Method for biomass fractioning by enhancing biomass thermal conductivity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9333474-B2
Application number	US-201213732099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2012
Priority date	May 9, 2011
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A method for generating useful chemical intermediates from biomass using a pyrolysis reactor that utilizes the inherent thermal properties of carbon under compression as the biomass is subjected to sequential or concurrent temperature ramps. The ramps are sufficient to volatilize and selectively create different components, while the pressure application aids the selective decomposition of the biomass.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a volatile biomass product, comprising:
subjecting biomass to sequential or concurrent ramps of temperature and pressure shocks; and
selectively collecting at least one group of volatile compounds as it is released from the biomass.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising grinding a biomass feedstock to produce ground biomass particles and dispensing the ground biomass particles into thin sheets, which are then subjected to the sequential or concurrent ramps of temperature and pressure shocks.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the biomass particles are ground to a diameter in the range of 0.001 inch to 1 inch, and wherein the thin sheets have a thickness that is a multiple of the ground biomass particle diameter.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the thickness of the thin sheets is between 1 and 30 times the biomass particle diameter.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ramps of temperature vary from about 0.001° C./sec to about 1000° C./sec.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the ramps of temperature are varied over a period of time ranging from about 1 microsecond to about 1 week.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure shocks are incremented over a range of pressures.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure shocks are applied over a range of times varying from about 1 microsecond to about 1 week.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure shocks vary in magnitude from about 0.2 MPa to about 10 GPa.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein an admixture of pressure shocks of differing magnitudes is applied over a range of times.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomass is subjected to a controlled gas atmosphere or supercritical fluid while being subjected to a temperature ramp.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biomass is subjected to a controlled gas atmosphere or supercritical fluid while being subjected to pressure shocks.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group of volatile compounds includes gas components selected from the group consisting of: lipids, furans, hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon fragments, and synthesis gas.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature ramps include a sufficiently high temperature to create a carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the pressure shocks increase thermal conductivity of formed carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein pressure shocks increase the surface area of formed carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure shocks decrease the effective density of the biomass.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure shocks aid to fracture cellulosic biomass cell walls.

19. A system for converting biomass to biofuel, comprising:
means for applying pressure shocks to biomass;
means for applying temperature ramps to the biomass; and means for collecting at least one group of volatile components as it is released from the biomass.

20. The system of claim 19 , further comprising means for grinding biomass into particles.

21. The system of claim 20 , further comprising means for dispensing the ground biomass particles into thin sheets of biomass.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the biomass particles are ground to a diameter in the range of 0.001 inch to 1 inch, and wherein the thin sheets have a thickness that is a multiple of the ground biomass particle diameter.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the thickness of the thin sheets is between 1 and 30 times the biomass particle diameter.

24. The system of claim 19 , wherein the temperature ramps and the pressure shocks are applied simultaneously by the same means.

25. The system of claim 19 , wherein the ramps of temperature vary from about 0.001° C./sec to about 1000° C./sec.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the ramps of temperature are varied over a period of time ranging from about 1 microsecond to about 1 week.

27. The system of claim 19 , wherein the pressure shocks are incremented over a range of pressures.

28. The system of claim 19 , wherein the pressure shocks are applied over a range of times varying from about 1 microsecond to about 1 week.

29. The system of claim 19 , wherein the pressure shocks vary in magnitude from about 0.2 MPa to about 10 GPa.

30. The system of claim 29 , wherein an admixture of pressure shocks of differing magnitudes is applied over a range of times.

31. The system of claim 19 , wherein the biomass is subjected to a controlled gas atmosphere or supercritical fluid while being subjected to a temperature ramp.

32. The system of claim 19 , wherein the biomass is subjected to a controlled gas atmosphere or supercritical fluid while being subjected to pressure shocks.

33. The system of claim 19 , wherein the group of volatile compounds includes gas components selected from the group consisting of: lipids, furans, hydrocarbons or hydrocarbon fragments, and synthesis gas.

34. The system of claim 19 , wherein the temperature ramps include a sufficiently high temperature to create a carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.

35. The system of claim 34 , wherein the pressure shocks increase thermal conductivity of formed carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.

36. The system of claim 34 , wherein pressure shocks increase the surface area of formed carbon or carbonaceous material within the biomass.

37. The system of claim 19 , wherein the pressure shocks decrease the effective density of the biomass.

38. The system of claim 19 , wherein the pressure shocks aid to fracture cellulosic biomass cell walls.

Assignees

• Cool Planet Energy Systems Inc

Inventors

• Cheiky Michael
• Sills Ronald A

Classifications

• C10L1/04

  essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons · CPC title

• Y02P20/145

  the feedstock being materials of biological origin · CPC title

• C10B47/12 Primary

  in which the charge is subjected to mechanical pressures during coking · CPC title

• Y02E50/14

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C10L1/02

  essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only · CPC title