Solid fuel product

Abstract

A solid fuel product can include a carbon based solid fuel, a cementitious material, and a plastic material. The carbon based solid fuel can include coal, petroleum coke, wood and / or other carbon products. The cementitious material can include Portland cement, lime, calcium aluminate cement, natural cement, slag cement, blended cement, cement kiln dust, lime kiln dust, and / or fly ash. The plastic material can include a thermoplastic material and / or a thermoset material. The solid fuel product can include about 45% by weight to about 98% by weight of the carbon based solid fuel and about 1% by weight to about 50% by weight of the plastic material.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 128,942, filed Mar. 5, 2015.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention generally relates to solid fuels, and, more particularly, to fuel briquettes designed to reduce emissions, improve handling, and / or increase the heat value of carbon based solid fuels.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Industrial fuels, especially coal and wood, are susceptible to degradation from exposure to natural elements. These fuels can lose significant heat value when their moisture content increases. Wood is especially susceptible to losing heat value because wood reabsorbs moisture from the surrounding environment very soon after it is dried. Retaining the heat value of such fuels becomes even more difficult during cold temperatures, as the fuels are susceptible to freezing. Further, the elements, such as wind, can adverse...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is about a solid fuel product that includes a carbon-based solid fuel (such as coal or petroleum coke), a cementitious material (such as Portland cement or lime), and a plastic material (such as HDPE or PP). The carbon-based solid fuel makes up most of the weight of the solid fuel product, while the plastic material makes up a small amount. The solid fuel product can be used for energy production.

Problems solved by technology

Industrial fuels, especially coal and wood, are susceptible to degradation from exposure to natural elements.

These fuels can lose significant heat value when their moisture content increases.

Wood is especially susceptible to losing heat value because wood reabsorbs moisture from the surrounding environment very soon after it is dried.

Retaining the heat value of such fuels becomes even more difficult during cold temperatures, as the fuels are susceptible to freezing.

Further, the elements, such as wind, can adversely impact the storage of these industrial fuels.

Many conventional technologies for controlling heat value losses are not only expensive but also harmful to the environment, since the technologies themselves require additional energy to operate.

Although plastics, as fuel, have great potential to act as a heat source, to date there has been limited success in using plastics as a heat source.

Further, large industrial fuel plants cannot easily adapt to using plastics in high volume.

Despite being able to efficiently generate power for many additional years without major modifications and / or reconstruction, the tightening of air emission standards have rendered many small scale industrial plants, such as power generator stations, obsolete.

The decline in these types of power generator stations can adversely impact the environment, as well as the economy in many localities.

Further, the large scale industrial power plants have to be built further away from urban centers because of their large sizes.

This, in turn, can result in an increase in unemployment since the smaller power plants offer good employment opportunities in the more populated urban centers.

Unless small scale industrial power plants can be configured to utilize cleaner fuels, they risk becoming obsolete.

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