Reconfigurable processing enclosures

• US 10,350,548 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Xyleco, Inc.
• Inventors: Medoff, Marshall, Masterman, Thomas Craig, Paradis, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Nicholas A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raphael, Colleen M
• Application Number:
  US15/690,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20180016745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/02 with moving adsorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/32 by electrical effects other than those provided for in group B01D61/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/44 Ion-selective electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/445 with bipolar membranes; Water splitting
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/085 Electron beams only
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0869 Feeding or evacuating the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0879 Solid
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0886 Gas-solid
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/00 Jigging conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/04 Conveying materials in bulk pneumatically through pipes or tubes; Air slides
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/40 Feeding or discharging devices
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 29/149 with hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 31/12 containing four carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/00 Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal mechanical winning of oil from oil-shales, oil-sand, or the like B03B
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/023 for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0476 Biodiesel, i.e. defined lower alkyl esters of fatty acids first generation biodiesel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/36 Applying radiation such as microwave, IR, UV
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 9/08 by heat treatments, e.g. calcining
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/00 : Means for after-treatment of the produced biomass or of the fermentation or metabolic products, e.g. storage of biomass filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/10 : Separation or concentration of fermentation products bioreactors combined with means for distillation or extraction of liquid fuel C12M43/02
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/02 : Monosaccharides 2-ketogulonic acid C12P7/60
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 19/14 : produced by the action of a carbohydrase (EC 3.2.x), e.g. by alpha-amylase , e.g. by cellulase, hemicellulase
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2201/00 : Pretreatment of cellulosic or lignocellulosic material for subsequent enzymatic treatment or hydrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2203/00 : Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source ethanol C12P7/10
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/04 : acyclic
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/06 : Ethanol, i.e. non-beverage
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/52 : Propionic acid; Butyric acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/56 : Lactic acid
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 1/02 : obtained by saccharification of cellulosic materials manufacture of fodder A23K10/32
• CPC Class Codes: C13K 13/002 : Xylose
• CPC Class Codes: D21C 9/007 : by mechanical or physical means
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/92 : Protection against other undesired influences or dangers buildings providing protection against external dangers E04H9/00; shielding against dangerous radiation G21F
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2001/925 : Protection against harmful electro-magnetic or radio-active radiations, e.g. X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G21F 7/00 : Shielded cells or rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/10 : with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/202 : Movement
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31 : Processing objects on a macro-scale
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3165 : Changing chemical properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 : for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 : Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/133 : Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/33 : using wind energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 : using solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/40 : Valorisation of by-products of wastewater, sewage or sludge processing

Abstract

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) or other materials are processed to produce useful intermediates and products, such as energy, fuels, foods or materials. For example, systems and methods are described that can be used to treat feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials, in a vault in which the walls and optionally the ceiling include discrete units. Such vaults are re-configurable.

Claims

1. A treatment facility comprising:

a vault, having walls, ceiling, and a foundation;

within the vault, a material conveying system; and

an electron irradiation device supported by the ceiling of the vault and disposed to irradiate biomass conveyed by the material conveying system,

wherein each of the walls comprises a plurality of discrete reconfigurable units and at least one unit of the plurality of units comprises a high Z material.

2. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the ceiling comprises a plurality of discrete units.

3. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the high Z material is a metal with a Z value above 25.

4. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the irradiation device weighs at least 5 Tons.

5. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the irradiation device weighs at least 10 tons.

6. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the irradiation device weighs between about 5 and about 20 tons.

7. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the foundation comprises a concrete slab.

8. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the walls comprise interlocking blocks.

9. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the walls support a network of I-beams and the network of I-beams supports ceiling panels.

10. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the walls, ceiling and foundation are at least about 4 feet thick.

11. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the walls, ceiling and foundation include concrete and the concrete is selected from the group consisting of regular concrete, high density concrete, pre-tensioned concrete, lead containing concrete, rebar containing concrete and combinations thereof.

12. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the vault further comprises a substantially radiation opaque door.

13. The facility as in claim 12, wherein the door comprises a steel interior in contact with a front and back layer comprising lead.

14. The facility as in claim 1, further comprising an opening for continuously supplying biomass into the vault and to the conveyor, and openings for a continuous loop conveyor for continuously removing biomass from the conveyor and out of the vault.

15. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the high Z material is iron, lead, or a combination thereof.

16. The facility as in claim 1, wherein a side of the at least one unit of the plurality of units is covered with stainless steel.

17. The facility as in claim 1, wherein the at least one unit of the plurality of units further comprises a material to reduce the porosity of the at least one unit compared to the porosity of the at least one unit without the material.

18. A method of treating a biomass material, the method comprising;

irradiating a lignocellulosic biomass with an electron irradiation device, in a vault having a foundation, walls and a ceiling,

wherein the electron irradiation device is supported by the ceiling of the vault, each of the walls comprise a plurality of discrete reconfigurable units and at least one unit of the plurality of units comprises a high Z material.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ceiling comprises a plurality of discrete units.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the walls support a network of I-beams and the network of I-beams supports the ceiling.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the walls comprise interlocking blocks.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the walls, ceiling and foundation include concrete and the concrete is selected from the group consisting of regular concrete, high density concrete, pre-tensioned concrete, lead containing concrete, rebar containing concrete and combinations thereof.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the method comprises re-configuring the vault after irradiating the biomass and irradiating a second biomass in the re-configured vault.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the lignocellulosic material is in the form of a lumber product.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of wood, particle board, sawdust, agricultural waste, sewage, silage, grasses, rice hulls, bagasse, cotton, jute, hemp, flax, bamboo, sisal, abaca, straw, corn cobs, corn stover, switchgrass, alfalfa, hay, coconut hair, seaweed, algae and mixtures thereof.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the high Z material is a metal with a Z value above 25.

27. The facility as in claim 18, wherein the high Z material is iron, lead, or a combination thereof.

28. The facility as in claim 18, wherein a side of the at least one unit of the plurality of units is covered with stainless steel.

29. The facility as in claim 18, wherein the at least one unit of the plurality of units further comprises a material to reduce the porosity of the at least one unit compared to the porosity of the at least one unit without the material.