US 11,198,819 B1Granted

Food waste carbonizer

AssigneeSerendipity Technologies LLC

InventorAmen Dhyllon

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Abstract

A high-efficiency food waste carbonization process using a carbonizer specially designed to function at a specific range of temperatures to work efficiently, with minimal energy input and designed to reduce volume and to produce charcoal that may be used as a fuel. The invention is designed to work with high-moisture materials such as food waste.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A high-efficiency food waste carbonization process comprising the following steps:

(a) providing a carbonization device, the device comprising a filling hopper for providing feedstock to a drum, the drum defining an interior chamber surrounded by a heat insulating layer and having a door for filling and disgorging contents, the drum having interior baffles to aid mixing contents, wherein the drum is connected to a rotating drive shaft and the drive shaft is connected via a belt or gears to a motor, wherein the drum is effectively airtight when in use except for intentional introduction and extraction of fluids optionally via input lines and output lines, and wherein the device additionally includes a heating source for providing heat to the interior chamber of the drum, and a thermal probe within the drum to monitor an internal temperature, wherein said thermal probe is functionally connected to a thermostatic control unit which controls heat input and regulates the internal temperature of the drum, and wherein the device additionally includes a heat transfer system for transferring heat away from the drum and transferring said heat to an electric generator;
(b) loading food waste materials through the door into the drum;
(c) inoculating the food waste in the drum with a defined bacterial culture;
(d) rotating the drum and heating and fermenting the contents of the drum at a temperature of between 25° C. and 45° C. for a fermentation time between 1 and 7 days;
(e) using a vacuum pump to create a vacuum or partial vacuum within the drum;
(f) maintaining a vacuum or partial vacuum within the drum between 0.01 and 0.50 atmospheres;
(g) drying the contents within the drum under vacuum and heat for a drying time between 2 and 84 hours at a drying temperature between 100° C. and 450° C.;
(h) continuing to maintain a vacuum within the drum or flooding the drum with nitrogen;
(i) carbonizing the contents within the drum by heating the interior chamber of the drum to a temperature between 250° C. and 1200° C. to promote production of charcoal, and maintaining this temperature for between 1 and 72 hours;
(j) cooling the drum and disgorging a charcoal product;
and
(k) grinding the charcoal product and forming it into shaped briquettes.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A high-efficiency food waste carbonization process comprising the following steps:

(a) providing a carbonization device, the device comprising a filling hopper for providing feedstock to a drum, the drum defining an interior chamber surrounded by a heat insulating layer and having a door for filling and disgorging contents, the drum having interior baffles to aid mixing contents, wherein the drum is connected to a rotating drive shaft and the drive shaft is connected via a belt or gears to a motor, wherein the drum is effectively airtight when in use except for intentional introduction and extraction of fluids optionally via input lines and output lines, and wherein the device additionally includes a heating source for providing heat to the interior chamber of the drum, and a thermal probe within the drum to monitor an internal temperature, wherein said thermal probe is functionally connected to a thermostatic control unit which controls heat input and regulates the internal temperature of the drum, and wherein the device additionally includes a heat transfer system for transferring heat away from the drum and transferring said heat to an electric generator;
(b) loading food waste materials through the door into the drum;
(c) inoculating the food waste in the drum with a defined bacterial culture;
(d) rotating the drum and heating and fermenting the contents of the drum at a temperature of between 25° C. and 45° C. for a fermentation time between 1 and 7 days;
(e) using a vacuum pump to create a vacuum or partial vacuum within the drum;
(f) maintaining a vacuum or partial vacuum within the drum between 0.01 and 0.50 atmospheres;
(g) drying the contents within the drum under vacuum and heat for a drying time between 2 and 84 hours at a drying temperature between 100° C. and 450° C.;
(h) continuing to maintain a vacuum within the drum or flooding the drum with nitrogen;
(i) carbonizing the contents within the drum by heating the interior chamber of the drum to a temperature between 250° C. and 1200° C. to promote production of charcoal, and maintaining this temperature for between 1 and 72 hours;
(j) cooling the drum and disgorging a charcoal product;
and
(k) grinding the charcoal product and forming it into shaped briquettes.

9 more elements