Fiber pellets and processes for forming fiber pellets

• US 20030186052A1
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fibertech Polymers, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cytech Fiber Processing Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Traub, Darren, Crews, Jerry W., Wishengrad, Murray
• Application Number:
  US10/109,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20030186052A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/375
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/60 for feeding, e.g. end guides for the incoming material B29B7/7615 takes precedence; feeding predetermined amounts for mixing in general B01F35/714
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/748 Plants B29B7/7433, B29B7/7485, B29B7/7495 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/905 with means for pretreatment of the charges or fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/92 Wood chips or wood fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/06 in the form of filamentary material, e.g. combined with extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/08 by agglomerating smaller particles
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/14 fibre-reinforced
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/16 Auxiliary treatment of granules
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2201/00 Use of cellulose, modified cellulose or cellulose derivatives, e.g. viscose, as reinforcement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2933 Coated or with bond, impregnation or core

Abstract

Low moisture processed cellulose fiber pellets useful in the manufacture of cellulose fiber reinforced polymer products and materials, and an extruder-less process for forming such low moisture cellulose fiber pellets from wet processed cellulose fiber-based waste source materials. The cellulose fiber pellets include processed cellulose fibers and mixed plastics and/or inorganics such as minerals, clay, and the like, and have a moisture content of about 0.1 to 14% by weight. The extruder-less process includes the steps of drying, grinding and pelletizing in a manner capable of forming low moisture cellulose fiber pellets from wet processed cellulose fiber-based waste source materials having a moisture content of about 40-80% by weight.

Claims

1. A fiber pellet formed in an extruder-less process, comprising processed cellulose fibers and having moisture content in a range of about 0.1 to 14.0 percent by weight.

2. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the moisture content is in a range of about 1.0 to 5.0 percent by weight.

3. The fiber pellet of claim 1 further comprising plastic material.

4. The fiber pellet of claim 1 further comprising inorganic material.

5. The fiber pellet of claim 1 further comprising ash.

6. The fiber pellet of claim 4 wherein the inorganic material is clay.

7. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the formed pellets comprise cellulose fibers in a range of about 60 to 99% by weight, plastics in a range of about 0 to 25% by weight, and inorganics in a range of about 0 to 40% by weight, wherein the pellets include at least about 1 to 5% by weight of either plastics or inorganics and not more than about 40% by weight of combined plastics and inorganics.

8. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the fiber pellet is generally cylindrical in shape with diameter and length dimensions in a range of about {fraction (1/16)} to 2 inches.

9. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the fiber pellet is generally spherical in shape with a diameter dimension in a range of about {fraction (1/16)} to 2 inches.

10. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the fiber pellet is formed from raw material having a moisture content in a range of about 45 to 80 percent by weight.

11. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the raw material comprises cellulose fiber mixed with plastics and/or inorganics.

12. The fiber pellet of claim 1 wherein the fiber pellet has a bulk density in a range of about 10 to 50 pounds per cubic feet.

13. A method of forming a cellulose fiber pellet comprising the steps of

drying a processed cellulose-based source material having a moisture content in a range of about 40 to 80 percent by weight to a moisture content in a range of about 0.1 to 14.0 percent by weight,

grinding the dried source material to reduce size of the source material, and

extruderlessly pelletizing the source material into a plurality of pellets.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a binding material is indigenous to the source material.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the binding material comprises plastic material.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the binding material comprises inorganic material.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the inorganic material is clay.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of sourcing the source material from waste streams of a paper mill process.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of compacting the source material to a bulk density in a range of about 10 to 50 pounds per cubic foot.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising a second step of drying the source material between the grinding and pelletizing steps.