Biomass storage system

• US 8,991,513 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Duncan, William D., Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Pan, Tony S., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): PEZZUTO, ROBERT ERIC
• Application Number:
  US13/682,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20140138109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 71/23, 71/640.8, 71/640.9, 71/81, 504/188, 504/358, 172/27, 172/720, 172/733, 172/772.5, 414/474, 414/489, 414/502, 414/519, 414/526, 414/528, 198/657, 198/302, 198/304, 198/641, 198/665, 198/679, 363/95, 56/1, 56/101, 56/145, 56/147, 56/164.R, 56/165, 56/167, 422/129, 422/198, 422/148, 422/187, 422/105, 422/72, 111/9, 111/12, 111/154, 111/200, 171/58
• US Class Current: 172/27
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 49/04 Combinations of soil-working tools with non-soil-working tools, e.g. planting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 43/14 with dispensing apparatus, e.g. for fertilisers, herbicides or preservatives
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/00 Watering gardens, fields, sports grounds or the like special apparatus or adaptations for fertilising-liquids A01C23/00; nozzles or outlets, spraying apparatus B05B
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2208/00008 Controlling the process
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/082 Controlling processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/085 Feeding reactive fluids for solid material, see B01J8/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/087 Heating or cooling the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 11/02 Drainage device- laying apparatus, e.g. drainage ploughs

Abstract

An apparatus for forming a water storage material from a biomass input material using supercritical or subcritical fluid processing, the water storage material capable of absorbing a liquid and releasing the liquid. The apparatus utilizes supercritical fluid processing, subcritical fluid processing, charring, or a combination thereof. The apparatus includes a controller configured to control the apparatus. The apparatus further including a processing station configured to hold the biomass input material, and to use the biomass input material for processing into the water storage material.

Claims

1. An apparatus for harvesting a plant and processing a portion of the plant into a water storage material, the water storage material capable of absorbing a liquid and releasing the liquid, comprising:

a harvester configured to harvest a plant, the plant having a first portion and a second portion;

a separating mechanism, the separating mechanism configured to separate the first portion of the plant from the second portion of the plant;

a processing component, having an input and an output, the processing component operatively connected to the separating mechanism at the input such that the processing component receives the second portion of the plant, the processing component configured to process the second portion of the plant into the water storage material, the water storage material capable of absorbing the liquid and releasing the liquid in a time controlled manner; and

a burying mechanism, the burying mechanism operatively connected to the output of the processing component such that the burying mechanism receives the water storage material, the burying mechanism configured to bury the water storage material at a burying depth below a surface of a ground material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the burying mechanism includes a plow configured to dig to clear a portion of the ground material up to the burying depth.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the burying mechanism is adjustable such that the burying depth is adjustable.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the burying mechanism is adjustable such that the water storage material can be buried at different areal densities.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a ground shaping mechanism.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the ground shaping mechanism is configured to shape the ground material above the burying depth.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the ground shaping mechanism is configured to form a channel in the ground material, the channel having a channel depth, a channel width, and a channel wall angle, wherein the channel depth is less than the burying depth.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the ground shaping mechanism is adjustable to alter the channel depth, the channel width, and/or the channel wall angle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing component includes a supercritical or subcritical fluid processing component.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing component includes a charring component.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a data recorder configured to store data associated with at least one of an amount of water storage material buried, a location of buried water storage material, and functional characteristics of the water storage material.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a data storage medium configured to store data associated with a desired emplacement of the water storage material.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reactant storage compartment configured to store a reactant used for the processing of the second portion into the water storage material.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a byproduct storage compartment configured to store a byproduct resulting from the processing of the second portion into the water storage material.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a recycling component configured to recycle the byproduct into the reactant.

16. A system for harvesting a plant, processing a portion of the plant into a water storage material, the water storage material capable of absorbing a liquid and releasing the liquid, and burying the water storage material in a ground material, comprising:

a harvester configured to harvest a plant, the plant having a first portion and a second portion, the harvester including,

a separating mechanism, the separating mechanism configured to separate the first portion of the plant from the second portion of the plant;

a processing component, having an input and an output, the processing component operatively connected to the separating mechanism at the input such that the processing component receives the second portion of the plant, the processing component configured to process the second portion of the plant into the water storage material, the water storage material capable of absorbing the liquid and releasing the liquid in a time controlled manner; and

a deposition mechanism configured to receive the water storage material from the outlet and to deposit the water storage material onto the ground material.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the harvester is a vehicle.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the vehicle includes a storage compartment configured to store the first portion of the plant.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing component includes a supercritical or subcritical fluid processing component.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the processing component includes a charring component.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising a data recorder configured to store data associated with at least one of an amount of water storage material deposited, a location of deposited water storage material, and a functional characteristic of the water storage material.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising a data storage medium configured to store data associated with a desired deposition of the water storage material.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the stored data comprises a desired deposition location.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the stored data comprises a desired deposition amount.

25. The system of claim 16, further comprising a reactant storage compartment configured to store one or more reactants used for the processing of the second portion of the plant into the water storage material.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising a byproduct storage compartment configured to store a byproduct resulting from the processing of the second portion of the plant into the water storage material.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a recycling component configured to recycle the byproduct into one or more of the reactants.

28. The system of claim 16, further comprising a packaging mechanism configured to package the water storage material before deposition.

29. The system of claim 16, further comprising a taggant configured to be emplaced in the deposited water storage material.