Method and system for manufacturing cellulose-based insulation materials

Abstract

A method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulation material, comprising providing one or more webs of cellulose-based material on individual rolls and subjecting the webs of cellulose-based material to a comminuting operation by unrolling to obtain from the webs flocs comprising cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulation material. One or more additives may be provided to the cellulose-based material during the comminuting operation.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to producing cellulose-based insulation, and in particular flocks-based, cellulose-based thermal and / or acoustic insulation material. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known to produce flock-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulation materials. In known methods and systems, used paper or used paperboard, typically from old newspapers or magazines, is used as raw material, and multiple steps are usually used to first shred the raw material and then further grind the shreds into flock. Flame retardants, mildew inhibitors, and possibly other additives are added to the shreds and / or to the flock to provide flame retardant and / or mildew resistant properties to the cellulose-based material.

[0003] However, known methods are hampered by contaminants in the source material and / or raw material conditions such as dirt, foreign objects such as staples and / or paperclips, humidity, in addition to insufficient information and / or control regarding all materials used in combination, such as various types and qualities of paper and / or cardboard, as well as coatings, inks and plastics.

[0004] Several attempts have been made to improve the method for producing cellulose-based insulating materials from post-consumer paper. For example, International Publication No. WO 2010 / 067338 describes a method for producing a cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulating material, which includes paper sludge and is characterized in that the insulating material is in the form of flakes.

[0005] Furthermore, WO 2012 / 004725 describes a method for producing a cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulating material, wherein the cellulose is at least partly derived from paper-mill sludge, which is characterized by adding to the sludge at least one copper-based compound with biocidal action.

[0006] These methods require pulping and sludge formation of the source material.

[0007] International Publication No. WO 2017 / 182846 describes a method for producing a flaky cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulating material. The method includes the steps of preparing a cellulose-based pulp, providing a paper web having a given thickness from the pulp, applying a coating to the web consisting of a mixture containing a first substance having a flame retardant function and a second substance having a mildew-resistant function, and subjecting the coated web to a milling operation to obtain flakes that constitute the flaky insulating material. The web is optionally cut to size along appropriate longitudinal edges, after which it can be wound onto a reel and then stored in this form.

[0008] European Patent Application Publication No. EP 3375934 A1 also describes a method for producing a flock-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulating material. The method includes the following steps: preparing a cellulose-based pulp; adding to the pulp a mixture (A) containing at least one substance with fire-resistant properties and / or at least one substance with anti-fungal properties; producing a paper web from the pulp having a predetermined thickness and basis weight; applying mixture (B) to both sides of the web by an applicator inserted during the rewetting and drying process; and subjecting the web to a crushing operation to obtain flocks that form the flock-based insulating material. The web is optionally cut to size along appropriate longitudinal edges, after which it can be wound onto a reel and then stored in that form.

[0009] These methods of WO 2017 / 182846 and EP 3375934 A1 require the production of a paper web from a source material in order to achieve a predetermined composition and shape (thickness and basis weight) of the web material, and only after the web has taken on its final configuration in terms of its composition and structure is it mechanically processed to produce the floc that constitutes the final product.

[0010] German Patent Application Publication No. DE 19653243 A1 discloses a method for preparing thermal and acoustic insulation materials from paper. The method involves fiberizing the paper material using sticky label stock as the paper material. According to this document, by limiting the source material to a single type that is free of contaminants, sorting of the source material is unnecessary. However, relying on a single source material limits the use of the method and allows little or no flexibility in controlling the final product, which inherently also contains adhesive components.

[0011] Further aspects relating to cellulose-based barrier materials are also disclosed.

[0012] German Patent Application DE 19529963 A1 discloses a cellulose insulation material from post-consumer paper, in which an aqueous solution containing, inter alia, 5% by volume of borax, 2% of boric acid, and 93% of colloidal Al(OH)3 is sprayed onto the cellulose fibers and penetrates into them, ensuring non-combustibility in accordance with DIN 4102-B2.

[0013] European Patent Application Publication No. EP2045408 discloses a heat insulation material with cellulose fibers and a method for producing the same. The cellulose-fiber thermal insulation material has a matrix of resilient wood chips that form cavities containing cellulose fibers. The wood chips are 10-20 mm long, 0.05-0.4 mm thick, and 5-15 mm wide. The cellulose fibers are 0.5-9 mm long and 0.1-0.2 mm in diameter. The moisture content of the wood chips should preferably be 1-12%. The production method involves processing moist wood trunks with a beveled face milling tool, drying the resulting wood chips, and mixing them with cellulose fibers to produce resilient wood chips. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] Further improvements in the production of cellulose-based barriers from post-consumer paper are still desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In view of the above, there is provided herein a method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulation material, the method comprising providing one or more webs of cellulose-based material on individual rolls and subjecting the one or more webs of cellulose-based material to a comminuting operation by unrolling to obtain from the one or more webs floc comprising the cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulation material. The method also comprises providing one or more additives, such as a flame retardant and / or an anti-fungal agent, to the cellulose-based material during the comminuting operation. The method particularly comprises providing the one or more additives to at least an unrolled portion of the one or more webs and / or providing the one or more additives into a comminutor and / or particularly comprises providing the one or more additives gravimetrically.

[0016] By subjecting the one or more webs of cellulose-based material to a comminution operation by unrolling, the composition and / or amount of cellulose-based material to be converted into the floc by the comminution operation can be precisely controlled. In particular, the mass flow of material to the comminution process can be well controlled, for example by controlling the feed speed. Therefore, the relationship between the amount of cellulose-based material to be converted into the floc by the comminution operation and the amount of additive can be determined with high precision. This makes it possible to reduce or prevent overdosing and / or underdosing of the additive relative to the amount of cellulose-based material, thereby improving the quality and / or quality control of the method and the produced floc-based insulation material.

[0017] It is noted that a quantity of strips inherently contains significant and unpredictable local variations in composition and density, and therefore, in known methods, the amount of additive to a batch of strips is always based on the portion of the batch with the highest density and worst composition, ensuring that each portion of the batch is protected from one or more additives, which can lead to increased costs and environmental impacts. The method also eliminates the need to manufacture specialized paper webs with specific cellulosic material and additive compositions.

[0018] In view of the above, there is also provided herein a method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulating material, which may be combined with the methods described herein above, comprising providing a plurality of webs of cellulose-based material on individual rolls and subjecting the plurality of webs of cellulose-based material to a common comminution operation by unrolling to obtain from the plurality of webs floc comprising cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulating material.

[0019] By subjecting multiple webs of cellulose-based material to a common grinding operation, the resulting floc contains cellulose-based material from the multiple webs. This facilitates one or more of distributing the cellulose-based material from the multiple webs onto the floc, controlling the composition and / or properties of the material in the floc, and providing control over the overall material composition and / or properties of the floc-based insulation material. The properties include one or more of the behavior of the heat and / or sound insulation material; mechanical properties such as uniformity, density, mass density, elasticity, hardening behavior, fire resistance, etc. Therefore, the accuracy of quality control for insulation materials can be improved.

[0020] Providing one or more, and preferably all, of the webs on rolls may facilitate one or more of the storage, transportation, handling, and feeding of the webs. For example, the rolls may be tightly wound to reduce the volume of material and / or allow for larger volumes of material to be fed to a milling process without interruption. When a first roll is nearly exhausted, a second roll of web may be attached to the first roll "on the fly," so that the first roll is unrolled and the second roll of web may be fed into the process stream to replace the first roll of web at a later stage, as is known in the art of manufacturing processes involving rolls of feed web.

[0021] Additionally, paper and cardboard materials tend to be produced in roll form. Therefore, by using the present method, it may be possible to produce a flock-based insulation material based on rejected and / or discarded rolled webs. This avoids the customary procedure of dividing the rolled web with a guillotine (thus converting the web into sheets) and pulping the material back into a source material to produce a new web of paper for a given application, such as packaging, (news) printing, tissue, etc. It should be noted that rejection of a roll may be based on quality parameters unrelated to the cellulose material itself, such as physical damage to the web and / or printing errors. Such rolls may be used as source material for the method without further modification, except possibly cutting the roll to size axially.

[0022] Furthermore, by subjecting multiple webs to a common grinding operation together, the speed and / or unrolling speed (e.g., meters of web unrolled per second and / or roll rotations per second) of one or more of the multiple webs may be reduced for a given rate of grinding material (e.g., mass flow rate, e.g., grams of material per second) compared to feeding the material from a single roll. This may improve process reliability and may facilitate quality control, which may reduce loads and wear on the system.

[0023] As used herein, "common" means "together" or "in combination," and a common grinding operation may include the common use of one or more grinders to grind the cellulosic material of the multiple webs together, for example, performed using a single grinder or using one or more first grinders feeding into a single common grinder for subsequent grinding steps.

[0024] The comminuting operation may include grinding the material and / or fiberizing the material by forcing it against a grinding element and / or rubbing pieces of the web material together. The latter is preferred and may be provided by vigorously swirling the material in air. The comminuting operation may obviate the need to pre-cut at least a portion of the web and / or to shred at least a portion of the web into small pieces.

[0025] More specifically, by using multiple webs of cellulose-based material as the source material, the composition of the source material can be controlled, and in some cases adjusted by adjusting the number and / or composition of the webs, thereby fully determining the composition of the floc. Additionally or alternatively, the condition of the webs can be better controlled than that of post-consumer paper. Webs may have fewer or no contaminants and / or contaminants, such as foreign matter, dirt, humidity changes, etc. Also, webs may occupy less space than strips for a given amount of material. A roll of web may contain a large amount of cellulose material and can supply the grinding operation in a controllable and predictable manner over an extended period of time. Strips tend to contain a large amount of air and little cellulose material compared to rolls, and generally also have a non-uniform composition and / or mass distribution, and strip units such as bales or large bags may need to be replaced frequently, potentially causing production interruptions. Obtaining a fiberized product of homogeneous composition from the fragments can require complex and bulky equipment and methods to thoroughly and uniformly mix the components (fragmented source material and / or one or more additives). The presently provided method simplifies the thorough mixing of different source materials (fibers) during feeding and grinding operations in a single device and integrated manner.

[0026] The floc-based insulation material can be operably applied in different ways and / or at different densities. In so-called open blow applications, the density can be e.g. 5 kg / m 3 ~60kg / m 3 , preferably 10 kg / m 3 ~50kg / m 3 , more preferably 15 kg / m 3 ~40kg / m 3 , while in filled cavity applications the density can vary in the range of e.g. 20 kg / m3 ~75kg / m 3 , preferably 25 kg / m 3 ~65kg / m 3 , more preferably 30 kg / m 3 ~60kg / m 3 This results in a thermal conductivity of the insulating material in the range of 0.022 W / mK to 0.042 W / mK, the lower the better.

[0027] Multiple webs of cellulose-based material may be fed together into a grinder. Thus, subjecting the multiple webs of cellulose-based material to a common grinding operation comprises feeding the multiple webs of cellulose-based material together into a common grinder. The grinder may include or be a mill, such as a hammer mill, or preferably a whirl mill, in particular one or more of an impact whirl mill, an air classifier mill, and an air whirl mill.

[0028] Thus, at least a portion of the common grinding operation is performed on the webs together by the grinder. This facilitates distributing the cellulose-based material from the webs onto the floc during grinding, thereby facilitating providing a homogeneous composition of the floc. This may facilitate controlling the composition of the floc from the cellulose-based material from the webs, and particularly from each of the individual webs. Some, and possibly all, of the webs may be fed into the grinder as a common feed into a single feed throat of the grinder. To this end, some, and possibly all, of the webs may be fed adjacent to one another, optionally parallel to one another, and / or overlapping one another. However, also in addition or alternatively, different webs may be fed into the grinder through different feed throats.

[0029] Any method herein may include controlling the supply rate of one or more of the plurality of webs to the grinding operation; individually controlling the supply rate of at least some of the webs to the grinding operation when performing the method with multiple webs; and controlling the supply rate of at least some of the webs to the grinding operation as a function of grinding operation parameters. Controlling the supply rate may include controlling the feed rate to a grinder. Controlling the supply rate may include controlling the feed speed into a grinder.

[0030] This facilitates controlling the grinding operation and / or the amount of cellulose-based material from the one or more webs in the grinding operation. Grinding operation parameters may include grinding efficiency, material input into the grinder and / or consumption of the material out of the grinder (throughput, floc density, fiberization, etc.), material moisture, etc. This may control the composition of the floc. Such control may include pushing one or more webs into the grinder and / or controlling (and in some cases at least partially counteracting) the grinder's pulling force on the web. In the case of one or more webs on a roll, controlling the feed rate may include unrolling and / or controlling the tension between the web roll and the grinder.

[0031] Any method herein may include adjusting the width of one or more of the plurality of webs, e.g., the width of one or more of the plurality of rolls, to control the feed rate of one or more of the plurality of webs to a comminution process and / or to determine the composition of the floc.

[0032] The width of a web can be adjusted relative to one or more other webs in the method. Adjusting the width of one or more of the plurality of webs can control the amount of cellulose-based material of that web in the floc relative to the width of the other webs, thereby facilitating control of the composition of the floc. The width adjustment can be performed while the web is being fed to a comminution operation, or, for example, when determining the width of a roll of web before unrolling at least a portion of the roll of web. Adjusting the width of the web allows the supplying amount of the web (e.g., supplying mass rate, e.g., grams / second) to be adjusted independently of the supplying velocity (e.g., supply speed, e.g., meters / second).

[0033] In view of the above, there is also provided herein a method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulation material, which may be combined with any method previously presented herein, comprising providing one or more webs of cellulose-based material on individual rolls and subjecting the one or more webs of cellulose-based material to a grinding operation by unrolling to obtain from the one or more webs floc comprising the cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulation material. The method also includes folding one or more unrolled webs of the plurality of rolls before subjecting the folded one or more webs to the grinding operation. This may reduce the width of the one or more webs for the grinder compared to the width of the one or more webs on the individual one or more rolls and allow the use of one or more wide webs with a relatively narrow feed inlet of the grinder. Thus, for a given amount of material to be subjected to the grinding operation, a shorter web length (in meters) may be used, which may reduce loading and / or wear on the feed system and / or support system and the need for roll replacement (e.g., the frequency and / or required speed of replacing an empty roll with a new one). The folding may include folding multiple webs together, particularly folding multiple webs superimposed on each other. Folding a stack of multiple webs superimposed on each other may facilitate controlling the feed rate of the folded webs to the grinding operation and / or may facilitate the grinding operation by mixing the cellulose material of each web in the grinding operation. Additionally or alternatively, this may facilitate sandwiching thin web portions and / or layers between thicker web portions and / or layers, improving the reliability of the grinder.

[0034] As indicated, in any of the process embodiments herein, one or more additives, such as flame retardants and / or anti-fungal materials, may be added to the cellulose-based material during the comminution operation, which may facilitate mixing and / or dispersing the one or more additives with the cellulose-based material as it is being comminuted and / or fiberized from a web into floc.

[0035] The one or more additives may be provided to at least one of the cellulose-based materials, for example, by spraying or sprinkling them onto the material, particularly onto the unrolled portion of the material, for example, between the roll and the grinder, and / or by providing them in the grinder while grinding the material. The latter option may optionally improve mixing and / or provide a homogeneous distribution throughout the floc. The one or more additives may be provided volumetrically or gravimetrically to administer the amount of the one or more additives. In particular, when providing the one or more additives onto one or more of the webs and / or into the grinder intermittently or non-intermittently, it may be preferable to provide the one or more additives gravimetrically, which may improve control over dosing of powdered and / or liquid materials (particularly small amounts of liquid materials and / or liquid materials in which the one or more additives are suspended) compared to providing the material volumetrically.

[0036] As mentioned above, the one or more additives may include a flame retardant and / or an anti-fungal material. Some materials may provide both suitable flame retardant and anti-fungal functions. Suitable flame retardants and / or anti-fungal materials are or include borates and / or sulfates, such as one or more of boric acid, sodium tetraborate pentahydrate, disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, magnesium sulfate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum trihydrate, ammonium phosphate, and ammonium sulfate.

[0037] At least one of the webs of cellulose-based material, and preferably each of the plurality of webs of cellulose-based material, comprises or essentially is a paper or board type selected from the following Confederation of European Paper Industries types: Case Materials: Testliner, Waste-based Fluting, Kraftliner, Newsprint; Uncoated Mechanical; Uncoated Woodfree; Gypsum Liner paper grade; and Gypsum Liner board grade. Such materials tend to be manufactured to high quality standards so that each such web can have a known composition and / or properties. Also, such materials tend to be manufactured as rolled webs in standard form, which may be used as rolls of source material for the presently provided methods, as described above.

[0038] Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the webs of cellulose-based material, preferably each of the webs of cellulose-based material, has a cellulose content of 20 grams per square meter (g / m 2 or "gsm") to 400g / m 2 in the range of 40 g / m 2 ~300g / m 2 , e.g. 70g / m 2 ~250g / m 2 Such materials are well rolled and fiberized, and several layers stacked one on top of the other can be easily crushed by a crusher without the crusher having to be heavy and / or particularly sturdy.

[0039] Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the webs of cellulose-based material, and preferably each of the plurality of webs of cellulose-based material, is rejected due to one or more quality criteria related to web formation and / or subsequent use, such as a number of too many joints, edge tears, short span compression test results, burst test results, color, number of holes (e.g., too many holes may result in a reject), and / or hole size, visible spots, core damage, or other quality criteria selected for other reasons. Such quality criteria may affect the web for use in paper and / or board products, such as printed materials and / or packaging, but do not reflect the quality of the cellulose material of the web itself. Therefore, such rejected webs, considered waste, can directly provide or form a high-quality and reliable source material for the presently provided methods.

[0040] Any method embodiment may include providing a construction site for a building component and / or building having an insulated space, such as a wall cavity and / or roof cavity; and further providing at the construction site at least a portion of the building component and / or building having the insulated space; performing any method embodiment disclosed herein; and disposing the floc-based insulation material within the insulated space. The construction site may be a construction site where a building is constructed and later used, and / or a production site for manufacturing building elements to be assembled into a building at another location; many buildings, such as homes, are currently constructed using or from prefabricated building elements, such as prefabricated walls and roofs, which may be suitably provided with a floc-based insulation material.

[0041] Thus, the floc-based insulation material is manufactured and used at the construction site. This facilitates transporting and / or storing a web (or rolls) of cellulose-based material to the construction site instead of transporting and / or storing the floc-based insulation. Because the web does not need to contain a large amount of air, for example when provided in roll form, even though the latter inherently contains a large amount of air, storage and transport volumes, and therefore costs, can be significantly reduced. For example, commercially available floc-based insulation materials currently typically have a mass of about 50-75 kg / m 3 and has a density of 150 kg / m 3 whereas roll material can be transported compressed to about five times the latter value, i.e., about 750 kg / m 3 , (note that pressurized floc-based insulation materials may need to be unpacked before use, requiring an additional process step). The method thus facilitates storage and / or transportation, as little or no air needs to be stored at / transported to the construction site. Additionally or alternatively, on-site production facilitates tailoring the production method, e.g., selection of material amounts and / or selection of ingredients and / or their amounts, to the actual conditions at the construction site. Also, pre-treatment of the material, e.g., shredding, conditioning of the shredding (e.g., with respect to one or more of humidity, density and mix of source material), may be omitted. The same applies mutatis mutandis to any additives, which may improve quality.

[0042] In connection with the above and to provide at least some of the advantages discussed therein, a system for use in any method embodiment provided herein is also provided, the system comprising a pulverizer and one or more supports for one or more webs of cellulose-based source material on individual rolls; and the system is configured to operably feed the one or more webs to the pulverizer by unrolling and to subject the one or more webs to a grinding operation to obtain floc from the one or more webs comprising the cellulose-based material, the floc forming the floc-based barrier material. The system further comprises one or more feed systems for one or more additives, e.g., flame retardants and / or antifungal agents, and a controller configured to controllably feed the one or more additives to the pulverizer and / or to at least one of the webs. The one or more feed systems and / or the controller may be configured to controllably feed the one or more additives volumetrically and / or gravimetrically.

[0043] In connection with the above and to provide at least some of the advantages discussed therein, there is also provided a further system for use in any method embodiment provided herein, which may be suitably combined with any other such system provided herein, the system comprising a grinder and one or more supports for a plurality of webs of cellulose-based source material on individual rolls; wherein the system is configured to operably feed the plurality of webs to the grinder by unrolling and to subject the plurality of webs, in particular the unrolled portions of the plurality of webs, to a common grinding operation to obtain from the plurality of webs flocs comprising the cellulose-based material that form the floc-based insulating material.

[0044] One or more of the plurality of webs of cellulose-based source material on individual rolls may be wound on a core, which may be hollow. The support may include a plurality of axles and / or other folders each for rotatably supporting at least one of the rolls. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more supports may be provided with manipulators for manipulating the rolls, particularly heavy and / or bulky rolls.

[0045] The system comprises: controlling the feeding of one or more of the one or more webs to the crusher, particularly the feeding speed into the crusher; individual feed rates of at least some of the plurality of webs to the comminution operation; and one or more feed rates of one or more of the one or more webs to the grinding operation as a function of one or more grinding operation parameters; The device may include a controller configured to control one or more of:

[0046] The controller may be configured to calculate the milling efficiency and / or material consumption into and / or out of the mill, for example based on one or more of material throughput, floc density, floc size, floc weight and degree of fiberization, and / or based on at least one property, for example width, thickness, specific gravity (e.g., gr / m 2 ), and the at least one characteristic selected from humidity and material composition.

[0047] The controller may be the same as or different from the controller described above for controlling the supply of the one or more additives to the mill and / or to at least one of the webs.

[0048] Any system disclosed herein may include at least one detector for detecting at least one characteristic of at least one web of the plurality of webs and / or at least one detector connected to the controller, wherein the controller may be configured to controllably supply one or more additives to the mill and / or to the web in response to the characteristic.

[0049] The grinding mill may include one or more of an impact spiral mill, an air spiral mill, and an air classifying mill, which may allow or encourage pieces of web material to collide with each other in a highly turbulent air stream as the main grinding action.

[0050] The mill may include a feed throat for feeding at least some of the webs together. For example, the feed throat may include clamping rolls that clamp the layers of the webs together to ensure a common feed rate to the mill, at least in terms of supply velocity (e.g., meters per second). This may improve the regulation of the load to the mill and / or material throughput. Residence time of material in the mill may cause fiber size reduction to undesirably small sizes.

[0051] The mill may have multiple grinding stages for grinding and fiberizing to progressively smaller sizes.

[0052] In connection with the above and to provide at least some of the advantages discussed therein, a further system for use in any method embodiment provided herein is also provided, which may be suitably combined with any other such system provided herein, comprising a mill and one or more supports for one or more webs of cellulose-based source material on individual rolls; wherein the system is configured to operably feed the one or more webs to the mill by unrolling and to subject the one or more webs to a grinding operation to obtain floc from the plurality of webs comprising the cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulation material, and the system further comprises a folder for folding the unrolled webs of one or more of the rolls. Folding the webs may reduce the need for roll replacement (or "reloading"). The folder may be configured to fold multiple webs together and / or fold one or more webs into a double-folded or triple-folded configuration.

[0053] Any system disclosed herein may be transportable from a first job site to a second job site without substantial disassembly. For example, the crusher and the support may be separated, but preferably no further disassembly is required for transportation. For example, the system may be arranged to fit onto a standard 20-foot or 40-foot shipping container and / or a platform that conforms to 20-foot or 40-foot shipping container industry standards.

[0054] Any of the systems disclosed herein may include a conduit for conveying the floc from the crusher into a remote receptacle, such as a sheltered space in a building. The system may also include an air supply for pneumatically conveying the floc from the crusher into the receptacle using an airflow. At least a portion of such airflow may be provided by the crusher, e.g., by airflow generated by rotary knives and / or other fiberizing members.

[0055] Thus, in at least some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for efficient, high-quality on-site production of cellulose insulation.

[0056] By using roll paper, especially reject packaging paper, e.g., off-specification paper, the method can be integrated with existing, highly developed papermaking and converting processes, e.g., with respect to material properties and / or reject parameters specifications as set forth herein, thereby providing a reliable supply of source material.

[0057] The rolls are sized, particularly cut to a specific axial width, and preferably sized before being transported to a construction site. Optional additives, such as fire retardants and / or anti-fungal substances, may also be provided at the construction site. At the construction site, the webs may be subjected to a grinding operation, optionally with the addition of additives, and floc comprising a cellulose-based material is provided from the webs to form the floc-based insulation material.

[0058] The foregoing aspects will be further explained below, together with additional details and advantages, with reference to the drawings showing, by way of example, a number of embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0059] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a system provided herein. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a mill for use in the system. [Figure 3] Figure 3 (3A-3D) shows the folded configuration of the web. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates the method steps of a method embodiment provided herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0060] It should be noted that the figures are schematic and not necessarily to scale, and that details not necessary for understanding the invention may be omitted. The words "upward," "downward," "below," "on," etc., refer to the embodiment oriented in the figures, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, elements that are at least substantially identical or perform at least substantially the same function are indicated by the same numerals and usefully distinguished by alphabetical suffixes.

[0061] Additionally, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "detachable" and "removably connected" are intended to mean that individual parts can be essentially removed without damaging or destroying any of the parts, and exclude, for example, structures in which the parts are unitary (e.g., welded or molded together), but include structures in which the parts are joined by or as interlocking connectors, fasteners, releasable self-locking features, etc. The verb "to facilitate" is intended to mean "to make easier and / or less complicated" rather than "to enable."

[0062] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 1 provided herein, including a grinder 3 and a support 5 for multiple webs 7 of cellulose-based source material on individual rolls 9. The support 5 allows each web 7 to be unrolled from its roll 9, which unrolling can be controlled (e.g., by the use of an optional rotary drive and / or brake; and / or sensors such as timing belts, diameter detection, weight detection, etc.; various suitable systems are known in the art). Other embodiments (not shown) may include a greater number, fewer, and / or differently arranged web rolls. The support 5 and the rolls 9 thereon may be arranged in any suitable manner, for example, in line as shown, and / or at least partially overlapping one another. Multiple supports 5, for example three or groups of three supports, may be combined in "roll take over systems", e.g., rotatably arranged so that the rolls 9 may be replaced and / or aligned with one another when a first roll 9 (of web 7) is exhausted and another roll 9 supplies further web to the comminution operation. Suitable "roll take over systems" are known in the art.

[0063] The unrolled portion of web 7 is fed to the crusher 3 using an optional conveying system 11, which may optionally include a series of rolls 12. Here, the conveying system 11 optionally arranges the individual webs 7 into a stack of layers 8 for feeding the individual webs 7 together into the crusher 3, preferably at a common feed rate. When feeding the webs 7 into the crusher 3, a feeding device may be provided. For example, here, an optional clamping roll 13 is provided for clamping multiple layers of web 7 together to ensure a common feed rate of the webs 7 to the crusher 3, at least in terms of feed speed (e.g., meters per second). However, other feeding devices may be provided for feeding the web 7 into the crusher 3, and in some cases, a grinding element and / or shredding element of the crusher may exert a pulling force on one or more webs introduced into the crusher. The conveying system 11 may include more, fewer, and / or different rolls and / or guides, as well as one or more (longitudinal) folding systems and / or tensioning systems (not shown) for one or more of the plurality of webs 7 between the individual rolls 9 and clamp rolls 13 and / or other feeding devices. Longitudinal folding of the webs 7 may eliminate adjusting the size of the web rolls 9 and / or affect the distribution of the individual web material into the flock.

[0064] Between the roll and the feeding device for feeding the web 7 into the crusher 3 (possibly integrated into the feeding device), a folder (not shown) may be provided for folding the web 7 and feeding the folded web 7 into the crusher 3.

[0065] The system 1 further includes a feed system 15 for supplying one or more additives, such as a flame retardant and / or an anti-fungal agent, to the cellulosic material. The illustrated feed system 15 includes a receptacle 17 and a feeder 19, optionally located at or near the feed throat of the web 7, that provides the additives from the receptacle 15 into the mill 3. The feeder 19 may include one or more sensors for controlling the feed rate of one or more of the additives, particularly gravimetrically. The feeder 19 may have any suitable configuration for supplying powdered and / or liquid additives. For example, the feeder 19 may include one or more of a conveyor belt, an Archimedes screw, a pump, a scoop, a valve, and the like.

[0066] The mill 3 may be equipped with sieves or filters (not shown) to determine the size of the flocs and / or fibers.

[0067] The system 1 is further shown to include an optional conduit 21 for conveying the floc obtained in the crusher 3 via conduit 21 from the crusher 3 to a remote receptacle 23, for example an enclosed space in a (possibly prefabricated) building element 25. If the crusher 3 does not provide sufficient airflow, an additional fan 26 or other supply system may be provided. Additionally or alternatively, mechanical conveyors and / or receptacles for the floc from which and / or with which the material is transported for further use may be provided.

[0068] Further, the controller 27 is operatively connected to one or more devices in the system, and the controller 27 is optionally equipped with sensors for acquiring sensor data associated with the individual devices for controlling the operation of at least some of the individual devices and / or the operation of the entire system, preferably based on the sensor data.

[0069] The controller may be part of any one of the devices and / or may be programmable. Additionally or alternatively, at least a portion of the controller may be remote from one or more devices and may be part of and / or connected to a server and / or handheld device via a wired and / or wireless connection, which may include a connection via the Internet.

[0070] Not shown in system 1 is an optional station for loading and / or preparing rolls of web of cellulose-based material as source material for the process. The loading and / or preparing station may include a roll receiving apparatus, including, for example, a pallet machine, a forklift, a crane, etc., and / or a roll manipulation apparatus for placing rolls 9 on support 5. The loading and / or preparing station may include one or more cutters for adjusting the size of the rolls. For example, cutting (e.g., sawing) a portion of one or more rolls to a desired axial length for subsequent use, such as for determining the relative amounts of each web material in the resulting flock composition. The size of the web can also be adjusted by cutting the width as the web is unwound. The loading and / or preparing station may also include one or more cutters for adjusting the size of the rolls, such as cutting (e.g., sawing) a portion of one or more rolls to a desired axial length for further use, such as for determining the relative amounts of each web material in the resulting flock composition. The web may also be sizing by cutting it while unrolling.

[0071] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary air vortex mill 3 for use in the systems and methods described herein. A portion of the mill 3 is configured as a conical impact mill. The mill 3 includes a feed inlet 31 for feeding a web of cellulosic material, such as a stack of webs 8. The mill 3 includes a stator 33 and a rotor 35, defining a grinding track 37 therebetween. The stator 33 and / or rotor 35 include protrusions 39, 41, and 43, such as one or more of ribs, bumps, blades, pins, chisels, etc., for impacting and agitating the material. The web material is fiberized by progressively breaking down due to the impact and friction of the protrusions 39, 41, and 43 and between the material pieces. The fibers may collect in the grinding track 37 and / or under the rotor 35 into floc 45 and exit the mill 3 as floc 45 at the outlet 47 .

[0072] In some preferred mills, the milling operation can be controlled to provide control over one or more of the degree of fiberization, fiber size (e.g., length), floc size, etc. In the illustrated embodiment, the stator 33 and / or rotor 35 are tapered about the axis of rotation A of the rotor 35 such that axial displacement of the stator 33 and rotor 35 relative to one another along axis A allows the width of the milling track to be adjusted. The rotor 35 may be interchanged to provide different rotor and / or protrusion geometries. The milling operation may also or alternatively be controlled by adjusting the rotational speed of the rotor. Increasing the width of the milling track 37 tends to increase floc size, and increasing the rotor rotational speed tends to decrease residence time. The rotor shape and construction affect the air swirl pattern, which can also affect the formation of the fibrous flocs.

[0073] 3A-3D show exemplary ways in which a web 7 or stack of webs 8 may be folded for introduction into the comminution operation: a simple double fold (FIG. 3A), a counter-inward fold (FIG. 3B), a G-fold (FIG. 3C), and a zigzag fold (FIG. 3D). The latter two folds may be preferred for two or more layer folding arrangements, providing three or more layers. The zigzag folding technique may also easily provide four or more layers of folding. Folding devices for folding flat webs into one or more of the illustrated folded shapes are known per se.

[0074] FIG. 4 illustrates the method steps provided herein.

[0075] In step 100, a grinding system including a grinder is provided. A roll of paper or the like is also provided, providing a web of cellulose-based material as a source material for the process. The roll may have any suitable size. Preferably, the roll is appropriately sized for further use. Alternatively, one or more rolls may be cut to a desired size. Suitable sizes are diameters of 0.4 m to 2.0 m, preferably 1.0 to 1.5 m, and such a roll may contain up to about 70,500 m of web. The roll may have an axial length of about 200 mm up to 3.5 m. If necessary, at least a portion of one or more webs may be rerolled from one roll size to another. Suitable rerolling devices and methods are known in the art.

[0076] The roll has a weight in the range of about 20 to 10,000 kg, preferably 100 to 2500 kg, for example 125 to 2250 kg.

[0077] In step 110, the roll prepared and optionally sized in step 100 is placed in the system, for example, on a support 5. One or more of the webs are then fed into a pulverizer, for example, by being fed through a conveying system and into a feed system (if applicable). Multiple webs are preferably fed into the pulverizer simultaneously. The webs are further fed into the pulverizer by unrolling during operation.

[0078] Step 120 includes subjecting the one or more webs of cellulose-based material to a comminution operation, where multiple webs may be subjected to a common comminution operation with or without pre-folding (not shown), to obtain floc comprising cellulose-based material from the one or more webs to form the desired floc-based insulating material.

[0079] Due to the grinding operation, the web material is fiberized. The size of the fibers and / or flocs can be determined by the type of grinder. For example, hammer mills produce small pieces and short fibers, and the resulting flocs can be agglomerated and contain fragments of web material and / or clumps of fibers, while, at least in comparison, agitator mills, such as whirl mills, tend to produce separate, thin, long fibers, and the resulting flocs can be "woolly" and / or have a uniform structure. The latter may be preferred. Additionally or alternatively, the size of the fibers and / or flocs can also be determined by one or more of the following: grinding time, the feed rate and / or speed (throughput) of the web material, the intensity of grinding, the strength of (allowed) interaction between the ground materials (e.g., vigorous or gentle agitation), the number of grinding steps in some cases, and the screens that define the passage of at least a portion of the material (e.g., the cut-off size for passing through such screens). Suitable techniques are known in the art. The grinding can be performed by: controlling the feed rate of one or more of the plurality of webs to a grinding operation, particularly controlling the feed speed to a grinder; individually controlling the feed rate of at least some of the plurality of webs to the comminution operation; and controlling the feed rate of at least some of the plurality of webs to the grinding operation as a function of grinding operation parameters. may be controlled by

[0080] In optional step 130, one or more optional additives are added to the material. This can be done before introducing the web into the crusher, and / or by introducing optional additives into the crusher, and / or by providing such additives on the resulting floc. The amount of additive to be added can be determined volumetrically and / or gravimetrically. The amount of additive to be added can be determined depending on the desired properties of the floc-based insulating material. Precise control of the additive addition amount can reduce one or more of additive material consumption, waste, cost, and environmental impact, and it can improve distribution in the resulting product and / or quality. The amount of additive, such as a flame retardant and / or anti-fungal material, can range from 1 to 20%, preferably 2 to 15%, and more preferably 4 to 12%, by weight of the cellulose material. Furthermore, the more known and / or controlled the source material, i.e., the web of cellulose-based material, the more controlled (e.g., lower) amounts of additives can be used.

[0081] In optional step 140, the resulting floc forming the floc-based insulation material is conveyed from the mill to an insulated space in a building, such as a home, office, warehouse, or factory. The insulation material may be placed loosely within the insulated space or may be placed at least partially pressurized. Alternatively, the material may be stored as insulation and transported (for use) elsewhere.

[0082] In optional step 150, the system is transported to another construction site and used on-site.

[0083] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. For example, the floc-based insulation material may be used for one or more of the following: thermal packaging of products, a growth substrate base for plants, and a sound attenuation solution.

[0084] Elements and aspects discussed with respect to or in connection with a particular embodiment may be suitably combined with elements and aspects of other embodiments, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Claims

1. 1. A method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulation material, comprising providing one or more webs (7) of cellulose-based material on individual rolls (9) and subjecting the one or more webs (7) of cellulose-based material to a grinding operation by unrolling to obtain from the one or more webs (7) floc (45) comprising cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulation material, wherein the method comprises providing one or more additives (16), such as flame retardants and / or anti-fungal substances, to the cellulose-based material during the grinding operation, in particular providing the one or more additives to at least an unrolled portion of the one or more webs and / or providing the one or more additives into a grinder, and / or in particular providing the one or more additives gravimetrically.

2. 10. A method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulating material, in particular a method according to claim 1, comprising providing a plurality of webs (7) of cellulose-based material on individual rolls (9) and subjecting the plurality of webs (7) of cellulose-based material to a common grinding operation by unrolling to obtain from the plurality of webs (7) floc (45) comprising cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulating material, in particular feeding the plurality of webs of cellulose-based material (7) together into a grinder (3).

3. controlling the supply rate of one or more of said one or more webs (7) to said grinding operation, in particular controlling the supplying speed into a grinder (3); Individually controlling the feed rate of at least some of the plurality of webs (7) to the comminution operation; and controlling the feed rate of at least some of said webs (7) to said grinding operation as a function of grinding operation parameters; 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising one or more of:

4. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising adjusting the width of at least one of the one or more webs (7) to control the feed rate of the individual web to the comminution operation and / or to determine the composition of the floc.

5. 1. A method for producing a floc-based, cellulose-based heat and / or sound insulation material, in particular a method according to claim 1, comprising providing one or more webs (7) of cellulose-based material on individual rolls (9) and subjecting the one or more webs (7) of cellulose-based material to a grinding operation by unrolling to obtain from the one or more webs (7) floc (45) comprising cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulation material, the method comprising folding the unrolled portions of one or more webs (7) of the rolls (9) and subjecting the folded webs (7) to the grinding operation.

6. The method comprises providing one or more additives (16), such as flame retardants and / or anti-fungal substances, to the cellulose-based material during the grinding operation, in particular providing one or more additives to at least one of the cellulose-based materials and / or into the grinder, and / or in particular providing one or more additives gravimetrically.

7. at least one of said webs (7) of cellulose-based material, preferably each of said webs (7) of cellulose-based material, comprises or is essentially a paper or board type selected from the following Confederation of European Paper Industries case materials: Testliner, Waste-based Fluting, Kraftliner, Newsprint; Uncoated Mechanical; Uncoated Woodfree; Gypsum Liner paper grade; and Gypsum Liner board grade; At least one of said webs of cellulose-based material (7), preferably each of said webs of cellulose-based material (7), has a density of 20 g / m 2 ~400g / m 2 in the range of 40 g / m 2 ~300g / m 2 , e.g. 70g / m 2 ~250g / m 2 and / or having a gram weight in the range of at least one of said webs (7) of cellulose-based material, preferably each of said webs (7) of cellulose-based material, is a material that is rejected due to one or more quality criteria related to web formation and / or subsequent use, such as quality criteria selected from excessive number of splices, broken edges, short span compression test results, burst test results, color, number of holes, size of holes, visible mottle, core damage, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Providing a construction site for a building element (25) and / or building having an enclosed space (23); and Providing a building element (25) and / or building having an enclosed space (23); Carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and placing the resulting floc (45) in the insulation space at the construction site as a floc-based insulation material. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

9. 9. A system (1) for use in the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a mill (3) and one or more supports (5) for one or more webs (7) of cellulose-based raw material on individual rolls (9); and the system (1) is adapted to operatively feed the one or more webs (7) to the mill (3) by unrolling and subjecting the one or more webs (7) to a milling operation to separate flocs (4) comprising cellulose-based material from the one or more webs (7) and forming the floc-based barrier material. 5), the system further comprising one or more feed systems (15) for one or more additives (16), such as flame retardants and / or anti-fungal substances, and a controller (27) configured to controllably feed the one or more additives to the grinder and / or to at least one of the one or more webs during the grinding operation, wherein in particular the one or more feed systems (15) and / or the controller (27) may be configured to controllably feed the one or more additives (16) gravimetrically.

10. A system (1) for use in the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, in particular the system (1) of claim 9, comprising a grinder (3) and one or more supports (5) for a plurality of webs (7) of cellulose-based raw material on individual rolls (9); and the system (1) is configured to operably feed the plurality of webs (7) to the grinder (3) by unrolling and to subject the plurality of webs (7) to a common grinding operation to obtain from the plurality of webs (7) floc (45) comprising the cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulating material.

11. A system (1) according to any one of claims 9 or 10, comprising: controlling the feeding of one or more of said one or more webs (7) to said crusher (3), in particular the feeding speed into said crusher; individual feed rates of at least some of the plurality of webs (7) to the grinding operation; and one or more feed rates of one or more of the one or more webs (7) to the grinding operation as a function of one or more grinding operation parameters; a controller (27) configured to control one or more of: wherein the controller is configured to control the feeding of each web (7) based on at least one characteristic of the web selected from width, thickness, moisture and material composition. The system (1).

12. The system (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the grinding mill (3) comprises one or more of an impact spiral mill, an air spiral mill and an air classifying mill.

13. 13. A system (1) for use in the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, in particular the system of any one of claims 9 to 12, comprising a grinder (3) and one or more supports (5) for one or more webs (7) of cellulose-based raw material on individual rolls (9); and configured to operably feed the one or more webs (7) to the grinder (3) by unrolling and to subject the one or more webs (7) to a grinding operation to obtain from the plurality of webs (7) floc (45) comprising the cellulose-based material and forming the floc-based insulating material, the system further comprising a folder for folding the unrolled portions of the one or more webs (7) onto the rolls (9).

14. 14. The system (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the system is transportable for transport from a first construction site to a second construction site without substantial disassembly.

15. 15. The system (1) according to any one of claims 9 to 14, comprising a conduit (21) for conveying the floc (45) from the crusher (3) into a remote receptacle (23), for example an enclosed space in a building or building element, and preferably comprising an air supply for pneumatically conveying the floc from the crusher (3) into the receptacle (23) by means of an air current.

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