US 8,105,400 B2Granted

Process and device for treating biomass

AssigneeStichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland

InventorPeter Christiaan Albert Bergman

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Abstract

A process for treating biomass comprises providing a material that contains an amount of residual moisture. The material is heated to a torrefying temperature in a low-oxygen atmosphere in a torrefaction reactor to convert it into a torrefied material. The material with the contained residual moisture is essentially fully dried in a drying chamber by evaporation of residual moisture. The torrefaction reactor comprises a torrefying chamber, in which the torrefaction of this dried material is essentially carried out. The material is conveyed through the torrefaction reactor. The drying of the material in the drying chamber is carried out by introducing into it a hot drying gas that flows therethrough cocurrently with the material. The torrefaction of the material in the torrefying chamber of the torrefaction reactor is carried out by introducing into it a hot torrefying gas that flows through the torrefying chamber countercurrently with the material.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A process for treating a material having biomass or waste product, the process comprising:

provision of the material that contains an amount of residual moisture,
provision of a torrefaction reactor,
heating of the material in the torrefaction reactor to a torrefying temperature in a low-oxygen atmosphere in the torrefaction reactor, wherein the material is converted into a torrefied material,
in which the material with the amount of residual moisture is essentially fully dried in a drying chamber by evaporation of the amount of residual moisture, and the torrefaction of the dried material is essentially carried out in a torrefying chamber of the torrefaction reactor, and the material is conveyed through the torrefaction reactor in a transport direction, and the drying of the material in the drying chamber is carried out by introducing into the material a hot drying gas that flows through the drying chamber in co-current with the transport direction of the material, and the torrefaction of the material in the torrefying chamber of the torrefaction reactor is carried out by introducing into the material a hot torrefying gas that flows through the torrefying chamber of the torrefaction reactor in counter-current to the transport direction of the material.

1 more element

A device for treating a material having biomass or waste product, the device comprises a torrefaction reactor that can be fed with material that contains an amount of residual moisture, which torrefaction reactor is provided with an inlet for introducing the material into the torrefaction reactor, heating means for heating the material in the torrefaction reactor to a torrefying temperature, air-treating means for creating a low-oxygen atmosphere in the torrefaction reactor where the material can be converted into torrefied material during operation, and an outlet for removing the torrefied material, in which the torrefaction reactor comprises a drying chamber and a torrefying chamber, which drying chamber is adapted for essentially complete drying of the material containing the amount of residual moisture by evaporating the amount of residual moisture and which torrefying chamber is adapted for torrefying the dried material, and wherein the torrefying chamber is located downstream of the drying chamber when viewed in a direction of flow of the material through the torrefaction reactor, and wherein the drying chamber has at least one inlet orifice for drying gas and at least one outlet orifice for said drying gas and possibly gas and/or vapour formed during evaporation of the amount of residual moisture, which the at least one inlet orifice for drying gas is located at an end of the drying chamber that faces the inlet for introducing the material into the torrefaction reactor, and the outlet orifice is located at an opposite end of the drying chamber, and wherein the torrefying chamber has at least one inlet orifice for torrefying gas and at least one outlet orifice for said torrefying gas and processed torrefaction gas formed in the torrefaction process, which the at least one inlet orifice for the torrefying gas is located at an end of the torrefying chamber that faces the outlet for removing the torrefied material and the at least one outlet orifice is located at an opposite end of the torrefying chamber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/160,106Filed 8 Jan 2007
Priority: NL 10308646 Jan 2006
Published: US 2009/0084029 A12 Apr 2009
Granted: 31 Jan 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

C10L 5/40
Solid fuels: essentially based on materials of non-mineral origin
C10B 53/02
Destructive distillation, specially adapted for particular solid raw materials or solid raw materials in special form: of cellulose-containing…
C10L 5/44
Essentially based on materials of non-mineral origin: on vegetable substances
C10L 9/08
Treating solid fuels to improve their combustion: by heat treatments, e.g. calcining