Chemistry: fertilizers – Processes and products – Bacterial
Patent
1994-03-29
1996-08-06
Lander, Ferris
Chemistry: fertilizers
Processes and products
Bacterial
44606, 426271, C05F 500
Patent
active
055429629
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of treating biomass material by which we mean particularly, but not exclusively, vegetable matter such as bracken or straw.
By "straw" we mean the remnant created during the harvesting of crops such as barley, wheat or other grains, oil seed rape etc. for examples, or other agricultural waste such as is created during the harvesting of beans (haulm), brassicas etc. The method is however applicable to the treatment of any other biomass material, such as sewage sludge, and other organic waste.
According to one aspect of the invention we provide a method of treating biomass material, the method comprising heating the biomass material without wetting, and substantially at ambient pressure, to a treatment temperature of at least 200.degree. for a treatment time sufficient for the material to undergo partial pyrolysis only.
According to a second aspect of the invention we provide a treatment system for treating biomass material by a method according to the first aspect of the invention, the system comprising means to heat the biomass material without wetting, and substantially at ambient pressure to a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. for a treatment time sufficient for the material to undergo partial pyrolysis only.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the treatment steps in a biomass treatment system, which is operated in accordance with the invention,
FIGS. 2 and 2a are side and sectional illustrative views of a drying apparatus, being a part of a first embodiment of a biomass treatment system which is operated in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 3 and 3a are side and sectional illustrative views of a heat treatment apparatus being a further part of the first embodiment of biomass treatment system for use in the system of FIG. 1,
FIGS. 4 and 4a are side find sectional illustrative views of a washing apparatus being a yet further part of the first embodiment of biomass treatment system,
FIG. 5 is a side illustrative sectional view of a combined drying, and heat treatment being a part of a second embodiment of a biomass treatment system which is operated in accordance with the invention,
FIG. 6 is an end illustrative view of the apparatus of FIG. 5, and
FIG. 7 is a side illustrative sectional view of a washing apparatus being a further pan of the second embodiment of biomass treatment system.
The invention will be exemplified with reference to the following two examples.
EXAMPLE 1
Referring to FIG. 1, the oil seed rape straw was harvested and baled and left on the field to dry out partially, naturally. The baled straw was then collected and fed into a milling machine which crushed and cut the straw into smaller fragments having a size such that most of the fragments produced would pass through a mesh of sieve size 5 mm.
The straw was milled in a conventional milling machine such as is sold by Cormall, the machine actually used being a type HD84D. Of course, any other suitable type of milling machine which can mechanically act upon the straw to cut and crush the straw could alternatively be used to mill the straw.
Next, the milled straw was force dried and at least partially sterilised at a temperature of 100.degree. C. or less so as to drive off moisture but not to affect the chemical composition of the straw.
The straw was force dried in an apparatus such as is illustrated at 10 in FIGS. 2 and 2a, the apparatus comprising an outer casing 11 and an inner screw conveyor or auger 12. The auger 12 is rotatable in the outer casing 11 by any desired means such as a dedicated electric motor, an internal combustion engine, or even by the power take-off of a tractor. Straw is fed into a hopper 13 and moved along the outer casing 11 in the direction of arrow A by a helical fin or rib which is labelled at 14, the fin or rib 14 each extending outwardly from a centre part 15 of the auger 12 in a helical configuration.
The auger 12
REFERENCES:
patent: 3950143 (1976-04-01), Pyle
patent: 4787917 (1988-11-01), LeClerc de Bussy
patent: 5023097 (1991-06-01), Tyson
Ollerenshaw Robert C. A. W.
Roe Maurice A.
Fi-Pro Limited
Lander Ferris
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