Combustible article comprising lignin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326117-B2
Application number	US-201716074092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2017
Priority date	Feb 12, 2016
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

It is disclosed a combustible article of manufacture comprising a treated lignin composition and a combustible support, wherein the treated lignin composition is attached to at least a portion of an external surface of the combustible support with a force greater than the force of gravity relative to the treated lignin composition. The treated lignin composition comprises solid lignin and has a moisture content in the range of 35% to 80% percent by weight. The combustible support is preferably a hardwood chip, but it may be also softwood chips, coal, coke, and shredded tires.It is also disclosed a fuel composition comprising a plurality of the combustible article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A combustible article of manufacture comprising:
a treated lignin composition comprising solid lignin and having a moisture content in a range of 35% to 80% percent by weight of the treated lignin composition on a wet basis,
a combustible support having an external surface,

wherein the treated lignin composition is attached to at least a portion of the external surface of the combustible support with a force greater than the force of gravity relative to the treated lignin composition; and the combustible article is not made by a briquetting or pelletizing process;
wherein the combustible support is selected from the group consisting of hardwood chips and softwood chips.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the treated lignin composition is selected from the group consisting of steam exploded lignin, ammonia exploded lignin, and hydrothermally treated lignin.

3. The article of claim 2 , wherein the treated lignin composition comprises a stillage residue of a fermentation process or a hydrolysis process.

4. The article of claim 3 , wherein the treated lignin composition further comprises carbohydrates, and a total percent amount by weight of the carbohydrates in the treated lignin composition on a dry basis is in a range selected from the group consisting of from 5% to 45%, from 10% to 40%, and from 15% to 30%.

5. The article of claim 4 , wherein the article comprises an amount of sulfur and the amount of sulfur in the article is less than 0.3% on a dry basis.

6. The article of claim 3 , wherein the article comprises an amount of sulfur and the amount of sulfur in the article is less than 0.3% on a dry basis.

7. The article of claim 2 , wherein the treated lignin composition is obtained without adding sulfuric acid.

8. The article of claim 7 , wherein the article comprises an amount of sulfur and the amount of sulfur in the article is less than 0.3% on a dry basis.

9. The article of claim 2 , wherein the article comprises an amount of sulfur and the amount of sulfur in the article is less than 0.3% on a dry basis.

10. The article of claim 1 , wherein the treated lignin composition is selected from the group consisting of kraft lignin and organosolv lignin.

11. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article has a weight ratio of the treated lignin compositin to the combustible support on a wet basis in a range selected from 1:10 to 3:1, from 1:2 to 2:1, and from 1:1.5 to 1.5:1.

12. The article of claim 1 , wherein the treated lignin composition is attached to a portion of the external surface of the combustible support which is greater than a percent value selected from the group consisting of 50%, 70%, 80%, and 90% of the external surface of the combustible support.

13. The article of claim 1 , wherein the moisture content of the treated lignin composition on a wet basis is a value in a range selected from the group consisting of from 50% to 70%, and from 55% to 65%.

14. The article of claim 1 , wherein the moisture content of the article on a wet basis is less than a value selected from the group consisting of 60%, 55%, and 50%.

15. A fuel composition comprising a plurality of the article of claim 1 .

16. A method for use of the article of claim 1 as a fuel, comprising:
a. feeding the fuel to an industrial boiler;
b. burning the fuel inside the industrial boiler.

17. The article of claim 1 , wherein the combustible support has a moisture content on a wet basis which is a value in a range selected from the group consisting of from 1% to 60%, from 1% to 15%, from 2% to 10%, from 20% to 60%, and from 30% to 45%.

18. The article of claim 1 , wherein the combustible support has a dimension of −200 mm/+10 mm.

19. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article has a moisture content on a wet basis which is a value in a range selected from the group consisting of from 1% to 60%, from 1% to 15%, from 2% to 10%, from 20% to 60%, and from 30% to 45%.

Assignees

• Biochemtex Spa
• Versalis Spa

Inventors

• Bonaldi Ettore
• Giusti Alessandra

Classifications

• Y02E50/30

  Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel · CPC title

• C10L5/442

  Wood or forestry waste · CPC title

• C10L5/02 Primary

  {Solid fuels such as} briquettes consisting mainly of carbonaceous materials of mineral {or non-mineral} origin (peat briquettes C10F) · CPC title

• C10L5/447

  Carbonized vegetable substances, e.g. charcoal, or produced by hydrothermal carbonization of biomass · CPC title

• C10L2290/08

  Drying or removing water · CPC title