Solid material comminution or disintegration – Processes – With application of fluid or lubricant material
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-20
2003-06-17
Husar, John M. (Department: 3725)
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Processes
With application of fluid or lubricant material
C241S024190, C241S028000, C241S029000, C241SDIG014
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578782
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for recycling paper products and other recyclable cellulosic materials, and more specifically to a method and system for producing stabilized pest control insulation from waste paper products such as old newsprint, by shredding and fiberizing the waste paper stock and then treating the fiberized paper with additives which may include: pesticides such as boric acid, dust inhibitors, fire retardants and other materials, depending upon the specific application and desired characteristics of the final EPA Registerable Pest Control product.
2. Description of Related Art
Discarded paper products make up approximately thirty-eight percent of the total waste stream. With available landfill space decreasing, recycling of paper products has become necessary. It has been found that a variety of useful products may be manufactured from recycled paper products. This has the dual benefit of reducing the volume of waste, which must be landfilled, and enabling the production of a variety of useful materials at a relatively low raw material cost.
Paper waste, such as old newsprint, can be recycled by known recycling techniques to produce a variety of products, including building insulation, animal bedding, soil amendment mulch, spill absorbents, boiler fuel pellets and packaging materials.
Low-density cellulose insulation can be made from paper fibers obtained from most types of bulk waste paper stock. The most common type of bulk waste paper stock used for insulation is old newsprint. To make cellulose insulation from newsprint, the newsprint is shredded, and then fiberized after being mixed with, for example, a fire retardant chemical. Air cells within the shredded paper make the product lightweight and provide the thermal resistance necessary to make a high quality building insulation. Other chemical additives may be introduced to the insulation product, such as pesticides, moisture and dust inhibitors, stabilizers, fragrances and colorants.
Waste paper stock can also be recycled to produce soil amendment mulch for soil conditioning, erosion control or seedling protection. The paper is shredded or chipped, and additives are introduced to fertilize the soil, resist or accelerate decomposition, provide products of different colors and provide pesticides.
Waste paper can also be recycled to produce a spill absorbent material for cleaning up liquid spills. Additives can be provided to spill absorbents which improve the absorbency of the product, resist flammability and neutralize a variety of chemicals. Boiler fuel pellets and packing materials can also be produced from recycled paper waste.
Because of the different characteristics required for each application, the methods of producing each of these products vary greatly, as do the products themselves. For example, a variety of additives can be provided along with the recycled paper base material to impart characteristics desirable for the specific application.
In the field of cellulose insulation, for example, it has been found desirable to introduce additives including pesticides, dust inhibitors, fire retardants and stabilizers. At proper dosage levels, pesticides such as boric acid help control and kill many self-grooming insects such as termites, cockroaches, ants, silverfish, earwigs, crickets, Darkling Beetles and booklice. Cellulose insulation with the added benefit of such pest control can prevent infestation of certain insects. Insulation with pest control is a long-lasting alternative that adds value to the structure, and comfort to those that dwell in the structure.
Conventional insulation typically incorporates heavy chemical loading (a minimum of 25 percent) in order to provide limited pest control properties. Yet, the result of such heavy loading is less fiber to insulate, and more dust with which the applicator must deal.
Thus, a need exists for a method and system of providing insulation from recycled paper that provides permanent pest control benefits without the loss of R-value or coverage. It would be beneficial to reduce the chemical loading of conventional insulation by approximately 50%. It would further be beneficial to add a liquid to the insulation that would greatly reduce nuisance dust. Further, it would be beneficial to add a stabilizer so that the insulation will not unduly settle.
It is desirable that a “ready-to-use” insulation be provided that has the advantages of other cellulose insulation with pest control protection, but without the known deficiencies in coverage and an abundance of dust that currently plague conventional cellulose insulation.
Simply adding borates to insulation is known, but disadvantageous for a number of reasons. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,992 to Draganov discloses a wet process apparatus for rendering cellulosic insulation particles fire retardant by impregnating the insulation material with an aqueous solution of a non-hygroscopic fire retardant composition and then maintaining the insulation material in a hot and humid atmosphere for a prolonged period of time prior to drying. The Draganov apparatus comprises: (1) a grinding mill to grind cellulosic insulation; (2) spray nozzles to spray the insulation with water; (3) hot vapor in a humidifying conduit to humidify the wetted insulation; (4) a conditioning bin in which the insulation remains from at least 10 minutes to more than an hour at temperatures from 140 to 190 degrees F.; and (5) a dryer to dry the conditioned insulation. Further, Draganov teaches the application of boric acid to waste paper immediately after grinding. “It is applied to the waste paper either dry during the grinding operation or immediately thereafter in aqueous solution . . . ” Col. 3, lines 5-6.
It would be beneficial to provide the liquid additive either during fiberizing, or after such fiberizing. Yet, this is contrary from the teaching of Draganov that boric acid in liquid form be added immediately after grinding. Adding borates to insulation with a liquid additive to aid the borates absorb into the paper, to inhibit dust, and to stabilize the insulation, is believed novel.
Present cellulose insulation products are known to contain borates, but not of sufficient quantities to provide effective insect control. The only cellulose product that does have sufficient borates to qualify as an EPA Registered Product (InCide), lacks the process of liquid additives that impart stability, increase coverage, and reduce dust—important considerations for building owners and insulation contractors.
Other types of cellulose products provide animal bedding. Animal bedding with pesticides and disease immune additives protects the health of the animals using the bedding. Ammonia inhibitors can be added to the animal bedding to help control fumes and odors caused by animal waste, thereby reducing the ventilation necessary. This reduces the expense of electricity used to run the ventilating fans in the animal pens, and also reduces heating expenses, as less heat is lost through the ventilation exhaust. It has been found desirable to provide a bedding material having higher thermal insulative properties than known bedding materials, thereby also helping to reduce heating expenses.
Known bedding materials and known methods of producing these materials have been found to be less than adequate in use. For example, commonly used bedding materials such as wood shavings and sawdust do not provide good thermal insulation, and are flammable. Also, these materials are increasingly used for other applications, such as producing “particle board” building materials, fuels, and for other uses. This has resulted in increased costs and decreased availability.
These known bedding materials also lack the pesticidal, disease-inhibiting and ammonia-inhibiting characteristics which have been found desirable, and may, in fact, promote the proliferation of pests and disease. In the past, in order to provide known bedding materials such as wood shavings and sawdust with pesticid
Elliot, Jr. John D.
Turk William N.
Cellulose Technologies Group, Inc.
Husar John M.
Schneider, Esq. Ryan A.
Troutman Sanders LLP
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