Foods and beverages: apparatus – Subjecting food to an enclosed modified atmosphere – With sequential heating and cooling
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-30
2001-01-23
Hendricks, Keith D. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Subjecting food to an enclosed modified atmosphere
With sequential heating and cooling
C099S483000, C425S074000, C425S113000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176176
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the use of a process and apparatus with a screw in a barrel for treating cellulosic materials in order to expand the materials, thereby making them more useful as animal feeds and for fermentation processes, for instance. In particular the present invention relates to a screw in a barrel process and apparatus which provides continuous processing of the cellulosic material using liquid ammonia which expands the cellulosic material while changing from a liquid to a gas upon exiting the apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
The use of ammonia under pressure to increase protein availability and cellulosic digestibility of a cellulosic containing plant material (alfalfa) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,196 to Hultquist. The ammonia which is provided in a vessel in liquid form impregnates the plant material and is explosively released upon being exposed to a rapid reduction in pressure in the vessel. The resulting processed material is used for ethanol production or as a feedstock for food or dairy animals. Dale in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,600,590 and 5,037,663 describes the use of various volatile chemical agents to treat the cellulose containing materials, particularly ammonia, by what came to be known as the AFEX process (Ammonia Freeze or Ammonia Fiber Explosion). The process pressures were somewhat higher than in Hultquist. Holzapple et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,592 describe an improved AFEX process wherein the treated biomass product is post-treated with super heated vapors of a swelling agent to strip the residual swelling agent for recycling. The apparatus
20
has mixing and a staged valve
21
which periodically opens. U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,060 to Chou is of general interest in use of supercritical ammonia to liberate polysaccharides. The patented processes are essentially accomplished on a batch basis.
Other prior art references relating to the AFEX process are European Patent No. 0 077 287; Dale, B. E., et al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering Symp. No. 12, 31-43 (1982); Dale, B. E., et al., Developments in Industrial Microbiology, A Publication of the Society for Industrial Microbiology, Vol. 26 (1985); Holtzapple, M. T., et al., Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Vol. 28/29, 59-74 (1991); Blasig, J. D., et al., Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 7:95-114 (1992); Reshamwala, S., et al., Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology Vol. 51/52, 43-55 (1995); Dale, B. E., et al., Bioresource Technology 56:111-116 (1996); and Moniruzzaman, M., et al., Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 67:113-126 (1997). Each of these processes are non-continuous.
OBJECTS
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved continuous process for producing an expanded cellulosic material using a swelling agent. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus which is particularly adapted for practicing the process. These and other objects will become increasingly apparent by reference to the following description and the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3852492 (1974-12-01), Brown, Jr. et al.
patent: 4336015 (1982-06-01), Rainville
patent: 4356196 (1982-10-01), Hultquist
patent: 4590081 (1986-05-01), Sawada et al.
patent: 4600590 (1986-07-01), Dale
patent: 4644060 (1987-02-01), Chou
patent: 4880581 (1989-11-01), Dastoli et al.
patent: 5037663 (1991-08-01), Dale
patent: 5120559 (1992-06-01), Rizvi et al.
patent: 5171592 (1992-12-01), Holzapple
patent: 5192543 (1993-03-01), Irvin et al.
patent: 5417992 (1995-05-01), Rizvi et al.
patent: 5473061 (1995-12-01), Bredereck et al.
patent: 5772721 (1998-06-01), Kazemzadeh
patent: 5972118 (1999-10-01), Hester et al.
patent: 3800650 (1988-01-01), None
patent: 0 077 287 B1 (1988-06-01), None
Dale, B. E., et al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering Symp. No. 12, 31-43 (1982).
Dale, B.E., et al., Developments in Industrial Microbiology, A Publication of the Society for Industrial Microbiology, vol. 26 (1985).
Holtzapple, M.T., et al., Applied Biochemistry and Bio-Technology vol. 28/29, 59-74 (1991).
Blasig, J.D., et al., Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 7:95-114 (1992).
Reshamwala, S., et al., Applied Biochemistry and Bio-Technology vol. 51/52, 43-55 (1995).
Dale, B.E., et al., Bioresource Technology 56:111-116 (1996).
Moniruzzaman, M., et al., Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 67:113-126 (1997).
Dale Bruce E.
Weaver Justin K.
Becker Drew
Board of Trustees operating Michigan State University
Hendricks Keith D.
McLeod Ian C.
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