Methods and systems for the production of crystalline flake graphite from biomass or other carbonaceous materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11380895-B2
Application number	US-201816497253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2018
Priority date	Apr 3, 2017
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

High quality flake graphite is produced by methods that include mixing a carbon-containing feedstock with a catalyst to form a feedstock/catalyst mixture, or coating a catalyst with a carbon-containing feedstock, and subjecting the mixture or feedstock-coated catalyst to irradiation with a laser to convert the feedstock into flake graphite in the presence of the catalyst. In some instances, the feedstock is converted to a char by pyrolysis and the char is instead subjected to laser irradiation. The feedstock can be a biomass or a carbonaceous material. The catalyst can be an elemental metal, an alloy, or a combination thereof. In some instances, methods described herein have been found to produce high quality flake graphite in the form of potato shaped agglomerates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing graphite, the method comprising:
mixing a carbon-containing feedstock with a catalyst to form a feedstock/catalyst mixture; and
subjecting the mixture to irradiation with a laser to convert the feedstock into graphite in the presence of the catalyst, wherein
the feedstock is a biomass, a carbonaceous material, or a combination thereof; and
the catalyst is an elemental metal, an alloy, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising converting the feedstock/catalyst mixture to a powdered form prior to being subjected to irradiation with the laser.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the produced graphite is in the form of agglomerates.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the elemental metal is any one of iron, cobalt and nickel.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alloy is a steel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomass comprises one or more of lignin, lignocellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, wood flour, sawdust, a dehydrated agricultural product, dehydrated food waste, dehydrated livestock feces, miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane, bamboo, agave, alfalfa, a grain; algae, and oil palm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises one or more of an artificial polymer, a natural polymer, a plastic, peat, coal, pitch, coke, a carbon black, an activated carbon, a mesophase carbon, and charcoal.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock/catalyst mixture has a feedstock to catalyst ratio ranging from about 4:3 to about 4:1 by weight.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laser is immobile and the method further comprises:
forming the mixture into a solid form prior to subjecting to laser irradiation; and
rotating or rastering the solid form while subjecting the solid form to the laser irradiation.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the laser is immobile and the method further comprises:
forming the mixture into a sheet or a layer prior to subjecting to laser irradiation; and
rastering the sheet or the layer while subjecting the sheet or the layer to the laser irradiation.

11. A method for producing graphite, the method comprising:
mixing a carbon-containing feedstock with a catalyst to form a feedstock/catalyst mixture;
subjecting the mixture to pyrolysis to convert the mixture to a feedstock/catalyst-containing char; and
subjecting the char to irradiation with a laser to convert the feedstock into graphite in the presence of the catalyst, wherein
the feedstock is a biomass, a carbonaceous material, or a combination thereof; and
the catalyst is an elemental metal, an alloy, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising converting the feedstock/catalyst mixture to a powdered form prior to being subjected to irradiation with the laser.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the produced graphite is in the form of agglomerates.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the elemental metal is any one of iron, cobalt and nickel.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the alloy is a steel.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the biomass comprises one or more of lignin, lignocellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, wood flour, sawdust, a dehydrated agricultural product, dehydrated food waste, dehydrated livestock feces, miscanthus, switchgrass, hemp, poplar, willow, sorghum, sugarcane, bamboo, agave, alfalfa, a grain, algae, and oil palm.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the carbonaceous material comprises one or more of an artificial polymer, a natural polymer, a plastic, peat, coal, pitch, coke, a carbon black, an activated carbon, a mesophase carbon, and charcoal.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the feedstock/catalyst mixture has a feedstock to catalyst ratio ranging from about 4:3 to about 4:1 by weight.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the laser is immobile and the method further comprises:
forming the mixture into a solid form prior to subjecting to pyrolysis; and
rotating or rastering the solid form char while subjecting the solid form char to the laser irradiation.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the laser is immobile and the method further comprises:
forming the mixture into a sheet or a layer prior to subjecting to pyrolysis; and
rastering the char sheet or the char layer while subjecting the char sheet or the char layer to the laser irradiation.

Assignees

• Univ George Washington

Inventors

• Wagner Michael J
• Banek Nathan A
• Abele Dustin T
• Mckenzie Jr Kevin R

Classifications

• H01M4/587 Primary

  for inserting or intercalating light metals · CPC title

• B01J2219/12

  Processes employing electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• C01B32/20 Primary

  Graphite · CPC title

• H01M2004/027

  Negative electrodes · CPC title

• C01B32/205

  Preparation · CPC title