Processed biomass pellets from organic-carbon-containing feedstock

• US 9,796,940 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CTP Biotechnology, LLC
• Original Assignee: Biomass Energy Enhancements LLC.
• Inventors: Tait, Carleton Drew, Van Thorre, Douglas M, Catto, Michael L, Scalzo, Philip James
• Primary Examiner(s): Toomer, Cephia D
• Application Number:
  US14/623,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20150361367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2200/0469 Renewables or materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/06 Heat exchange, direct or indirect
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/08 Drying or removing water
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/28 Cutting, disintegrating, shredding or grinding
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/30 Pressing, compressing or compacting
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/46 Compressors or pumps
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 2290/545 Washing, scrubbing, stripping, scavenging for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/08 without the aid of extraneous binders briquetting peat C10F
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/363 Pellets or granulates
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/42 on animal substances or products obtained therefrom , e.g. manure
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/44 on vegetable substances
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/442 Wood or forestry waste
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 5/445 Agricultural waste, e.g. corn crops, grass clippings, nut shells or oil pressing residues
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 9/08 by heat treatments, e.g. calcining
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 9/086 Hydrothermal carbonization
• 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

Abstract

A renewable processed biomass pellet composition made with a pelletizing sub-system from a processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock made with a beneficiation sub-system is described. Renewable biomass feedstock passed through a beneficiation sub-system to reduce water content to below at least 20 wt % and water-soluble intracellular salt reduction of at least 60 % from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock on a dry basis. The processed feedstock is introduced into a pelletizing sub-system to result in renewable processed biomass pellets having an energy density of at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20 GJ/MT) a water content of less than 20 wt %, and water-soluble intracellular salt content that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis for the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock, and made with 40 % less energy than expended to make current biomass pellets.

Claims

1. A process of making processed biomass pellets, comprising:

inputting into a first or beneficiation sub-system a renewable unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock that includes free water, intercellular water, intracellular water, intracellular water-soluble salts, and at least some plant cells comprising cell walls that include lignin, hemicellulose, and microfibrils within fibrils;

passing the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the first sub-system, a beneficiation sub-system process, to produce processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock having a water content of less than 20 wt % and a water soluble intracellular salt content that is reduced by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock; and

passing the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through a second sub-system, a pelletizing sub-system, to produce, in processed biomass pellets, a solid renewable fuel composition having an energy density of at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20GJ/MT) a water content of less than 10 wt % and water-soluble intracellular salt that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock,

wherein passing the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the first sub-system further comprises;

exposing the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to solvent heated to at least 135°

C. under a pressure of at least 260 psig for a residence time of at least 15minutes;

removing the pressure so as to create porous feedstock in the plant cell walls; and

pressing the porous feedstock to produce organic-carbon-containing feedstock that has a water content of less than 20 wt % and a water-soluble intracellular salt content that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock, and

wherein passing the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the second subsystem further comprises;

compressing the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock so as to separate it into pellets with discrete units of mass having the longest length of at least 4.0 cm and a density of at least 0.6 grams/cubic centimeter; and

collecting an aggregate of processed biomass pellets.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the pelletizing sub-system process, further comprises the step of heating the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to reduce its water content to less than 10% by weight.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the pelletizing sub-system process steps of compressing and exposing the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to heated solvent are done at the same time.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the solvent is heated to a temperature selected from at least 165°

C. and at least 180°

C.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the pressure is selected from at least 280 psig, at least 375 psig, and at least 640 psig.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the residence time is selected from at least 20 minutes and at least 30 minutes.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein exposing the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to solvent is performed without dissolving more than 25 percent of the lignin and hemicellulose.