing, the products of the present invention can be further processed into activated carbon, fire retardant, thermal conductive material, reinforcing material, etc.
While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
