Hydrothermally carbonized biomass formed via reactive twin-screw extrusion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10590359-B2
Application number	US-201615238981-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material being a product of processing a biomass feed material via a twin screw extruder having a length extending between an inlet and an outlet. Hot water from a water heater is injected into at least one inlet along the length of the twin screw extruder, the at least one inlet generally corresponding with a pressure boundary within the twin screw extruder. A pressure-sustaining valve is connected between the length of the twin screw extruder and the outlet, with the valve being adjusted to produce the biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material comprising:
a product of processing a biomass feed material via a twin screw extruder having a length extending between an inlet and an outlet and wherein:
hot water from a water heater is injected into at least one inlet along the length of the twin screw extruder,
the at least one inlet generally corresponds with a pressure boundary within the twin screw extruder;
a pressure-sustaining valve connected between the length of the twin screw extruder and the outlet is adjusted to produce the biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material; and
the twin screw extruder having single discharge outlet, the single discharge outlet downstream of the hot water inlet.

2. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 wherein the biomass feed material comprises a lignocellulosic biomass material.

3. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 2 wherein the lignocellulosic biomass material comprises at least on material selected from the group consisting of wood, wood waste, agricultural residue and forest residue.

4. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 having a moisture content of <5% when dried in room air for 24-48 hrs.

5. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 having a molded flexural modulus (psi) of about 700,000 and a post-cured flexural modulus (psi) of greater than 900,000.

6. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 having a molded flexural strength (psi) of about 2,000 and a post-cured flexural strength (psi) of about 4,000.

7. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 wherein the hot water is injected at a temperature of 230-300° C.

8. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 wherein the pressure-sustaining valve is regulated by a servo-actuated feedbaek-control system that uses pressure and temperature measurements within a reaction section of the twin-screw extruder to stabilize a pressure within the reaction section to within 5% to 10% of a process average value ranging between 25 and 125 bar.

9. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 wherein the pressure-sustaining valve is regulated by a servo actuated feedback-control system that uses pressure and temperature measurements within a reaction section of the twin-screw extruder to maintain an average Specific Mechanical Energy of the twin-screw extruder to a desired value.

10. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 9 wherein the desired value is within 5% of a process average value ranging between 20 and 80 Watt-hours/kilogram.

11. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 having a form selected from the group consisting of slurry, powder, pellet, wafer, extrusion and other base material that may in turn be used to form structural materials.

12. The biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 that when compression molded at a temperature of about 60° C. and cured at a temperature up to about 200° C. experiences an increase in operating range up to about 190° C.

13. A thermoset material comprising the biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 cured at selected cure conditions.

14. A thermoset material comprising the biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 dewatered or dried.

15. A composite comprising the biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 and at least one second component selected from the group consisting of biomass, organic, mineral, ceramic and metal.

16. A composite comprising the biomass-derived thermosetting polymer material of claim 1 and at least one second component having a form selected from the group consisting of powder, chip, flake, sliver and fiber.

17. The composite of claim 16 wherein the at least one second component comprises at least one high strength fiber selected from the group consisting of wood, graphite, KEVLAR® para-aramid synthetic fiber, E-glass, S-glass and RYTON® para-aramid synthetic fiber.

Assignees

• Gas Technology Inst

Inventors

• Felix Larry G

Classifications

• B29C48/834

  Cooling · CPC title

• B29C48/268

  Throttling of the flow, e.g. for cooperating with plasticising elements or for degassing (flow control means B29C48/255) · CPC title

• C10L2200/0469

  Renewables or materials of biological origin · CPC title

• B29C2948/92704

  Temperature · CPC title

• B29C48/92

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title