APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR THE COMMINUTION OF BOTANICAL FEEDSTOCK

• US 20190118187A1
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Published: 04/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MedReleaf Corp. (Aurora Cannabis, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MedReleaf Corp. (Aurora Cannabis, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nahtigal, Istok Gorazd
• Granted Patent: US 10,639,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/10 with drive arranged above container B02C18/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/18 Knives; Mountings thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 18/2216 Discharge means
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 2023/165 Screen denying egress of oversize material
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/10 with separator arranged in discharge path of crushing or disintegrating zone
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/14 with more than one separator
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 23/16 with separator defining termination of crushing or disintegrating zone, e.g. screen denying egress of oversize material
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 3/00 Cutting work characterised by the nature of the cut made; Apparatus therefor

Abstract

An apparatus for the comminution of a botanical feedstock includes a vessel, a screen positioned in the vessel above a first feedstock outlet and spaced from the top of the vessel, and a blade rotatably mounted above and generally parallel to the screen. The blade has a leading side, a trailing side, and a radial blade length. At least a portion of the leading side has a cutting edge and at least a portion of the trailing side has a downwardly extending trailing portion. The downwardly extending trailing portion has a lower edge having a plurality of discontinuities along a radial length of the trailing portion. The cutting edge is spaced from the upper surface of the screen by a first distance and a lowermost portion of the lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the screen by a second distance.

Claims

1. A method of continuously operating a batch grinder comprising:

(a) introducing a botanical feedstock into a vessel of the grinder;

(b) closing the vessel and operating the grinder as a closed vessel under negative pressure and withdrawing a fluid steam containing treated feedstock from the grinder; and

,

(c) while continuing to operate the grinder under negative pressure, opening a feed port of the vessel and introducing additional botanical feedstock into the grinder while continuing to draw air from the vessel using a source of negative pressure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the grinder comprises a rotating blade and the method further comprises rotating the blade at a rate to counter a downward force applied to the feedstock in the grinder due to the negative pressure.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the grinder comprises a rotating blade having an eddy producing trailing edge and the method further comprises rotating the blade to produce eddy currents to draw cut and partially cut feedstock upwardly from a screen to a level of a leading edge of the blade.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising conveying the fluid steam containing the treated feedstock to a cyclonic separator.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising subjecting the fluid stream containing the treated feedstock to cyclonic separation using a cyclonic separator thereby separating some of the treated feedstock from the fluid stream and collecting the separated treated feedstock in a separated material collection region.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising obtaining a secondary fluid steam having a reduced level of treated feedstock from the cyclonic separator and subjecting the secondary fluid stream to physical filtration to remove fine particulate matter from the secondary fluid steam.

7. An apparatus for the treatment of cannabis comprising:

(i) a grinder having a feedstock inlet and a feedstock outlet;

(ii) a first cyclonic separator positioned downstream from the feedstock outlet, the first cyclonic separator having a cyclone inlet receiving comminuted cannabis from the grinder, a comminuted cannabis outlet, and a cyclone air outlet; and

,

(iii) a source of negative pressure downstream from the feedstock outlet of the grinder.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the source of negative pressure is downstream from the cyclone air outlet.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a first separated material collection chamber downstream from the comminuted cannabis outlet.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an extractor having an inlet that receives at least some of the comminuted cannabis exiting the comminuted cannabis outlet, the extractor producing a cannabis extract.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising an extractor having an inlet that receives at least some of the comminuted cannabis from the separated material collection chamber, the extractor producing a cannabis extract.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the grinder comprises:

(a) a screen positioned in a vessel above the feedstock outlet, the screen having an upper surface and a lower surface; and

,

(b) at least one blade rotatably mounted above the screen and rotatable in a direction of rotation, a first blade of the at least one blade having a leading edge comprising a cutting portion, wherein the cutting portion is spaced from the upper surface of the screen by a first distance.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one blade has a trailing edge comprising a downwardly extending trailing portion, the downwardly extending trailing portion having a lower edge having a plurality of discontinuities along a radial length of the trailing portion, wherein a lowermost portion of the lower edge is spaced from the upper surface of the screen by a second distance.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first blade has the trailing edge.

15. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a filtration member positioned downstream of the cyclone air outlet.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the filtration member comprises a second cyclonic separator.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the filtration member comprises a physical filtration member.

18. A method for treating cannabis comprising:

(a) treating a feedstock of cannabis and obtaining treated feedstock comprising comminuted cannabis;

(b) pneumatically conveying the treated feedstock to a cyclonic separator; and

,

(c) subjecting the treated feedstock to a first cyclonic separation stage and obtaining a first stream of treated feedstock separated out of a fluid stream by the first cyclonic separation stage and a first fluid stream having a reduced level of treated feedstock.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein step (a) comprises comminuting at least a portion of the feedstock of cannabis.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising subjecting at least a portion of the first stream of treated feedstock to extraction and obtaining a cannabis extract.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising collecting the first stream of treated feedstock exiting the cyclonic separator and subsequently subjecting at least a portion of the collected first stream of treated feedstock to extraction and obtaining a cannabis extract.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein step (c) further comprises subjecting the treated feedstock to at least one subsequent cyclonic separation stage in series with the first cyclonic separation stage, wherein each subsequent cyclonic separation stage separates treated cannabis having a smaller particle size than the immediately previous cyclonic separation stage.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising subjecting the first fluid stream having a reduced level of treated feedstock to a second cyclonic separation stage and obtaining a second fluid stream having a further reduced level of treated feedstock and treated feedstock separated out of a fluid stream by the second cyclonic separation stage wherein the treated feedstock separated out of a fluid stream by the second cyclonic separation stage has a smaller average particle size than an average particle size of the treated feedstock separated out of a fluid stream by the first cyclonic separation stage.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising subjecting the first fluid stream having a reduced level of treated feedstock to a physical filtration stage.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein step (a) comprises comminuting at least a portion of the feedstock of cannabis, and the method further comprises collecting the first stream of treated feedstock exiting the cyclonic separator and subsequently subjecting at least a portion of the collected first stream of treated feedstock to extraction and obtaining a cannabis extract.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising subjecting the first fluid stream having a reduced level of treated feedstock to a physical filtration stage.