NO156327B - PROCEDURE FOR PROCESSING AND UTILIZATION OF ENERGY-rich material, as wood-free parts of wood ("GREEN MATERIAL"). - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a procedure for the processing and utilization of energy-rich material, such as wood-free parts of wood ("green material"), in particular twigs of coniferous wood with attached children's needles, respectively. shell-like leaves, cones and seed capsules, possibly mixed with peat or oil.

For the economy and business, energy extraction represents a particularly important technology, and new ways to obtain alternative energy sources are constantly being sought. This is due, firstly, to the fact that there is not unlimited access to the traditional forms of energy, which were previously used on a broad basis, such as e.g. coal, oil, gas and fissile carriers for nuclear energy. The limited access is due in turn to the fact that there are only certain quantities of reserves on earth and that the reserves cannot be regenerated when they are used up. Secondly, as is well known, there is an enormous consumption of energy when the aforementioned raw materials are used, and this results in a threatening pollution of the surroundings which in the long run could lead to serious damage. These harmful effects could affect all life on earth.

In this connection, nuclear energy occupies a special position, because, despite all its advantages, it indisputably involves an element of danger of incalculable dimensions, since the risk of a radiation catastrophe cannot be ruled out even with nuclear reactors that have been subject to the most careful planning and control. In addition to this, there is the problem of anxiety about nuclear waste products and

radioactive fallout, the so-called nuclear dust, to do.

A search was therefore made for a new source of energy in the form of energy-rich material, such as wood-free parts of wood ("green material"), especially twigs of coniferous wood with attached needles, respectively. scale-like leaves, cones and seed capsules. The aforementioned components of conifers contain assimilation products as a result of photosynthesis. As you know, photosynthesis involves carbon dioxide, which is absorbed through the leaves of the plants, being converted into carbohydrate substances through a biochemical process via complicated reaction sequences. Photosynthesis is actually the most important biochemical process and also the largest energy-producing source known to date. The aforementioned softwood components, which are practically wood-free, but have a chemical composition consisting of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, tannins, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, resin, wax and essential oils, are not only particularly suitable for the extraction of fuels, but also as raw materials for the hydrotherapy.

From US patent no. 4 229 183 and 3 064 592 there are known procedures for utilizing energy in forest waste1.

In US patent no. 4 229 183, however, a starting material described as "solid fuel material" is used, i.e. solid fuel such as e.g. shavings, chips, etc. In the method according to the present invention, wood-free parts of wood ("green material") are used as starting material.

Also in US patent 3,064 b92 wet bark, or another form of wood waste, is the starting product. In both US patents, the bark is split into smaller parts, and the water is extracted by stretching and pressing. However, this method is not suitable for treating the wood-free parts of wood, nor do the patents give any impetus in the direction of using such a "green" starting material.

From the British patent documents 1 137 072, 1 569 190 and 921 040 it is known to utilize wood waste such as wood shavings, planer shavings and wood flour. This wood waste must be treated and processed under high pressure and temperature or together with a binder or a solvent. Nor do these patents specify the use of "green material" as starting material.

The invention has aimed to come up with a procedure for processing and utilizing energy-rich material, such as wood-free parts of wood, where the extraction of energy-rich material and useful raw materials found in the softwood components is economically advantageous.

According to the invention, this is achieved by a method of the kind stated in the characterizing part of patent claim 1.

The energy-rich material is finely divided in grinders, especially pulverizers, through beating and shredding into a coarse-grained mixture of all of the material's components and with an average grain size of approx. 10 mm.

A further fine division conveniently takes place in a rotary or colloid mill, namely for fine grinding of the coarse-grained material to an average grain size of 0.5 to 1 mm. During the passage through the mills, the coarse and/or fine-grained ground material can be dried with the help of waste heat and used as dusty fuel. Alternatively, the ground material can be brought up to a moisture content of at least 35% by metered addition of water, after which it is processed to form a viscous, tough mass and then compressed into briquettes after lowering the moisture content to approx. 20 to 25%. The briquettes are thermally dried and coked in a manner known per se.

The ground material, which has an average particle size of 0.5 to 1 mm, can be sieved and freed from fibrils and, by metered addition of water, brought up to a moisture content of approx. 70% and in this condition is ground again, this time to an average grain size of 0.001 to 0.5 mm. The resulting kneadable paste can be shaped and compressed in extruders without significant pressure and dried in a stream of hot air to a moisture content of approx. 8 to 10% and below shrink to hard, shaped pieces.

The ground material can further be subjected to complete gasification, namely for the extraction of industrial gases with the addition of gasification agents at temperatures from 900 to 1200°C.

The finely ground material with an average particle size of no more than 0.002 mm and 5% water can also be added to heavy oil and, through the action of hydrogen in the presence of catalysts, converted into fuels, oils and/or gases.

With the help of the method according to the invention, an energy source can be made possible, which can be regenerated again and again, namely plant-like products. The above-mentioned energy-rich material, such as wood-free parts of trees, is particularly suitable for the purpose. However, it is also possible to treat waste from the wood material of older conifers in exactly the same way as the wood-free parts of wood-poor young conifers, i.e. bush and thicket growth.

The processing and utilization of the energy-rich material does not require any excessively large and expensive machinery, so that, according to the invention, an economically sound extraction is ensured, which is favored by the fact that the starting material can be renewed at any time in plantations or cultures once established and are consequently inexhaustible .

The caloric difference between, on the one hand, the energy-rich material, which is extracted in accordance with the method according to the invention, and on the other hand ordinary energy carriers, namely petroleum, coal, gas or especially uranium, is large, in favor of the ordinary energy carriers. But the advantages of an energy-rich material that is inexhaustible, economical to use and also environmentally friendly, and where there are no other problems associated with its use, completely negate the disadvantages of a lower heat content.

The heating during the drying treatment has beneficial results in the case where the fuel is used in immediate connection with the paint. However, as long as the fuel is to be stored, it is absolutely necessary to carry out cooling, namely to exclude the otherwise present risk of spontaneous combustion.

The ground materials must not be unconditionally used as grain or dust-shaped fuel, but can also serve as raw materials for gasification, hydration or briquetting.

When wet processing the material for the production of pastes, the heating during painting has a beneficial effect on the subsequent thermal drying. Such pastes are used for the production of coke.

The method according to the invention includes the following steps: Grinding, sifting, shaping and drying the material.

All the devices and facilities, devices and machinery used to carry out the procedure are known, and there is therefore no need to develop complicated and expensive new facilities, etc.

The method according to the invention generally has the following course: 1. The energy-rich material is refined in the grinder to an average particle size of 0.5 to lmm and then brought up to a moisture content of approx. 70% with dosed addition of water. In this state, the milled material is transferred to the rotary or colloid mill or other similar devices, which ensure further fine division of the mass and pulverize it into pastes with particle sizes of approx. 1 p.m.

After the aforementioned further comminution, which results in a "surface" reduction, the paste is formed into pieces, whereby the surface area is again reduced. The paste, which has been strongly heated by the further comminution and is kneadable, particularly through the resin content of the softwood material, is shaped differently in size and contour

without significant pressure, in extruders and subjected to drying until the water content has reached down to approx. 8-10%. Thereby, the shaped pieces are exposed to a natural shrinkage in the ratio 3:1. On drying and shrinking, they act like true colloids, while their surfaces fall concavely. The dried, shaped pieces are hard, wear-resistant and without cracks and are now subjected to annealing, resp. the coking process at temperatures of 725 to 1200°C. The degassing process results in solid, high-quality shaped coke pieces, which exhibit a far greater purity with respect to sulphur, phosphorus and ash content than coke of other types. The heating value for coke, which is produced in accordance with the invention, amounts to approx. 7560 kcal/kg, and the yield is 30%. The raw gases, which are the result of the degassing process, are likewise clean, i.e. have a low sulphur, phosphorus and ash content. They can be supplied directly as well as in fractionated form to energy management, metallurgy and chemistry as valuable raw materials. This means that the raw gas as an energy material can be burned in power plants connected in parallel with the coking plant, or processed into oils and petrols by fractionation. 2. The material is further comminuted or pulverized for itself. In order to obtain specifically different dusts, after the first grinding operation - in accordance with an embodiment of the invention - a second and possibly third grinding operation is carried out, the dusts being freed of contained fibrils in advance. In this way, it is ensured that the dusts, with the subsequent metered addition of water, so that they have a moisture content of approx. 70%, can be grated into absolutely homogeneous pastes. The subsequent thermal drying will therefore proceed uniformly. In the presence of fibrils, quite small voids would have formed, which would have had a detrimental effect on the valuable density and hardness properties of the shaped pieces. The shaped pieces are then further processed as under 1). 3. The dusts, which have been produced according to process steps 1 and 2, are brought up to a moisture content of at least 35% through metered addition of water and processed into a viscous, i.e. tough paste. This paste is compressed in a known manner in the press into briquettes. Below that, the moisture content is lowered to approx. 20 to 25%. In this state, the briquettes are further processed as in step 1. 4. The dusts produced according to process steps 1 and 2 and exhibit a moisture content of approx. 10 to 15% are pressed together without the addition of water into briquettes of adjustable size and contour, which are then further processed as in step 1. 5. The dusts produced according to process steps 1 and 2 are fed to the direct combustion in thermal power plants in the form of dust energy carriers. 6. The dusts produced according to process steps 1 and 2 are, during the supply of gasification agents, for example air, water vapour, carbonic acid, technical oxygen, hydrogen etc. subjected to a complete gasification at 900 to 1200°C blast furnace temperature, for the extraction of industrial gas. 7. The dusts produced according to process steps 1 and 2 can, according to the invention, be used in connection with the known

the carbonation method and here replace lignite and/or hard coal.

In the carbon hydrogenation according to Bergius/Pier, e.g. lignite kneaded with heavy oil and through the impact of hydrogen over catalysts converted into fuels, oils and gases. This liquefaction of coal is divided into two stages:

1) The swamp phase or moisture phase and

2) the gas phase.

According to the invention, an oil sludge was produced from softwood, as softwood dust with a particle size of 2 pm was mixed with 5% water and a weight of 440 g/l, as well as

with engine oil with a weight of 800 g/l..

5 1 dust=2200g. 5kcal=11000 kcal (44000BTU)19000 kcal.4BTU 1 1 oil= 800g .10kcal= 8000 kcal (32000BTU)76000 BTU 6 1 mass =3000g was introduced into a disintegrator to produce a homogeneous mixture. Within 5 minutes, there was a noticeable heating of the mass with a simultaneous visible shrinkage of the same. After being removed from the disintegrator, the mixture cooled. The dust's finest particles were completely pre-oiled, resulting in a uniform mixture whose components were not separated by visible boundaries. The consistency of the mud was sticky and tough, i.e. viscous.

The measurements gave the following values:

6 1 mass = 3 kg = 19000 kcal shrunk to just 2.660 1, i.e. 0.887 = 1 kg = 6333 kcal.

These values over the state form and substance of the sludge according to the invention show its suitability for use at

the high thrust gasoline extraction process.

The dust produced according to process steps 1 and 2 can be supplied to the area for the hydrotherapy.

The processing of the dusts for bathing purposes can be carried out in different ways, namely a) by dosed addition of hot water for the preparation of bath mud, or b) by filtering and extracting an aromatic, brownish colored health bath water, which is free from

suspended solids from the extract.

With the help of the method according to the invention, it is possible to make use of wood-poor conifers and other older conifer species, in particular the extensive amounts of waste that arise from the current taxation of the conifer population; a utilization that practically amounts to 100%. After corresponding processing of the product, it becomes available for energy management or hydrotherapy. Waste from the wood component can be recultivated with conifers in a treatable way, as the peat fibers that arise from the removal of fibers from the peat and which are of lesser value as fuel, can serve as fertilizer for conifer cultures, where the peat fibers are of high value as humus-forming peat moss.

The method according to the invention enables a technological connection between the utilization of conifer cultures and peat bogs, both of which must be considered as sources of energy. The conifer cultures are cultural landscapes, i.e. landscapes that have been transformed by humans, while the peat bogs are so-called natural landscapes, i.e. landscapes that have been untouched by humans.

Claims (5)

1. Procedure for the processing and utilization of energy-rich material, such as wood-free parts of wood ("green material"), especially twigs of coniferous wood with attached children's needles, respectively. shell-like leaves, cones and seed capsules, possibly in a mixture with peat or oil, characterized by the material being ground step by step from coarse to fine grain size, from an average grain size of 10 mm via an average grain size of 0.5 to lmm, to a fine grinding to dust with average grain size of 0.001 to 0.5 mm, and in that the coarse and/or fine-grained ground material is treated at temperatures from 900°C to 1200°C with gasification agents, such as e.g. air, hydrogen, carbonic acid or technical oxygen, or water or peat is added to a moisture content of at least 35%, after which the material is processed into a viscous, tough mass, and in a briquetting device, such as a briquetting press, is formed into briquettes, after reduction of the moisture content to 20-25%, and that the briquettes are subjected to thermal drying and coking in a manner known per se. 2. Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the milled material in finely divided form and with an average particle size of 0.5-1 mm is sieved and freed of any fibrils, and that the moisture content of the thus processed milled material by dosed addition of water is brought up to approx. 70% and in this condition again subjected to one or more grinding operations in a rotary or colloid mill, for fine grinding to an average grain size of from 0.001 to 0.5 mm. 3. Method in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heated, viscous, tough mass which develops during the crushing and which, particularly due to the resin content is kneadable, is shaped and compressed without significant pressure in extruders etc. and dried in a hot air stream until it exhibits a moisture content of 8 to 10% and has shrunk into hard pieces. 4. Procedure in accordance with claim 1 or 2. characterized in that the finely ground material, which exhibits an average grain size of no more than 0.002 mm and 5% water, is mixed with heavy oil in a dosed ratio between weight and volume, and is converted into fuels, oils and/or gases under the influence of hydrogen in the presence of catalysts. 5. Procedure in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the ground material is added to up to 70-75% partially dewatered peat as well as approx. 90% hydrous peat.