Biomass apparatus and method with pre-treatment and reflux condenser
AssigneeEnginuity Worldwide, LLC
InventorsRobert L. Heimann, Allison Talley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of drying a moisture-containing or water-laden biomass material is provided that includes the steps of sending the biomass material into an apparatus having a feeding device, a rotary biomass dryer, a reflux condenser, an aftercooler, and an exit mechanism. The biomass material may be pretreated, and then heated in order to separate the moisture-containing or water laden biomass material into steam and dry biomass material. The steam is removed as the steam and the dry biomass material passes through the reflux condenser, the dry biomass is cooled in the aftercooler stage, and the dry biomass material is collected after exiting the apparatus through the exit mechanism.
Claims18
A method of drying a moisture-containing biomass material, the method comprising:
- using an apparatus comprising:
- a feeding device;
- a rotary biomass dryer;
- a reflux condenser;
- an aftercooler;
- and
- an exit mechanism;
- feeding the moisture-containing biomass material into the feeding device;
- pretreating the biomass material;
- heating the moisture-containing biomass material in the rotary biomass dryer to separate the moisture-containing biomass material into steam and dry biomass material at a temperature at or below 350° F.;
- removing the steam from the apparatus as the steam and the dry biomass material passes through the reflux condenser;
- cooling the dry biomass material in the aftercooler;
- and
- collecting the dry biomass material after exiting the apparatus through the exit mechanism.
An apparatus for drying a moisture-containing biomass material, the apparatus comprising:
- a feeding device;
- a rotary biomass dryer operating at a temperature at or below 350° F. such that the biomass material does not become biochar;
- a reflux condenser;
- an aftercooler stage;
- and
- an exit mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.