Biomass material
AssigneeOrchid LP Limited
InventorTony Lees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for the production of a range of improved biomass material products suitable for use as a fuel and which have been derived from municipal solid waste (MSW). The process comprises the steps of delivering a stream of mixed, MSW derived biomass material into a separator which operates under negative pressure enabling the biomass material to fall down the separator while inducing a sole air stream through the falling material to create a vortex of spinning material within the turbo chamber to separate out by centrifugal action selected denser components of the biomass material enabling such to continue falling to an outlet for collection while redirecting by entrainment in the air stream the remaining biomass material to a second outlet for subsequent processing or for collection.
Claims23
A process for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) derived biomass material to reduce the level of contaminants therein, comprising the steps of:
- delivering a stream of mixed, MSW derived biomass material to a first inlet of a vacuum turbo separator operating under negative pressure;
- enabling said delivered biomass material to fall from said first inlet through a turbo chamber to a first outlet of the separator;
- inducing a sole air stream to flow from a second inlet of the separator through the turbo chamber to a second outlet of the separator and accelerating said air stream at said turbo chamber;
- directing said air stream through said falling material in the turbo chamber to entrain said material therein and inducing a vortex of spinning biomass material within the turbo chamber to separate out by centrifugal action denser components of the biomass material;
- collecting said denser components of the biomass material by said denser components falling in said first outlet to a receiving bay;
- redirecting lighter remaining entrained biomass material to said second outlet in said air stream;
- and
- washing said denser components of the biomass material with said air stream downstream of said vortex to separate out lighter components of the biomass material therein, thereby redirecting said separated out lighter components to said second outlet via the air stream.
An apparatus for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) derived biomass material to reduce the level of contaminants therein, comprising:
- a vacuum turbo separator having at least one inlet and two outlets, said inlet being adapted to admit a stream of mixed, MSW derived biomass material,
- at least one material duct enabling said biomass material to fall as a curtain of material from said inlet to a first of the two outlets for collection in a receiving bay,
- a turbo chamber in said material duct,
- means to supply a sole current of air and to direct it through the falling curtain of biomass material in the turbo chamber such that selected lighter components of the biomass material in the air current are redirected to the second of said two outlets,
- and means to maintain said material duct under negative pressure, including an air lock at said first of said two outlets, and an induction means that draws said sole current of air from a location down to said air lock and upwards through the vacuum turbo separator,
- wherein said means to supply a sole current of air directs air at least partially through said material duct downstream of said turbo chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.