METHOD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to biomass recycling. More particularly, the present invention relates to a composition and method for stabilizing biomass waste so as to allow its reuse in recycling processes. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The amount of unused biomass waste in the world is staggering. There is a huge amount of cheap, unutilized energy available in biomass waste such as agricultural waste, industrial waste, and animal waste. On the other hand, biomass waste is becoming an increasingly costly disposal problem.

There is a need to provide a method for recycling biomass waste so as to efficiently use the energy from the biomass. It is an object of the present invention to provide compositions, systems and methods for stabilizing biomass waste for effective recycling.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for recycling biomass waste by which the infectious processes in the waste and especially animal waste are stopped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, a composition for biomass recycling is provided, comprising:

^■ burning materials selected from a group of materials such as cellulose-based materials;

^■ adhering materials selected from a group of materials such as organic glues, organic crystals, starch, or starch-based materials;

■ flammable organic material selected from a group of materials such as coal or coal powder, metal powder such as zinc, or rock powder;

■ activating materials selected from group of crystallizing materials.

whereby the composition is mixed and pressed with biomass waste.

According to a second aspect, a composition for biomass recycling is provided, comprising:

■ burning materials selected from a group of materials such as cellulose-based materials;

■ adhering materials selected from a group of materials such as organic glues, organic crystals, starch, or starch-based materials;

■ flammable organic material selected from a group of materials such as coal or coal powder, metal powder such as zinc, or rock powder;

^■ oils;

whereby the composition is mixed and pressed with biomass waste.

According to a third aspect, a composition for biomass recycling is provided, comprising:

■ burning materials selected from a group of materials such as cellulose-based materials;

■ adhering materials selected from a group of materials such as organic glues, organic crystals, starch, or starch-based materials; ^■ flammable organic material selected from a group of materials such as coal or coal powder, metal powder such as zinc, or rock powder;

^■ activating materials selected from group of crystallizing materials;

· oils.

According to a fourth aspect, a biomass recycling process is provided comprising:

homogeneously mixing burning materials selected from a group of materials such as cellulose-based materials; adhering materials selected from a group of materials such as organic glues, organic crystals, starch, or starch- based materials; flammable organic material selected from a group of materials such as coal or coal powder, metal powder such as zinc, or rock powder, and activating materials selected from group of crystallizing materials into a base composition;

Homogeneously mixing said base composition with the biomass forming a mixture;

pressing said mixture into a die;

exposing said mixture to heat;

cooling said mixture.

Said heat may be generated by physical, biological and/or or chemical means. According to a fifth aspect, a biomass recycling process is provided comprising:

homogeneously mixing burning materials selected from a group of materials such as cellulose-based materials; adhering materials selected from a group of materials such as organic glues, organic crystals, starch, or starch- based materials; flammable organic material selected from a group of materials such as coal or coal powder, metal powder such as zinc, or rock powder, and oils into a base composition; homogeneously mixing said base composition with the biomass forming a mixture;

pressing said mixture into a die;

exposing said mixture to radiation;

cooling said mixture;

Again, said heat may be generated by physical, biological and/or chemical means.

In some embodiments, the flammable organic material preferably comprises pulverized coal, mixed with the oil; preferably the coal mixed with the oil is passed throughout a device configured to form a suspension of fine particles separate fines from coarse particles of the coal.

The device may comprise a 12000 rpm mixer; the device may further comprise one or a series of hydrocyclones for example.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a die for producing a composition for biomass recycling comprises:

A circular base with a circumference and a plurality of spikes perpendicularly positioned thereof; at least one cylindrical cover having two open ends, holes and a circumference that corresponds to the circumference of the base, stoppers each insertable into each end of the cover, pressable toward the other end of the cover, whereby the composition is pressable within the die to be produced with elongated holes therein by means of the spikes passing therethrough, and the holes in the cover allow escape of moisture out of the cover .

The die may further comprise at least one stopper configured to help separate the composition from the stoppers. The separator preferably comprises recycled material such as recycled cardboard.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order to better understand the present invention and appreciate practical applications, the following figures are referenced herein. Like components are denoted by like reference numerals.

It should be noted that the figures are given as examples and preferred embodiments only and in no way limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the appending Description and Claims.

Figure 1 illustrates a die for receiving biomass and base composition mixture in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 2 shows a scheme of a system for processing a die;

Figure 3 depicts a liquid and gas reclamation subsystem that may be incorporated into the system shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 illustrates a biomass and base composition mixture in accordance with another preferred embodiment, and

Figure 5 illustrates a biomass and base composition mixture in accordance with yet another preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND FIGURES

The present invention provides compositions, systems and methods for stabilizing biomass waste. Some composition embodiments comprise several components that are adapted to be mixed in different ratios in order to form with the biomass waste energy chunks that can be easily transported and are basically adapted for combustion. Other embodiments comprise components and structure suitable fop fertilizing soil, others for forming building and construction blocks etc. According to one aspect, the base composition in some embodiments comprises:

^• Burning materials: cellulose-based material such as weeds, leaf fibers, wood slabs and the like. The burning materials' characteristics are such that they are capable of helping to bind the components of the composition and the biomass, perhaps through overlap and cross-links. Moreover, the cellulose is a relatively flammable material that may also serve to help sequester inflammable or combustion-participant gasses within the material and therefore facilitates in a burning process, if this process is indeed required or desired.

· Adhering materials: adhering materials such as organic glues, organic crystals, starch, starch-based materials, and cement powders may help to maintain a quantity of the mixture of composition with the biomass as a compact unit, and prevent the mixture from disintegrating.

• Flammable/heat absorbent material: the flammable organic materials can be selected from a group of materials such as coal or coal powder, metal powder such as zinc, and powders of inflammable types of rock. The flammable organic materials provide a heat source in the mixture.

• Oils: different types of oils can be used in order to control the burning process. Oils to be used may be recycled oils from industrial use or kitchens, or waxes.

• Activating materials: the activating materials are such that may facilitate producing a compact final product. Water for example may act as a compacting means, since it may be absorbed by the cellulose-based materials that are present in the composition. Materials promoting crystallization may also be introduced. According to another aspect, compositions based on mixtures of the above mentioned components are provided. A base composition may be mixed with biomass and optionally further processed in order to produce a final product. The final product may be compact and may be storable in an efficient manner as well as effectively transportable.

According to another aspect, two types of base compositions are provided, each comprising four components as follows:

1. combustible materials; adhering materials; activating materials; and ignitable materials.

2. combustible materials; adhering materials; activating materials; and oils.

Each one of the base mixtures can be mixed with various types of biomass in order to establish a durable and stable product, and each mixture may be the most suitable for a particular application.

In particular, it is most preferable that base compositions comprising oil will be prepared by a process involving at least partially pulverizing the combustible material such as coal, mixing it with oil, and separating and using the fines in the base composition.

Even more preferable, the oil- combustible material suspension is passed throughout a device having a small outlet, such as a 12000 rpm mixer capable of making a suspension of fine particles of fairly uniform size, or/and a device capable of separating fines from coarse particles, such as one or a series of hydrocyclones, is most preferred. A fairly homogeneous suspension of coal particles in oil may thus be created. Preferably, the suspension is used as soon as possible together with a fibrous material upon which it (both oil and combustible material) is supposed to adhere, to obtain the best adherence and uniform spreading of the oil and combustible material on the fibrous material. According to a preferred method, base mixture components (may be either of base compositions designated as 1 or 2 above) are mixed together until a homogeneous mixture is formed. The base mixture is then mixed in a predetermined ratio with biomass, again until a fairly homogeneous mixture is formed. The biomass may be selected from agricultural, industrial, sewage or other biomass. The type of biomass selected and the type of base composition will determine the use of the final product.

An apparatus for biomass waste recycling is provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As mentioned herein before, a homogeneous mixture of base composition is fed from a vessel to a receiving vessel to which a homogeneous mixture of the biomass is fed. The two mixtures are mixed to a third homogeneous mixture that is placed in a die The die is a device that is designed to press the mixture within the die, the mixture is exposed to radiation such as microwave radiation or a reaction that generates heat and then left to be cooled. It is optional to perform several cycles of press, heating, and cooling. The cooling process may be performed by exposing the die to the environment but can be facilitated using heat exchangers, as used in industry. The product is left for some time and can be covered with oil or the like.

Solidifying the mixture of biomass and base composition can be performed also by means other than radiation. Basically, the means of solidification can be physical, biological and/or chemical means; the physical means can be selected from means of radiation such as electrically generated heat or using other types of radiation, while chemical means can be selected from a group of chemical materials that can solidify a mixture, for example by cross-linking, adsorbing, coagulating, flocculating etc. After cooling the product which is the solid mixture of biomass and base component, the product is removed from the die and may further be prepared for use. Examples for several final products adapted mainly as coal substitutes are given in the tables hereinbelow. The final products are produced using base components and biomass waste taken from different industries as listed in the tables.

Figure 1 illustrates an exploded view of a die 100 for molding a biomass and base composition mixture in accordance with a preferred embodiment. A coal substitute 112 is produced according to this particular embodiment. The composition is premixed (not shown) and pressed in the die 100 with the biomass waste to produce the coal substitute 112.

The die comprises a base 120 provided with a plurality of spikes 122 perpendicularly positioned. A cylindrical cover 140 having a circumference that corresponds to the circumference of base 120 is also provided that can form a container with the base 120.

The coal substitute 112 that is pressed within the die 100 is produced with elongated holes 114 therein by means of the spikes 122 passing therethrough to allow entrance of gases therein and escape of liquid and vapor thereout. Furthermore, the cover 140 has holes 144 to allow escape of moisture out of the cover 140. It is optional to provide other means for inserting air to the interior of the product, as will be further discussed below.

The die 100 also has stoppers 150, one each insertable into each end of the cover 140, pressable toward the other end to help compress the biomass- base composition mixture. Furthermore, a separator 160 may be placed between the coal substitute 112 and each stopper 150, to help separate the substitute 112 from the stoppers 150 after the processing of the substitute 112 in the die has finished. The separator 150 is preferably made from recyclable, most preferably also recycled itself, such as recycled cardboard. The processing may involve one or more of the following:

a) Pressing the substitute 112 in the die 100 by pressing the stoppers 150 toward each other, which compacts the substitute, helps to reduce the level of non-combustible liquids therein and helps the substitute 112 to retain form during transport, further processing etc.

b) Heating the substitute 112 by means of placing the die 100 in an oven (not shown), for example a microwave oven, which further helps the substitute to retain a stable and compact form, reduce volume, lose non-combustible liquids etc.

Some of the liquids will be lost as vapor due to the heating; however, the holes 144 may be sized to allow both escape of vapor and buildup of pressure in the die 100 that facilitates loss of liquid by the pressure.

Additionally, the substitute 112 may sequester gases such as methane, that are highly flammable, and it may be desired to retain those gases for when the substitute is put to use. Therefore, the conflicting requirements for hole size may require some experimentation and adjustment according to the components in the mixture, their ratios, particle size etc as well as intended use.

In addition to the size of the holes, the applied pressure and heating temperature also have an effect on the extent of loss of liquids and gases, and their composition, and may be adjusted to optimize the substitute according to the desired specifications of the product.

In some embodiments, the size of the holes 114, 144 may both independently be adjustable to allow changing the loss and gain of gases and loss of humidity by the substitute 112, for example the cover 140 may have holes 144 of various sizes, some of which may be covered during at least part of the processing of the substitute 112 in the die 100. It should be mentioned that the die can have any profile other than the circular profile, which is solely brought herein as an example.

Examples of methods and processes of organic waste recycling embodiments:

Closed and sealed containers are provided with raw material including organic waste in variety of transportation ways such as: tankers and containers that will transfer the materials and wet waste to sorting in a reception point. All as further described in Figures 2 and 3.

The preparation of the compacted mixtures may be conveniently divided into a number of stages in common with various mixtures, each mixture designed for a particular use.

The products from each stage may be directly used or undergo further stages in preparation for use.

Stage I - preparation of base mixtures

For mixtures with green dry components: the gTeen components comprise a certain amount of fluids and organic solid materials. These components are comminuted to create small particles until a fairly

homogeneous solution is obtained. Organic adsorbing fibers are ground and mixed with the above mentioned homogeneous suspension. The fibers are left in the solution for a couple of days in order to achieve full adsorption of the suspension.

For coal-like products for grilling or for power stations : straw or wood fibers are ground until they become small and soft fibers. A coal-oil suspension as described above is fairly uniformly soaked with the fibers. The fibers are left in the solution for a couple of days in order to achieve full adsorption of the oil and coal molecules. After about two days of wait, natural starch/cornflower/gluten or other material that makes a skeletal supportive structure is admixed until a fairly uniform mixture is achieved.

Dry compost: straw or wood fibers are ground until they become small and soft fibers. Natural starch/cornflower/gluten is mixed with the coal suspension until a fairly uniform mixture is achieved.

Building blocks- straw or wood fibers are ground until they become small and soft fibers. Cement/gypsum/plaster powder is mixed with coal powder is a certain percentage, a water repellant material and fire repellant material until a uniform mixture is achieved.

Green food dumplings- dried food from separated waste. Straw or wood fibers are ground until they become small and soft fibers. Natural starch/cornflower/gluten is mixed with integrated nutritional components until a fairly uniform mixture is achieved.

Stage II - initial preparation of base mixture together with biomass A mixture is made according to the desired product and according to the type of the waste (biomass) available for recycling. Very roughly 75% wet organic waste (biomass) and 25% of the base mixture are typically used in the embodiments, although the ratio between the two components is usually less important than consistency between and/or inside batches and

homogeneity of the product. The waste and the dried component are assembled together in the right proportions by their apportioning for example with splitter/s, material distributor/s etc; a mixer then mixes the components until a fairly homogeneous material is achieved and the mixture is thick and wet. Stage II - compression and heating of the base mix-biomass mixture The mix of stage II is compressed into hole- punch molds using an inserter, until the mold is totally filled with no us of pressure. The use of hole puncher molds is required in order to allow the fluids of the product mixture to release during the heating without changing the structure of the product. After the mold is filled it is closed before transfer to an oven or a short wave heating device. The structure of the mold affects the fluids evaporation and the preservation of the structure of the product under the pressure that the heating causes. In addition, a controlled release of the pressure may be done. Another characteristic of the mold is its ability, during the filling of the material, to create air tunnels inside the product that will assist in the production process to extract fluids from the core of the product and may augment the oxygen level in the mix. See discussion above regarding Fig.l.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a die-processing system 1000.

The system comprises: distributors 1030; mixer 1032; overflow container 1034; filters and/or elector-magnets 1036; at least one die 100; die conveyor-belt loader 1050; a spikes press 1060; separator loader 1062; stopper loader 1064; die stock feeder 1066; control panel 1070; conveyor belt 1080, and oven 1090. The dies 100 are cooled after going through the oven 1090, and lie in cartridge 1092 for further processing.

Figure 3 show a liquid and gas recycling subsystem 1200 that may be incorporated into a die-processing system 1000, incorporating:

A filter/dialysis apparatus 1210 for the oven/s 1090; vaporizer 1220 (which provides distilled water that may be used in the system 1000); biofilter 1230, from which emitted air may be further filtered, and reused on the dies 100; sprinkler 1240; one or more stacked membranes 1242; sonochemical short-wave radio tubes/serial tubes 1250 operationally coupled to the membranes 1242; and evaporator 1260. The mixture is transferred to a continuous short wave oven 1090 using a conveyor 1080 that is capable of clearing off fluid gasses and smells in a closed system 1000. Inside the oven 1090, the mixture is also passed on a conveyor 1081 that is short wave durable. Sets of short wave transmitters (not shown) are placed in the top portion of the ovens 1090 with certain distance between them. The transmitters continuously transmit waves as long as they detect a mixture under them. The distances are designed in order to allow the heat that is produced in the raw material in the mold to expend in a uniform manner between each of the transmitters in the sets. After a few minutes, when the raw material reaches a temperature of 130 Celsius for one minute, the mix may be transferred for half a minute to a blowing oven (not shown) set to 220 Celsius. At the end of the track the mix after exiting the ovens 1090 reaches a relaxation stage and the stage of extracting the mix from the die 100. Then the mix is cooled to room temperature before packing.

Finally, the products are packed for distribution and/or storage.

The following tables present examples of compositions comprising recycled organic waste.

Table 1 basic mix with cattle/beef/sheep waste for 1 Kg waste time treatment

% gr. processes/components Serial min degrees no

12% 120 cellulose 1

15% 150 starch 2

5% 50 wood coal powder and flakes 3

3% 30 organic oil 4

5 135 microwave exposure 5

2 180 steeping in oil & coal 6

35% 350 summary

65% 650 waste 7

producing holes in product 8

100% 1000 total Table 2

Table 3

time production of acoustic thermal block per 1 Kg waste

% gr component/process serial min degrees no.

15% 150 fine cellulose 1

5% 50 starch 2

5% 50 wood coal power and flakes 3

15% 150 cement 4

11 135 microwave 5 steeping in disinfectant and 6

2 sealing materials

40% 400 summary

60% 600 waste 7

100% 1000 total

Table 4

Table 5

time compost per one kg of waste

% gr component/process serial min degrees no

15% 150 fine cellulose 1

15% 150 starch 2

5% 50 wood coal power and flakes 3

5 135 microwave 4

2 steeping in organic fertilizer 5

35% 350 total

65% 650 waste 6

100% 1000 total

Table 6

Table 7

Olive oil process waste - energy producing rods per 1 Kg time of waste

% r process/components serial min degrees no.

15% 150 crude cellulose 1

15% 150 starch 2

3% 30 wood coal power and flakes 3

2% 20 recycled organic oil 4

5 135 microwave 5

2 180 steeping in organic oil 6 producing holes in the 8 product

35% 350 summary

65% 650 waste 9

100% 1000 total Table 8

Table 9

time Thermo acoustic block per one kg of waste

% r process/componen t serial min degrees no

15% 150 fine cellulose 1

5% 50 starch 2

5% 50 wood coal power and flakes 3

15% 150 cement 4

11 135 microwave 5 steeping in disinfective and 6

2 sealing materials

40% 400 summary

60% 600 waste 7

100% 1000 total

Table 10

Table 11

time compost per one kg of waste

% gr component/process serial min degrees no

17% 170 fine cellulose 1

1 % 130 starch 2

5% 50 wood coal power and flakes 3

5 135 microwave 4

2 steeping in organic fertilizer 5

35% 350 summary

65% 650 waste 6

100% 1000 total

Table 12

Figure 4 shows an example of compost substitutes 212 composed of particular suitable basic composition and biomass as described above, produced by a process similar to the one indicated above, except dies 200 are used instead.

Figure 5 shows an example of building block substitutes 312 reduced by a process similar to the one indicated above, except dies 300 are used instead. A holed pole 302 may be used for binding the blocks 312; the blocks 312 have holes 314 that may help to reduce the weight of the blocks 312 as well as help provide acoustic isolation; the blocks have shortfalls 316 which can be filled with glue to further help attach the blocks 312 together.

Note that in all three illustrated dies holes are provided with holes that allow proper release of moisture and exchange of gases for the mixes, as desired and required according to the designated use of the product produced from the mix. An important feature in some composition embodiments is the uniformity of the composition, i.e., that the components are either or preferably both thoroughly mixed and of controlled ratios relative to each other as well as controlled particle sizes. For example, although a higher ratio of coal/oil in combustible biomass and base composition mixture

embodiments will provide a beneficially higher calorific content, and finer coal particles will more easily burn, for power plants and other combustion systems it may be much more important to work with combustion materials that are precise, i.e. have the same calorific content and processability batch after batch or even within batches.

According to one aspect, the dry biomass and base composition mixture products may be used as-is in systems such as power plants and agricultural fertilization equipment. According to another aspect, the systems may be modified to better utilize the energy and/or materials in the products.

The coal-like products, besides their uniformity which is a gTeat advantage over regular charcoal, wood-coal or mined coal, may have easier ignitability, and may easily ignite upon exposure to a naked flame, e.g. at a temperature of about 200-300°.

It should be clear that the description of the embodiments and attached Figures set forth in this specification serves only for a better understanding of the invention, without limiting its scope as covered by the following Claims. It should also be clear that a person skilled in the art, after reading the present specification can make adjustments or amendments to the attached Figures and above described embodiments that would still be covered by the following Claims.