×

Conversion of cellulose and lignin organic waste material into a more digestible and manageable form

  • US 4,082,859 A
  • Filed: 07/01/1975
  • Issued: 04/04/1978
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1975
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A process for the conversion of cellulose and lignin organic waste material into a more digestible and manageable form which consists of the steps:

  • (a) reducing said cellulose or lignin organic waste material to a size less than 2 inches to facilitate further handling, when said organic waste material has a size greater than 2 inches, said cellulose or lignin organic waste material being selected from the group consisting of straw, stover, wood shavings, bagesse, corn cobs, peanut hulls, peat, tobacco stems, cocoa shells, rice hulls and soybean hulls;

    (b) admixing an acid selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and mixtures thereof with about 40 to 60 percent by weight of said organic waste material;

    (c) admixing, before, after or simultaneously with step (b), a base selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide and mixtures thereof with the remainder of said organic waste material;

    (d) mixing and reacting said acidified organic waste material with said basified organic waste material, a more digestible form of said organic waste material resulting, about 80 to 120 parts by weight of said acidified organic waste material being used per 100 parts by weight of said basified organic waste material, said reaction mixture contains about 20 to 60 percent by weight of water based on the total weight of said reaction mixture, said water level being achieved whenever said water level is not present by drying said starting cellulose or lignin organic waste material or adding water to said cellulose or lignin organic waste material or portion thereof used in step (b) or step (c), whereupon part of said water in said reaction mixture converted to steam by exothermic heat produced as said reaction progresses, and whereby said organic waste material is converted into a substantially dry, more digestible form; and

    (e) forming the reacted mixture of the step (d) into pellets, cubes, blocks or other similar forms.

View all claims
  • 0 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×