Biocarbon blends with optimized fixed carbon content, and methods for making and using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12404455-B2
Application number	US-202217731194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2022
Priority date	Apr 27, 2021
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

In some variations, the invention provides a biocarbon composition comprising a low fixed carbon material with a fixed carbon concentration from 20 wt % to 55 wt %; a high fixed carbon material with a fixed carbon concentration from 50 wt % to 100 wt % (and higher than the fixed carbon concentration of the low fixed carbon material; from 0 to 30 wt % moisture; from 0 to 15 wt % ash; and from 0 to 20 wt % of one or more additives (such as a binder). Some variations provide a process for producing a biocarbon composition, the process comprising: pyrolyzing a first biomass-containing feedstock to generate a low fixed carbon material; separately pyrolyzing a second biomass-containing feedstock to generate a high fixed carbon material; blending the low fixed carbon material with the high fixed carbon material, thereby generating an intermediate material; optionally, blending one or more additives into the intermediate material; optionally, drying the intermediate material; and recovering a biocarbon composition containing the intermediate material or a thermally treated form thereof.

First claim

We claim:

1. A biocarbon composition comprising:
(a) at least about 1 wt % to at most about 99 wt % of a low-fixed-carbon material, wherein the low-fixed-carbon material comprises a first fixed-carbon concentration, and wherein the first fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 10 wt % to at most about 55 wt % fixed carbon on an absolute basis;
(b) at least about 1 wt % to at most about 99 wt % of a high-fixed-carbon material, wherein the high-fixed carbon material comprises a second fixed-carbon concentration, wherein the second fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 50 wt % to at most about 100 wt % fixed carbon on an absolute basis, and wherein the second fixed-carbon concentration is greater than said first fixed-carbon concentration;
(c) at least 0 wt% to at most about 30 wt% moisture;
(d) at least 0 wt% to at most about 15 wt% ash; and
(e) at least 0 wt% to at most about 20 wt% of one or more additives.

2. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said low-fixed-carbon material and said high-fixed-carbon material are present in said biocarbon composition as a homogenous physical blend.

3. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said first fixed-carbon concentration is uniform throughout said biocarbon composition.

4. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said second fixed-carbon concentration is uniform throughout said biocarbon composition.

5. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said first fixed-carbon concentration and said second fixed-carbon concentration are both uniform throughout said biocarbon composition.

6. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said low-fixed-carbon material and said high-fixed-carbon material are present in said biocarbon composition as a heterogeneous physical blend.

7. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said low-fixed-carbon material and said high-fixed-carbon material are present in said biocarbon composition as distinct layers.

8. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the low-fixed-carbon material is comprised within a shell or a coating around a core, wherein the core comprises the high-fixed-carbon material.

9. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the high-fixed-carbon material is comprised within a shell or a coating around a core, wherein the core comprises the low-fixed-carbon material.

10. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said high-fixed-carbon material is in the form of particulates in a continuous phase of said low-fixed-carbon material.

11. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein said low-fixed-carbon material is in the form of particulates in a continuous phase of said high-fixed-carbon material.

12. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the biocarbon composition comprises at least about 10 wt% to at most about 90 wt% of the low-fixed-carbon material.

13. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the biocarbon composition comprises at least about 10 wt% to at most about 90 wt% of the high-fixed-carbon material.

14. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein a weight ratio of the low-fixed-carbon material to the high-fixed-carbon material is at least about 0.1 to at most about 10.

15. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the first fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 15 wt% to at most about 40 wt%.

16. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the first fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 20 wt% to at most about 50 wt%.

17. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the first fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 30 wt% to at most about 55 wt%.

18. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the second fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 80 wt% to at most about 100 wt%.

19. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the second fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 70 wt% to at most about 95 wt%.

20. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the second fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 60 wt% to at most about 90 wt%.

21. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein an unweighted average of the first fixed-carbon concentration and said second fixed-carbon concentration is at least about 30 wt% to at most about 90 wt%.

22. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the biocarbon composition contains an overall fixed-carbon concentration of at least about 25 wt% to at most about 95 wt% on an absolute basis.

23. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the low-fixed-carbon material contains at least about 45 wt % to at most about 80 wt% volatile carbon on an absolute basis.

24. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the high-fixed-carbon material contains at least about 0 to at most about 50 wt% volatile carbon on an absolute basis.

25. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the biocarbon composition comprises at least about 0.1 wt% to at most about 20 wt% moisture.

26. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the biocarbon composition comprises at least about 0.1 wt% to at most about 10 wt% ash.

27. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the biocarbon composition comprises at least about 0.1 wt% to at most about 18 wt% of the one or more additives.

28. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise a renewable material.

29. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise a material that is capable of being partially oxidized or combusted.

30. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise a binder.

31. The biocarbon composition of claim 30 , wherein said binder is selected from starch, thermoplastic starch, crosslinked starch, starch polymers, cellulose, cellulose ethers, hemicellulose, methylcellulose, chitosan, lignin, lactose, sucrose, dextrose, maltodextrin, banana flour, wheat flour, wheat starch, soy flour, corn flour, wood flour, coal tars, coal fines, met coke, asphalt, coal-tar pitch, petroleum pitch, bitumen, pyrolysis tars, gilsonite, bentonite clay, borax, limestone, lime, waxes, vegetable waxes, baking soda, baking powder, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, iron ore concentrate, silica fume, gypsum, Portland cement, guar gum, xanthan gum, polyvidones, polyacrylamides, polylactides, phenol-formaldehyde resins, vegetable resins, recycled shingles, recycled tires, derivatives thereof, or any combinations of the foregoing.

32. The biocarbon composition of claim 31 , wherein said binder is selected from starch, thermoplastic starch, crosslinked starch, starch polymers, derivatives thereof, or any combinations of the foregoing.

33. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives reduce the reactivity of said biocarbon composition compared to an otherwise-equivalent biocarbon composition that does not comprise the one or more additives.

34. The biocarbon composition of claim 33 , wherein the biocarbon composition has lower self-heating compared to the otherwise-equivalent biocarbon composition that does not comprise the one or more additives.

35. The biocarbon composition of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives is present and is pore-filling within the low-fixed-carbon material.

Assignees

• Carbon Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Mennell James A
• Slack Dustin
• Daugaard Daren

Classifications

• C04B2235/48

  Organic compounds becoming part of a ceramic after heat treatment, e.g. carbonising phenol resins · CPC title

• C04B2235/422

  Carbon · CPC title

• C04B35/636

  Polysaccharides or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C04B35/62695

  Granulation or pelletising (devices for shaping artificial aggregates from ceramic mixtures B28B1/004) · CPC title

• C04B35/62204

  using waste materials or refuse (clay-wares containing waste materials C04B33/132) · CPC title