Patent Application
20080280236
The present disclosure provides compositions and processes, and more particularly solid fuel compositions as well as solid fuel composition combustion processes.
Waste materials are generated everyday, if not every second, throughout the world. These waste materials stress our environment by overtaxing landfills, polluting the oceans, and can even contribute to air quality problems when combusted inefficiently. As just one example, over two million tons of agricultural waste is generated within a five county area of the Tri-Cities within the State of Washington, USA. Heretofore, this waste has been traditionally landfilled or used as fertilizer or low value cattle feed, but in any case, it has not been utilized as fuel.
Solid fuel compositions consisting essentially of wet-processed biomass are provided.
Processes for preparing solid fuel are provided that can include pelletizing wet-processed biomass material.
Combustion processes are provided that can include initiating combustion of a pelletized wet-processed biomass material.
Energy generation processes are included that can include gasifying a biomass pellet.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following accompanying drawings.
This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote” the progress of science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).
The present disclosure is described with reference to
Wet biomass processing is applied during the processing of biomass such as mint, barley, hops, corn, soy beans, beets, grapes, and oranges, for example. Referring to
As an example of a process 10, biomass 12 can include mint which is processed according to wet process parameters after being cultivated to produce a wet-processed mint oil product and a spent wet-processed mint slug. The processing of mint includes the mowing of the mint and then the blowing of the mint, after drying, into a tube. Pressurized steam is used to shoot through the tubes to vaporize the mint oil from the mint leaves. The oil vapors and steam pass through a line at the top of the tubes to water cooled condensers where they return to a liquid state in a separator. The mint oil rises to the top and is drawn into drums.
As another example of process 10, biomass 12 can be barley which is wet processed by fermentation to produce the wet-processed product silage. Barley is also malted by soaking barley kernels, allowing them to germinate, and then drying. The malted barley is then used to make an extract for beer production, leaving behind the spent wet-processed barley wash.
As still another example, hops are typically utilized in the process of manufacturing beer. In this biomass process, the hops are boiled in water to coagulate unstable proteins and extract tannins in order to create a stable medium for fermentation of the beer. Upon boiling, the liquid is removed to leave a spent wet-processed biomass comprising spent hops.
Further wet processing of biomass can include the production of vegetable oil. In accordance with these wet processes, the vegetables can be husked, cleaned, crushed, and conditioned, according to dry processes and then oil extracted according to wet processes generally through the use of a solvent such as hexane. After the extraction and boiling, the liquid oil from the vegetables is skimmed, and the remaining spent wet-processed biomass is considered waste material. Two particularly important examples that are responsible for the majority of vegetable oil production is the processing of corn and/or soybeans. During this process, the corn and/or soy oils that are produced can be used in the production of compositions such as biodiesel.
In accordance with another wet process, fruit is relieved of its juice in a process to produce a fruit juice wet-processed product and leave behind a fruit pomace spent wet-processed waste material. The processing of grapes during wine or even juice production is an example of these wet processes.
The wet-processed biomass material may be saturated or at least partially saturated with some kind of liquid solution, either organic or an aqueous solution. These materials have been considered high in moisture content, making them undesirable as a fuel source.
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According to exemplary embodiments, the processed biomass can include or be mixed with barley, straw, wheat, rice, flax straw, and even corn stover. As an example, mint slug may be mixed with straw, wood cuttings, and/or switch grass to form the biomass waste material to be processed. Wood cuttings and mint slug may be combined up to a 50:50 ratio of wood cuttings to mint slug.
Processing apparatus 24 can include a pellet mill. Example pellet mills include but are not limited to California Pellet Mill Model 7726 (available from California Pellet Mill Co., 1114 E. Wabash Avenue, Crawfordsville, Ind. 47933); Sprout Waldron Pellet Mill Model 501 (available from Andritz, Inc., 10745 Westside Parkway, Alpharetta, Ga. 30004); and Bliss Pioneer Pellet Mill Model B120A-141 (available from Bliss Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 910, Ponca City, Okla. 74602).
According to exemplary embodiments, biomass waste material 42 can be provided to the pellet mill, and the pellet mill can compact the. biomass waste material to a density of at least 20 lbs/ft3; 20-30 lbs/ft3; 40-45 lbs/ft3; or 20-50 lbs/ft3. The pellet can have a length longer than its diameter. As an example, the pellet can define the perimeter of a circle in one cross section and this circle can have a diameter of less than ½ inch. As another example, any cross section of the pellet can be less than 1 inch in length. The pellets may be configured for use in residential pellet stoves. According to an example embodiment, processing apparatus 44 can be configured to prepare pellets for use in domestic pellet stoves.
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Fuel 66 produced upon gasification of pellets 62 is typically smaller molecular weight hydrogen compositions including carbon hydrogen compositions, such as diatomic hydrogen and or methane, for example. In certain parlances, this can be referred to as partially gasified fuel or gasification processing fuel. This fuel can be provided for further combustion and utilized as the energy source for processing, according to processing apparatus 70, raw material 68 to produce product 72. In accordance with an example process, raw material 68 can be any raw materials that need to be processed, including agricultural or nonagricultural materials. Processing 70 can utilize the fuel provided 66 in the processing of raw materials 68. For example, processing 70 may simply utilize a heat source in the processing of raw material 68, and fuel 66 can provide the fuel for that heat source. In any event, processing 70 produces a product 72. As another example fuel 66 may be utilized to charge fuel cells.
Spent pellets of the gasification process include particles than can be further utilized. The process of gasifying the pellets can produce a carbon waste product and this carbon waste product can be utilized as a filtration media, thereby resulting in a process that produces no waste material and is the efficient utilization of previously unutilized at least partially spent or processed biomass.
Tying these processes together, a processed biomass such as materials 18 described in
In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
