Manufacturing method and manufacturing device for resin composite material

Abstract

To provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a resin composite material which can stabilize a raw material supply amount and can improve manufacturing efficiency of a resin composite material.SOLUTION: An apparatus 10 for manufacturing a resin composite material has a raw material supply part 11 for supplying a thermoplastic resin and a woody biomass roasted material, a first cylinder 12, a first deaeration part 13 provided on the first cylinder 12, a die 14 for extrusion molding, and a rotary drive mechanism 15 for driving a first screw, and can remove volatile gas generated from the kneaded material of the raw material to the outside from the inside of the first cylinder 12 by the first deaeration part 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a resin composite material, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for producing a wood-based biomass / thermoplastic resin composite material by extrusion molding. [Background technology]

[0002] Biomass materials are attracting attention as industrial resources. Biomass materials refer to materials derived from living organisms such as plants. Because biomass materials are organic, they emit carbon dioxide when burned. However, the carbon contained in them comes from carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis during the growth process of the biomass, so it is safe to say that the use of biomass materials does not increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere overall. This property is called carbon neutral.

[0003] Against the backdrop of global environmental issues such as global warming, there is an urgent need to conserve resources, recycle materials to turn waste into raw materials, and promote environmental circulation cycles such as those typified by biodegradable plastics.In Japan, the revised Recycling Law and the Green Purchasing Law have been established, and there is a growing need for products that comply with these laws.

[0004] In this situation, incorporating biomass materials into resin molded products, which are widely used in everything from automotive parts to everyday items, will promote the implementation of the carbon neutral concept.

[0005] Under these circumstances, the present inventors have discovered that by using a roasted woody biomass (woody biomass roasted product) in a molding material in which a thermoplastic resin and woody biomass are mixed, it is possible to provide a molding material that is homogeneously mixed with the thermoplastic resin and can be produced at low cost.

[0006] This molding material containing woody biomass can be pelletized using an extruder that is often used when molding thermoplastic resin compositions (see, for example, Patent Document 1) to form a resin composite material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-128032 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, when attempting to produce a resin composite material using an extruder, there are cases where the amount of raw material supplied becomes unstable due to the woody biomass roasted material adhering to the chute of the raw material supply unit or forming lumps at the inlet of the raw material supply unit. When the amount of raw material supplied becomes unstable, the amount of resin composite material produced per unit time (extrusion amount) decreases accordingly, making efficient production impossible.

[0009] Therefore, it is desirable to provide an apparatus and method for producing a resin composite material that can stabilize the amount of raw material supplied and improve the efficiency of producing the resin composite material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The method for producing a resin composite material disclosed in the present application is a method for producing a resin composite material containing woody biomass roasted material, in which a thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material are mixed to form a kneaded material, and volatile gases generated from the kneaded material are degassed to the outside through a first cylinder.

[0011] The manufacturing apparatus for a resin composite material disclosed in the present application has a first degassing section in a first cylinder that degasses volatile gases generated from the kneaded material to the outside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The resin composite material manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus disclosed herein can efficiently manufacture a resin composite material containing a thermoplastic resin and woody biomass roasted material. In particular, the supply rate of raw materials can be stabilized and the extrusion rate can be increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a resin composite material according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a degassing cylinder capable of suction degassing as one example of the configuration of the degassing unit in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3A] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a manufacturing apparatus for a resin composite material according to a second embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 34B is a top view showing the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus for the resin composite material of FIG. 34A. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to a third embodiment. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a suction degassing device as one configuration example of the degassing section of FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of a production apparatus for a resin composite material used in a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to examples and drawings. In all drawings for explaining the embodiments, components having the same functions are designated by the same or related reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0015] (Embodiment 1) <Resin composite material manufacturing equipment> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a degassing cylinder capable of suction degassing, serving as the degassing section (first degassing section) for volatile gases shown in Fig. 1.

[0016] The resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is an extrusion apparatus suitable for manufacturing a resin composite material containing woody biomass roasted material and a thermoplastic resin, and is primarily used to manufacture pellets, which are the raw material, as a pretreatment device for manufacturing molded articles made of this resin composite material.

[0017] This resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 10 has a raw material supply section 11, a cylinder 12 having a screw, a volatile gas degassing section 13 located upstream of the cylinder 12, a die 14, and a rotation drive mechanism 15 that drives the screw of the cylinder 12.

[0018] The raw material supply unit 11 supplies raw materials for the resin composite material to the cylinder 12. In this embodiment, the raw materials, that is, a thermoplastic resin and woody biomass torrefaction product, are fed from above into a chute 11a of the raw material supply unit 11 by, for example, a feeder, and the raw materials are mixed and supplied to the cylinder 12. The raw materials used here will be described in detail later.

[0019] The cylinder 12 has a screw inside. By rotating this screw, the raw materials are mixed and the resulting mixture is conveyed inside the cylinder 12. If a twin screw with two screws is used as this screw, a twin-screw extruder can be configured. Twin-screw extruders are flexible in that operating conditions such as the screw rotation speed and barrel temperature setting can be freely changed, and also have various advantages such as high mixing performance and continuous productivity.

[0020] The cylinder 12 is formed by connecting, for example, a plurality of cylinder blocks, and each cylinder block has a space therein that can transport a kneaded material of thermoplastic resin and roasted woody biomass. A screw is provided in this space, and the screw is connected to a rotation drive mechanism 15. The screw is rotated by the rotation drive mechanism 15, so that the kneaded material can be transported in the cylinder 12.

[0021] The cylinder 12 is also provided with a heater (not shown) so that its temperature can be adjusted. This heater melts the thermoplastic resin, which is the raw material, and a kneaded mixture of the thermoplastic resin and the roasted woody biomass is easily obtained. The kneaded mixture thus obtained can be easily transported inside the cylinder 12. At this time, it is preferable to control the temperature so as not to excessively increase the temperature of the kneaded mixture.

[0022] The volatile gas degassing section 13 mainly functions to remove volatile gases generated from the resin composite material to the outside of the cylinder 12, and is provided, for example, on the upstream side of the cylinder 12. This volatile gas degassing section 13 only needs to have an opening (degassing port) on the side or top surface of the cylinder 12, and by having such an opening, the volatile gases generated inside the cylinder 12 can be removed to the outside.

[0023] Furthermore, in order to efficiently remove volatile gases, a degassing device capable of reducing pressure and suction may be used as the degassing section 13. By using such a degassing device, volatile gases generated in the cylinder 12 can be removed more efficiently.

[0024] Here, the upstream side of the cylinder 12 means the upstream side (the side closer to the raw material supply section 11) in the flow direction of the kneaded material that is kneaded and transported within the cylinder 12. Moreover, the upstream side in this embodiment means the position in the cylinder 12 from the raw material supply section 11 to the position where the thermoplastic resin is melted and plasticized. The position where the degassing section 13 is provided is preferably within 70% of the total length of the screw from the raw material supply section 11, more preferably within 40% of the total length of the screw from the raw material supply section 11, and particularly preferably at the connection part of the cylinder 12 with the raw material supply section 11 (immediately after the raw material supply section 11). Moreover, the number of degassing sections 13 provided is not particularly limited to one.

[0025] The position where a thermoplastic resin melts and plasticizes refers to the region where the cylinder temperature is above the melting initiation temperature for crystalline resins and above the glass transition temperature for amorphous resins. More preferably, the cylinder temperature is above the melting temperature (melting point) for crystalline resins and above the glass transition temperature for amorphous resins. The melting initiation temperature and melting temperature (melting point) of a crystalline resin can be determined, for example, using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC, PerkinElmer DSC8500). The melting initiation temperature and melting temperature (melting point) of a DSC curve are the temperature at which the baseline before the peak due to the melting of the crystalline resin meets the tangent to the inflection point on the left side of the melting peak. The melting peak is the temperature at which the melting peak appears.

[0026] The die 14 is a member for extruding and molding the kneaded material conveyed inside the cylinder 12, and has holes for extrusion molding. The shape of the molded product is determined by the shape of the holes provided in the die 14. In this case, the shape of the holes can be various depending on the shape of the resin composite material to be manufactured, and an appropriate shape can be selected. For example, when molding into a strand shape, multiple circular holes are provided, and when molding into a sheet shape, slit-shaped holes are provided.

[0027] The rotation drive mechanism 15 is a device for rotating a screw provided in the cylinder 12. The screw rotated by the rotation drive mechanism 15 transports the raw material inside the cylinder 12.

[0028] The degassing cylinder 130 in Figure 2, which will be explained next, is an example of a degassing cylinder used when two screws are installed in the cylinder 12, but the extrusion device used in this embodiment may be a twin-screw extrusion device equipped with two screws, or a single-screw extrusion device equipped with one screw.

[0029] When the manufacturing device for this composite resin material is a twin-screw extruder, the two screws are arranged to intermesh and rotate. When the number of screws is two, a larger spatial volume can be secured, so for the same screw diameter, a twin-screw extrusion with two screws is preferable to a single-screw extrusion with one screw, as it allows for a higher extrusion rate. The extension direction of the cylinder 12 is the same as the extension direction of the screws inside the cylinder 12.

[0030] <About the volatile gas degassing section> In this embodiment, as described above, the volatile gas degassing section 13 only needs to have an opening that allows the volatile gas generated in the cylinder 12 to be removed to the outside. Furthermore, if the degassing section 13 is configured as a degassing cylinder capable of suction degassing, this is preferable because the volatile gas can be removed efficiently.

[0031] An example of the configuration of a degassing cylinder is shown in Figure 2. This degassing cylinder 130 is provided as part of the cylinder 12 at the connection with the raw material supply unit 11. This degassing cylinder 130 is provided so that the internal space communicates from the raw material supply unit 11 to the cylinder 12, allowing the raw materials, thermoplastic resin and woody biomass roasted material, to flow through. A screw is disposed in this communicating space. The degassing cylinder 130 is also provided with a vent port so that volatile gases generated inside the cylinder 12 can be discharged to the outside.

[0032] The degassing cylinder 130 shown here is provided with a screen 131 as a degassing port that allows volatile gases to pass through but not the supplied solid matter (raw material). By providing this screen 131, the volatile gases to be removed can be removed from the cylinder 12 to the outside without leaking the raw material to the outside.

[0033] Furthermore, in this degassing cylinder 130, it is preferable that the suction port 132 provided in the degassing cylinder 130 is connected to a suction device such as a vacuum pump so that volatile gases can be efficiently degassed from the degassing port (screen 131). Figure 2 shows an example in which four suction ports 132 are provided.

[0034] Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to an example in which one degassing section 13 is provided, two or more may be provided. Even when two or more sections are provided, they are all installed on the upstream side of the cylinder 12.

[0035] <Raw materials for resin composite materials> Next, the raw materials used in the method for producing a resin composite material according to the present embodiment will be described. The raw materials used here include a thermoplastic resin and a woody biomass roasted product.

[0036] Any thermoplastic resin can be used as long as it can be plasticized by heat and molded. Examples of such thermoplastic resins include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyether ether ketone, etc. Among them, low-density polyethylene and polypropylene are preferred from the viewpoint of moldability, as they can easily maintain a low temperature of the kneaded product.

[0037] In the present embodiment, a biodegradable resin may be used as the thermoplastic resin. Examples of biodegradable resins having thermoplastic properties include, but are not limited to, polylactic acid, polybutylene succinate, polyethylene succinate, polyglycol, polycaprolactone, and polyvinyl alcohol.

[0038] The thermoplastic resin used in this embodiment may be in any form, but a granular form is preferred for ease of handling. Two or more types of thermoplastic resins can also be used simultaneously. Furthermore, when kneading with the woody biomass roasted material, a compatibilizing resin (compatibilizer), which is also a thermoplastic resin, may be added to improve uniformity and adhesion.

[0039] As the compatibilizing resin, known compatibilizing resins are used, including, but not limited to, maleic acid-modified polypropylene (UMEX 1010, manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.) and Modic (registered trademark) P908 (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Industries, Ltd.). The compatibilizing resin functions to improve uniform mixing and adhesion between the woody biomass roasted material and the thermoplastic resin. The compatibilizing resin is not necessarily used, but if used, it is used in an amount of up to about 15 mass% in the resin composite material obtained by kneading.

[0040] The woody biomass torrefaction product used in this embodiment may be any product obtained by torrefying woody biomass. By torrefying in this manner, a solid fuel having a higher energy density than the starting material can be obtained. For example, such woody biomass torrefaction product can be obtained by torrefying pulverized woody biomass having a size of 50 mm or less under conditions of an oxygen concentration of 10% or less and a material temperature of 240 to 350°C.

[0041] As the wood material for the woody biomass torrefaction product, both broad-leaved trees and coniferous trees can be used. Specific examples of broad-leaved trees include, but are not limited to, eucalyptus, rubber tree, beech, linden, birch, poplar, acacia, oak, sugar maple, Asian elm, paulownia, magnolia, willow, ash, phillyraeoides phillyraeoides, oak, sawtooth oak, horse chestnut, zelkova, beech, dogwood, and ash. Coniferous trees include cedar, spruce, larch, black pine, Abies sachalinensis, dwarf pine, yew, juniper, spruce, and pine. Examples include fir, Japanese holly, fir, Japanese sawara, Douglas fir, Asunaro, Japanese cypress, Japanese hemlock, Japanese hemlock, Japanese cypress, yew, Japanese yew, spruce, yellow cedar (Thujopsis thunbergii), Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), Douglas fir (Douglas fir), Sitka spruce (Picea abies), Radiata pine, Eastern spruce, Eastern white pine, Western larch, Western fir, Western hemlock, and tamarack.

[0042] Among these, wood of the genus Eucalyptus and rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) are preferred. Examples of Eucalyptus include Eucalyptus (hereinafter abbreviated as E.) calophylla, E. citriodora, E. diversicolor, E. globulus, E. grandis, E. urograndis, E. gummifera, E. marginata, E. nesophila, E. nitens, E. amygdalina, E. camaldulensis, E. delegatensis, E. gigantea, E. muelleriana, E. obliqua, E. regnans, E. sieberiana, E. viminalis, and E. marginata.

[0043] In this embodiment, the form of the woody biomass used as the raw material is not limited, and for example, wood chips, bark, sawdust, sawdust, etc. can be suitably used. In a preferred embodiment, woody biomass having a size of 50 mm or less can be used as the raw material. Woody biomass of such a size can be adjusted to a size of 50 mm or less by, for example, pulverization, with woody biomass having a size of 1 mm to 50 mm being preferred. In this embodiment, the size of the pulverized woody biomass can be selected by sieving depending on the size of the holes in the sieve. Woody biomass can be pulverized using, for example, a hammer mill or a knife-cutting type biomass fuel chipper.

[0044] The woody biomass used as the raw material is subjected to a roasting process to obtain a woody biomass roasted material. Torrefaction generally refers to a process in which wood is heated in a low-oxygen atmosphere at a temperature lower than that used in carbonization. While the temperature used in typical wood carbonization processes is 400 to 700°C, in this embodiment, roasting is performed at a temperature of 240 to 350°C, for example.

[0045] In this embodiment, the roasting conditions are an oxygen concentration of 10% or less and a material temperature of 240 to 350°C. Here, the material temperature during roasting refers to the temperature of woody biomass near the outlet of the roasting treatment device. In this embodiment, roasting is performed under conditions of an oxygen concentration of 10% or less. However, if the oxygen concentration exceeds 10%, the material yield and calorific yield may decrease. Furthermore, if the material temperature is less than 240°C, it is difficult to grind the roasted material to small particle sizes, and if it exceeds 350°C, the material yield and calorific yield decrease. The material temperature is preferably 240 to 330°C, and more preferably 250 to 320°C. Hemicellulose undergoes significant thermal decomposition around 270°C, while cellulose and lignin undergo significant thermal decomposition around 355°C and 365°C, respectively. Therefore, it is presumed that by setting the roasting temperature to 240 to 350°C, hemicellulose is preferentially thermally decomposed, enabling the production of a molding resin material that achieves both material yield and pulverizability.

[0046] In this embodiment, the roasting treatment apparatus is not particularly limited, but a rotary kiln and / or a vertical furnace is preferred. It is preferable to replace the atmosphere inside the apparatus with an inert gas such as nitrogen to adjust the oxygen concentration to 10% or less. The roasting treatment time is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 180 minutes, more preferably 5 to 120 minutes, and even more preferably 10 to 60 minutes. When a continuous type apparatus is used, the residence time in the roasting apparatus can be controlled.

[0047] In this embodiment, an externally heated roasting device may be used as the device for performing the roasting treatment. For example, an externally heated rotary kiln has a structure in which a part or all of the inner kiln cylinder is covered with an outer kiln cylinder, and woody biomass is roasted in the inner cylinder, and fuel is burned in the outer cylinder to indirectly heat the woody biomass inside the inner cylinder. The temperature inside the outer kiln cylinder can be 400 to 800°C, and 450 to 750°C is preferable. If the temperature inside the outer kiln cylinder is less than 400°C, the pyrolysis of the woody biomass inside the inner kiln cylinder will be insufficient, and the crushability of the resulting solid fuel will be reduced. On the other hand, if the temperature exceeds 800°C, the temperature of the woody biomass inside the inner kiln cylinder will rise excessively, and the material yield and calorific yield of the resulting solid fuel will be reduced.

[0048] The roasted product used in this embodiment preferably has a material yield of 60 to 90% and a calorific yield of 70 to 95% relative to the woody biomass raw material. Furthermore, the Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) specified in JIS M 8801:2004, which is an index of grindability, is preferably 25 or more, more preferably 30 or more. The higher the HGI, the easier it is to grind. If the HGI is in the range of 25 to 70, it can be easily mixed with a thermoplastic resin and molded.

[0049] The woody biomass roasted material used in this embodiment may be in the form of a molded product. That is, the pulverized starting material (roasted product) of woody biomass is molded into briquettes or pellets. By forming it into a molded product, handling becomes easier and transportation costs can be reduced because the density is increased. The bulk density of the molded product after the densification process is 500 kg / m 3 More than 600 kg / m 3 The above is more preferable. The bulk density can be measured in accordance with JIS K 2151, "6. Bulk density test method."

[0050] In the present embodiment, the device for forming the roasted product into a molded product is not particularly limited, but for example, a briquette (manufactured by Kitagawa Iron Works), a ring die type pelletizer (manufactured by CPM), a flat die type pelletizer (manufactured by Kahl or Dalton), etc. are desirable.

[0051] In this embodiment, when woody biomass torrefaction material is formed into a molded product, the moisture content of the woody biomass torrefaction material is preferably 8 to 50%, and more preferably 10 to 30%. If the moisture content is less than 8%, clogging occurs inside the briquette or pelletizer, making it impossible to produce a stable molded product. If the moisture content exceeds 50%, molding becomes difficult and the product is discharged in a powder or paste form.

[0052] In this embodiment, a binder may be added to the woody biomass roasted material. The binder is not particularly limited, but suitable binders include organic polymers such as starch and lignin, inorganic polymers such as acrylic acid amide, and agricultural residues such as bran (residue generated during wheat flour production). From the perspective of efficient and effective utilization of woody biomass, it is desirable to add as few binders as possible, preferably 50 parts by mass or less, and more preferably 20 parts by mass or less, per 100 parts by mass of woody biomass roasted material. However, adding more than 50 parts by mass does not necessarily mean that high density is impossible.

[0053] The raw materials may also contain organic and / or inorganic components other than the thermoplastic resin and woody biomass roasted product. Examples of such components include alkalis such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide; inorganic fillers such as clay, talc, calcium carbonate, mycelium, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide; organic fillers such as carbon black, graphite, and glass flakes; dyes or pigments such as red iron oxide, azo pigments, and phthalocyanines; and modifying additives such as dispersants, lubricants, plasticizers, release agents, flame retardants, antioxidants (phenolic antioxidants, phosphorus antioxidants, and sulfur antioxidants), antistatic agents, light stabilizers, UV absorbers, metal deactivators, crystallization accelerators (nucleating agents), foaming agents, crosslinking agents, and antibacterial agents.

[0054] In this embodiment, it is preferable to pulverize the woody biomass roasted material before kneading it with the thermoplastic resin. The average particle size of the pulverized material is preferably 500 μm or less, more preferably 300 μm or less, and particularly preferably 200 μm or less. If the average particle size of the pulverized woody biomass roasted material is greater than 500 μm, it becomes difficult to uniformly mix it with the resin, and the resin body of the kneaded material may be broken into small pieces at the outlet of the device that extrudes the kneaded material of the pulverized woody biomass roasted material and the resin. In such cases, problems such as difficulty in transporting the molded product obtained by extrusion to a cooling treatment device may arise. Note that, in this specification, the "average particle size" refers to the volume 50% average particle size (D50) measured by laser light scattering (laser diffraction) and can be measured using a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution analyzer (Malvern, device name: Mastersizer 2000) or the like.

[0055] The pulverizer used to pulverize the woody biomass torrefaction product may be any device capable of pulverizing organic matter, including, but not limited to, a ball mill, rod mill, bead mill, conical mill, disk mill, edge mill, hammer mill, mortar, pellet mill, VSI mill, Willy mill, roller mill, jet mill, mass colloider, etc. Alternatively, a twin-screw kneading extruder (TEX series such as TEX30, manufactured by Japan Steel Works) may be used as the pulverizer.

[0056] The resin composite material of this embodiment is obtained by heat-kneading the above-mentioned woody biomass roasted material with a thermoplastic resin and extrusion-molding the mixture, as follows: The blending ratio of woody biomass roasted material in the resin composite material is preferably high in order to achieve a high level of carbon neutrality, but considering the manufacturing and strength of the resulting resin composite material and molded product, the blending ratio is preferably 10% by mass or more and 90% by mass or less, and more preferably 30% by mass or more and 80% by mass or less.

[0057] <Method of manufacturing resin composite material> Next, each step of the method for producing a resin composite material according to this embodiment will be described using the above-described resin composite material production apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 as an example.

[0058] First, the raw materials for the resin composite material prepared as described above are supplied from the raw material supply unit 11 to the cylinder 12 [(1a) raw material supply step]. The raw materials, that is, the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass torrefaction product, are separately fed from above into the chute of the raw material supply unit 11 by, for example, a feeder, and the fed raw materials are mixed and supplied to the cylinder 12.

[0059] The raw material supplied to the cylinder 12 is heated by a heater provided outside the cylinder 12 or by heat generated when the raw material is sheared, and the thermoplastic resin is melted and plasticized [(1b) kneading step]. The melted and plasticized thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass torrefaction product are kneaded by a screw provided inside the cylinder 12, and a kneaded product of the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass torrefaction product is obtained.

[0060] In this embodiment, the temperature during kneading (treatments such as heating, melting, and kneading) is usually about 100 to 300°C, preferably about 100 to 250°C, and particularly preferably about 100 to 200°C.

[0061] In the method for producing a resin composite material according to the present embodiment, a general extruder is used to heat and knead the woody biomass roasted material and the thermoplastic resin. A twin-screw kneading extruder is preferred as the extruder, and the twin-screw kneading extruder can be used in both the process of pulverizing the woody biomass roasted material and the process of heat and kneading the pulverized woody biomass roasted material and the thermoplastic resin. Therefore, it is possible to continuously produce a resin composite material by connecting twin-screw kneading extruders or by continuously performing these two processes in a single device.

[0062] Next, the obtained kneaded material is conveyed by the screw through the cylinder 12 to the downstream side (toward the die 14) [(1c) conveying step]. During this conveying, the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material are sufficiently mixed to form a uniform kneaded material. If the mixture is not sufficiently mixed here, it may not be possible to form the kneaded material into the desired shape in the subsequent extrusion step, or the desired properties may not be obtained.

[0063] In this (1c) conveying step, the temperature inside the cylinder 12 is maintained so that the kneaded material flows smoothly. That is, the temperature heated in the above (1b) kneading step or a temperature at which the kneaded material can flow may be maintained. The kneaded material that has moved to the downstream side of the cylinder 12 in the conveying step is finally extruded from the die 14 into a desired shape [(1d) extrusion step], and is further solidified by cooling to become a resin composite material.

[0064] The shape of the resin composite material obtained here is not particularly limited, but examples include a strand shape, a sheet shape, etc. The resin composite material formed into a strand shape or a sheet shape is cut to a desired size and used as a material for molding a product.

[0065] (Volatile gas degassing) In the above-mentioned (1b) kneading step, volatile gases generated from the kneaded product obtained by kneading the thermoplastic resin and the roasted woody biomass material are degassed to the outside through the degassing section 13 provided upstream of the cylinder 12. Here, the degassing section 13 is provided upstream of the cylinder 12, as explained above. That is, the position where the volatile gas degassing section 13 is provided is between the connection with the raw material supply section 11 and the position where the thermoplastic resin is melted and plasticized, preferably within 70% of the total length of the screw from the raw material supply section 11, more preferably within 40% of the total length of the screw from the raw material supply section 11, and more preferably the connection section of the cylinder 12 with the raw material supply section 11 (immediately after the raw material supply section 11).

[0066] Furthermore, it is preferable that the degassing section 13 is configured with a degassing cylinder capable of suction degassing, since this allows for efficient removal of volatile gases.

[0067] In this way, by providing the degassing section 13, volatile gases generated from the kneaded material can be efficiently degassed. This degassing can prevent the kneaded material from being transported or extrusion-molded with volatile gases mixed in. Furthermore, even if a large amount of raw material is added, the raw material can be supplied stably.

[0068] (Background of the review) The present inventors have been studying the production of resin composite materials by extrusion molding using thermoplastic resins and woody biomass, and have found that using woody biomass torrefied material as a raw material makes mixing and kneading easier as a technique for more uniformly mixing and kneading these raw materials.

[0069] However, when attempting to produce a resin composite material using an extruder with this woody biomass roasted material as a raw material, the woody biomass roasted material sometimes adheres to the chute of the raw material supply section or forms lumps at the inlet of the raw material supply section, resulting in an unstable raw material supply rate. When the raw material supply rate becomes unstable, the production amount (extrusion rate) of the resin composite material per unit time decreases, making efficient production impossible.

[0070] To determine the cause of this unstable raw material supply, the inventors used thermogravimetric analysis to examine how the amount of gas generated from woody biomass torrefaction changes with heating temperature. Specifically, the mass change (mass loss rate) of woody biomass torrefaction product (TRF; lumps with a diameter of 8 mm) used as the raw material and a finely ground product of the woody biomass torrefaction product (TRF ground product; granules with an average particle size of 36 mm) was measured using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TG-DTA) when heated at a heating rate of 20°C / min. The "TRF" used here was woody biomass torrefaction product (manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.) roasted at 280°C for 12 minutes.

[0071] As a result, it was found that as the woody biomass torrefaction product was heated, it lost approximately 5–7% of its mass at around 100°C, then stagnated, and then began to lose mass again at temperatures above 230°C. This initial mass loss is thought to be primarily due to the evaporation of moisture contained in the woody biomass torrefaction product into water vapor, which is then released. In step (1b) above, the torrefaction product is heated to a temperature at which the thermoplastic resin melts and plasticizes, and the woody biomass torrefaction product mixed with the thermoplastic resin is also heated, generating volatile gas (water vapor). This generated water vapor flows into the raw material supply unit 11, causing the woody biomass to adhere to the chute or form clumps at the inlet of the raw material supply unit 11. It is thought that this phenomenon is responsible for the instability of the raw material supply rate.

[0072] Therefore, the present inventors have found that the above-mentioned problem can be solved and the supply amount of raw materials can be stabilized by releasing such water vapor to the outside immediately after it is generated from the cylinder 12. It has also been found that this stabilization of the supply amount of raw materials can increase the extrusion amount of the kneaded product and improve the production efficiency of the resin composite material.

[0073] The mass loss above 230°C is thought to be due to gases (gas components derived from the kneaded material) generated by the decomposition of woody biomass roasted material, and it was found that a large mass loss occurred. Measures to address this issue will be discussed again below.

[0074] (Embodiment 2) <Resin composite material manufacturing equipment> In this second embodiment, the thermoplastic resin and the roasted woody biomass material, which are raw materials, are supplied at different positions, but the other configurations can be the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0075] 3A and 3B, a resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment includes a resin supply unit 21, a cylinder 12, a woody biomass supply unit 22, a volatile gas degassing unit 23, a die 14, and a rotation drive mechanism 15. The following description will focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0076] This resin composite material manufacturing device 20 has a resin supply unit 21 and a woody biomass supply unit 22, each located in a different position. First, thermoplastic resin is supplied from the resin supply unit 21, which is heated to melt and plasticize the thermoplastic resin, and then the woody biomass roasted material is supplied to the melted and plasticized thermoplastic resin.

[0077] Here, the resin supply unit 21 is provided at the same position as the raw material supply unit 11 of the first embodiment, and has the same configuration as the raw material supply unit 11. This resin supply unit 21 differs from the raw material supply unit 11 in that a thermoplastic resin is supplied as a raw material, but roasted woody biomass material is not supplied.

[0078] The woody biomass supply section 22 is located downstream of the resin supply section 21 in the cylinder 12, and heats and melts the thermoplastic resin that has been supplied earlier, so that woody biomass can be supplied and mixed into the melted and plasticized thermoplastic resin.

[0079] This woody biomass supply unit 22 may be any unit as long as it can supply roasted woody biomass material into the cylinder 12, and for example, a screw-type supply device (side feeder) connected to an opening provided on the side of the cylinder 12 can be used.

[0080] As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the woody biomass supply unit 22 is connected midway through the cylinder 12 (in Figure 3A, it is located at the back of the cylinder 12 (in the same horizontal plane as the cylinder 12, in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylinder 12)).The cylinder 12 is basically the same as in embodiment 1, but differs in that it does not have a degassing unit 13.

[0081] The woody biomass supply unit 22 can be a screw-type feeder (e.g., a side feeder). In this case, the woody biomass supply unit 22 has a cylinder 22a with a screw connected to the side of the cylinder 12 so that the woody biomass roasted material can be added midway to the molten plasticized resin being transported inside the cylinder 12. The cylinder 22a has a chute 22b that feeds the woody biomass roasted material, and the woody biomass roasted material fed from the chute 22b is transported inside the cylinder 22a by a screw connected to a rotation drive mechanism 22c. The woody biomass roasted material is transported toward the cylinder 12 and is added to and mixed with the molten plasticized thermoplastic resin inside the cylinder 12 at the connection between the cylinder 12 and the cylinder 22a.

[0082] In this embodiment, a volatile gas degassing section 23 is provided between the cylinder 12 and the woody biomass supply section 22, and volatile gases that are mainly generated when woody biomass roasted material is added to the melt-plasticized thermoplastic resin can be removed from the cylinder 12 to the outside.

[0083] Furthermore, in order to efficiently remove volatile gases, a degassing device capable of vacuum suction may be used as this degassing section 23. By providing such a degassing device, it is possible to more efficiently remove volatile gases generated in the cylinder 12. This degassing device capable of vacuum suction can be the same as the degassing device described in the first embodiment. <Method of manufacturing resin composite material> Next, each step of the method for producing a resin composite material according to this embodiment will be described using the above-described resin composite material production apparatus 20 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B as an example.

[0084] First, the raw material of the resin composite material prepared as described above is supplied from the resin supply unit 21 to the cylinder 12 [(2a) resin supply step]. The thermoplastic resin raw material is fed from above into the chute 21a of the resin supply unit 21 by, for example, a feeder, and the fed raw material is supplied to the cylinder 12.

[0085] The thermoplastic resin supplied to the cylinder 12 is heated by a heater provided outside the cylinder 12 or by heat generated when the raw material is sheared, and is melted and plasticized [(2b) Melt-plasticization step].

[0086] Next, the woody biomass roasted material is supplied from the woody biomass supply unit 22 into the cylinder 12, and the woody biomass roasted material is added to the melt-plasticized resin and kneaded with a screw provided in the cylinder 12 to obtain a mixture of the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material [(2c) Kneading step].

[0087] The obtained kneaded material is conveyed by the screw through the cylinder 12 to the downstream side (toward the die 14) [(2d) conveying step]. During this conveying step, the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material are sufficiently mixed and uniformly mixed. If they are not sufficiently mixed here, a molded product with the desired properties cannot be obtained in the subsequent extrusion step.

[0088] In the conveying process, the kneaded material that has moved downstream of the cylinder 12 is finally extruded from the die 14 into the desired shape [(2e) extrusion process], and is further cooled and solidified to become a resin composite material.

[0089] This embodiment 2 has the same configuration as embodiment 1, except for the supply positions of the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material. That is, in this embodiment 2, the thermoplastic resin is first supplied to the cylinder 12, heated to melt and plasticize it, and then the woody biomass roasted material is added and kneaded with the thermoplastic resin.

[0090] By dividing the raw material supply position in this way, the position where the degassing unit 23 is provided in the second embodiment is changed to the connection part between the woody biomass supply unit 22 and the cylinder 12.

[0091] In this second embodiment, when woody biomass roasted material is mixed with the melt-plasticized thermoplastic resin, volatile gases are generated from the woody biomass roasted material immediately after mixing. Since the degassing unit 23 is provided upstream of the mixing position, the generated volatile gases can be immediately removed to the outside from the cylinder 12. This eliminates problems caused by the generation of water vapor.

[0092] That is, the supply amount of raw materials can be stabilized as in the first embodiment, and this increases the extrusion amount of the kneaded material, improving the production efficiency of the resin composite material.

[0093] (Embodiment 3) <Resin composite material manufacturing equipment> This embodiment 3 is an embodiment having a degassing section different from degassing section 13 that can release gas components derived from the kneaded material that are generated when the kneaded material is transported in cylinder 12 to the outside from cylinder 12, and the other configurations can be the same as embodiment 1.

[0094] 4, a resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 30 according to the third embodiment includes a raw material supply section 11, a cylinder 12, a degassing section 13, a die 14, a rotation drive mechanism 15, and a degassing section 31. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0095] The resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 30 of this embodiment 3 has all the components of the resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 10 of embodiment 1, and in addition has a degassing section 31 connected to the cylinder 12.

[0096] This degassing section 31 only needs to have an opening that can remove gas components derived from the kneaded material from the cylinder 12 to the outside, and Fig. 4 shows an example of a configuration in which the degassing section 31 is equipped with a device for forced suction degassing. Similar to the woody biomass supply section 22 of the second embodiment, this suction degassing device is connected midway through the cylinder 12 (in Fig. 4, it is provided at the back of the cylinder 12 (in the same horizontal plane as the cylinder 12, in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the cylinder 12)).

[0097] FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a suction degassing device. This FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the cylinder 12 and the suction degassing device, viewed from the die 14 side. This suction degassing device includes a cylinder 310, two screws S2a and S2b provided therein, a vent 320 that communicates with the space within the cylinder 310 and can create a reduced pressure, and a rotation drive mechanism 330 connected to the screws S2a and S2b. The vent 320 can be created in a reduced pressure state by connecting it to a vacuum pump, for example, and a shaft seal 340 is provided between the screws S2a and S2b and the rotation drive mechanism 330. The configuration of the suction degassing device near the cylinder 310 is similar to that of the cylinder 12, but the screw diameter and cylinder diameter can be designed to be much larger than those of the cylinder 12. The number of screws in the suction degassing device is not limited to two.

[0098] When such a suction degassing device is provided as the degassing section 31, the rotation of the screws S2a and S2b by the rotation drive mechanism 330 prevents the kneaded material being conveyed inside the cylinder 12 from flowing back into the suction degassing device (pushing the kneaded material toward the cylinder 12), and also makes it possible to discharge gas components derived from the kneaded material to the outside of the cylinder 12. The discharged gas components derived from the kneaded material are removed to the outside from the cylinder 310 via the vent section 320 (broken arrow in FIG. 5).

[0099] Here, a vent device can be provided instead of the suction degassing device as the degassing section 31. A vacuum vent device is preferable as the vent device, and the vacuum vent device is configured to remove gas components derived from the kneaded material directly by a vacuum pump through a vent hole provided in the cylinder 12.

[0100] 4 illustrates an example in which degassing sections 31 are provided at two locations, one in the midstream section and one in the downstream section of the cylinder 12, but the number of degassing sections provided may be one, three or more, as long as gas components derived from the kneaded material being conveyed inside the cylinder 12 can be effectively removed. In addition, the locations of the sections can be changed as appropriate depending on the manufacturing apparatus used, manufacturing conditions, etc.

[0101] The "gas component derived from the kneaded material" assumed in this embodiment is mainly a gas generated when the kneaded material is heated for a relatively long time or when the heating temperature becomes high. For example, in this embodiment in which woody biomass roasted material is used as a raw material, the gas component includes a gas generated by decomposition of the woody biomass roasted material when heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the roasting temperature, but does not include a volatile gas that is originally contained in the woody biomass roasted material and is vaporized by heating. <Method of manufacturing resin composite material> Next, each step of the method for producing a resin composite material according to this embodiment will be described using the above-described resin composite material production apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 4 as an example.

[0102] The method for producing a resin composite material using this resin composite material production apparatus 30 is carried out through the same steps (steps (1a) to (1d)) as those described in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, in step (1c) (transport step), gas derived from the kneaded material can be removed from the cylinder 12 to the outside through the degassing section 31. This prevents the gas from being mixed into the kneaded material even if gas derived from the kneaded material is generated in the cylinder 12, and allows the kneaded material to be stably transported. Therefore, the resin composite material obtained by extrusion through the die 14 can maintain its required quality, and production efficiency can be improved.

[0103] In the above description of the third embodiment, the degassing section 31 is added to the first embodiment, but the same can be applied to the second embodiment.

[0104] (Variation) As already explained, the die 14 explained in the above embodiment can be any known die used in an extruder without any particular limitations.

[0105] As described above, the resin composite material described in this specification is extruded by conveying and extruding a kneaded material containing woody biomass roasted material so that the temperature does not rise to the point where the woody biomass roasted material decomposes. Because the temperature of the kneaded material may also rise inside the die (retention area) due to the shear force applied thereto, it is preferable to facilitate extrusion of the kneaded material from the die hole as much as possible. It is also preferable to make the retention area as small as possible.

[0106] For example, Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a die hole 14a (extrusion hole) and a connected retention portion 14b as an example of a die 14. In this case, assuming that the length of the die hole 14a is L and the diameter is D, in order to facilitate extrusion of the kneaded material and suppress a rise in temperature of the kneaded material, the ratio of the length L to the diameter D (L / D), which is one of the parameters of the die hole 14a, is preferably 5 or less, more preferably 4 or less, and even more preferably 3 or less. In this relationship, a smaller value is preferable because it reduces the possibility of excessive pressure increase inside the retention portion and facilitates extrusion from the retention portion.

[0107] It is also preferable to check the pressure and temperature of the kneaded material in the retention portion of the die 14 and control them so that they do not become excessively high. In this case, a pressure gauge, a thermometer, or the like is provided in the die 14 to set predetermined pressures and temperatures and monitor whether or not the set values ​​are exceeded. It is also preferable to provide a control device that controls the pressure and temperature to fall within the set values ​​when the set values ​​are exceeded. For example, when the pressure and temperature exceed predetermined values, the pressure and temperature can be adjusted by feedback control, such as lowering the heating temperature of the cylinder 12, slowing the rotation speed of the screw of the cylinder 12, or releasing gas from the retention portion to the outside.

[0108] If decomposition of the woody biomass roasted material described in the first embodiment occurs, it may cause an increase in pressure in the retention portion of the die 14, and may result in a decrease in the production efficiency and quality of the resin composite material. Therefore, it is preferable to suppress such decomposition, and it is preferable to produce the resin composite material by maintaining the temperature of the kneaded material (woody biomass roasted material) so that it does not exceed its roasting temperature. In this case, the temperature of the kneaded material is likely to rise in the portion of the die 14 where extrusion molding is performed, and a thermometer may be attached to the die 14 to control the temperature of the kneaded material so that it does not exceed the roasting temperature.

[0109] As described above, several embodiments have been described, but the resin composite material obtained in this embodiment can be molded to suit a variety of purposes and can be widely used to manufacture, for example, substitutes for plastic products, i.e., trays, automobile parts, automobile interiors such as dashboards, airplane luggage compartments, structural components for transportation equipment, housings for home appliances, various containers such as cards and toner containers, building materials, seedling pots, agricultural sheets, writing implements, substitutes for wooden products, household appliances, straws, cups, toys, sporting goods, port components, building components, generator components, tools, fishing gear, packaging materials, 3D printer models, pallets, etc. When these products are no longer needed, they are disposed of. However, even if they are incinerated and carbon dioxide is emitted, the discarded torrefied woody biomass can be treated as not increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

[0110] (Example) The apparatus and method for producing a resin composite material according to the present embodiment will be described in detail below using examples and comparative examples.

[0111] <Preparation of woody biomass roasted material> First, the raw material, woody biomass torrefaction fraction (TRF), was obtained as follows.

[0112] Eucalyptus eurograndis wood chips were crushed using a disc chipper, and after crushing, the crushed chips, sized 1 to 50 mm, were dried using a conveyor dryer (manufactured by Alvan Blanch) at a hot air temperature of 70°C for 3 hours, and the moisture content was adjusted to 10%.

[0113] Next, roasting was carried out in a large rotary kiln-type carbonization furnace, with an oxygen concentration of 1% or less and a material temperature of the crushed chips in the carbonization furnace at 280°C, for a residence time of 12 minutes, to obtain a torrefied woody biomass product. The resulting torrefied product was of varying sizes, containing particles ranging from 1 to 50 mm. After cooling, the torrefied product was pulverized to 5 mm or less using a hammer mill. The moisture content of the pulverized roasted product was adjusted to 12%, and a ring die pelletizer (manufactured by Triumph) was used to densify the product using a ring die with a die hole diameter of 8 mm and a die thickness of 26 mm, producing pellets (diameter: approximately 8 mm, length: approximately 26 mm).

[0114] The pellets were then fed into a twin-screw kneading extruder (manufactured by The Japan Steel Works, Ltd., product name: TEX30) and pulverized to an average particle size of approximately 150 μm. The average particle size of the pulverized roasted material was measured using an automatic ultrasonic vibration sieving measuring device (manufactured by Seishin Co., Ltd., product name: Robot Sifter RPS-105).

[0115] Example 1 Using the resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 4, the pulverized torrefied wood biomass torrefied material obtained above and polypropylene (manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd., product name: J106G, melt flow rate (MFR): 15 g / 10 min) as the resin were mixed and continuously heated and kneaded to produce a resin composite material.

[0116] At this time, the resin composite material was extruded under multiple conditions as shown in Table 1, and the production status (strand status) of the resin composite material extruded into strands was evaluated according to the following criteria, and the results are also shown in Table 1 (Examples 1-1 to 1-6). [Evaluation criteria] 〇: The resin composite material could be produced in strand form and pellets could be made using a strand cutter. △: The resin composite material was produced in a strand shape, but pellets could not be produced using the strand cutter. ×: Resin composite material could not be produced in the form of a strand.

[0117] [Table 1]

[0118] The "kneaded material temperature" in the table is the value measured by a thermometer attached to the die 14 at the temperature of the kneaded material immediately before extrusion. The resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 30 used was a twin-screw kneading extruder (manufactured by The Japan Steel Works, Ltd., product name: TEX30) equipped with the degassing cylinder 130 shown in FIG. 2 as the degassing section 13, a die with an L / D ratio of 2.0 for the die hole 14a as the die 14, and the suction degassing device shown in FIG. 5 as the degassing section 31.

[0119] Example 2 Resin composite materials were produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that polypropylene (manufactured by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, trade name: BC10HRF, melt flow rate (MFR): 100 g / 10 min) was used instead of polypropylene (manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd., trade name: J106G, melt flow rate (MFR): 15 g / 10 min) as the resin raw material. The production conditions and results of the production status are shown in Table 2 (Examples 2-1 to 2-4).

[0120] [Table 2]

[0121] The evaluation criteria for the manufacturing state (strand state) of the resin composite material are the same as those described above.

[0122] (Comparative Example 1) Using the resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 7, the pulverized torrefied wood biomass material obtained above was used as the torrefied wood biomass material, and polypropylene (manufactured by Prime Polymer Co., Ltd., product name: J106G, melt flow rate (MFR): 15 g / 10 min) was used as the resin raw material, and these raw materials were continuously heated and kneaded while being mixed to produce a resin composite material.

[0123] At this time, the resin composite material was extruded under multiple conditions as shown in Table 3, and the production status (strand status) of the resin composite material extruded into strands was evaluated, and the results are also shown in Table 3 (Comparative Examples 1-1 to 1-5).

[0124] The resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 50 used here includes a raw material supply section 11, a cylinder 12, a die 14, a rotation drive mechanism 15, and degassing ports 51 and 52. It differs from the resin composite material manufacturing apparatus 30 used in the examples in that it does not include a degassing section 31, uses a die 14 with an L / D ratio of 4.5 for the die hole 14a, and has degassing ports 51 and 52 in the midstream and downstream sections of the cylinder 12, but otherwise has the same configuration as the manufacturing apparatus. The degassing ports 51 and 52 are simply openings.

[0125] [Table 3]

[0126] The evaluation criteria for the manufacturing state (strand state) of the resin composite material are the same as those described above.

[0127] From the above results, in Examples 1 and 2, the woody biomass roasted material did not adhere to the chute of the raw material supply section or form plugs at the inlet of the extrusion device, and the raw material supply rate was stable. Furthermore, because the above-mentioned problems were eliminated, stable extrusion molding was possible even when the raw material supply rate was increased, and efficient production of resin composite materials was also possible. Furthermore, the increase in the temperature of the kneaded material could be suppressed, and from this perspective, stable extrusion molding was also possible.

[0128] On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, the woody biomass roasted material adhered to the chute of the raw material supply unit and formed lumps at the inlet of the raw material supply unit, making the raw material supply rate unstable and preventing stable extrusion molding. Therefore, increasing the raw material supply rate was not even considered. Furthermore, due to this instability in the raw material supply rate, the temperature of the kneaded material tended to increase, which is also thought to be one of the reasons for the poor strand condition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 10, 20, 30 Resin composite material manufacturing equipment 11 Raw material supply department 11a, 21a, 22b Shooter 12 cylinders 13, 23, 31 Degassing section 14 dice 15 Rotation drive mechanism 21 Resin supply section 22 Woody Biomass Supply Department

Claims

1. A method for producing a resin composite material, comprising the steps of: (1a) supplying a thermoplastic resin and a woody biomass torrefaction product from a raw material supply unit to a first cylinder; (1b) melting and plasticizing the thermoplastic resin in the first cylinder, and kneading the melted and plasticized thermoplastic resin with the woody biomass roasted material; (1c) conveying the kneaded product obtained by the kneading through the first cylinder; and (1d) a step of extruding the conveyed kneaded material through a die provided on the first cylinder to produce a woody biomass / thermoplastic resin composite material; In the step (1b), volatile gases generated from the kneaded material are degassed to the outside through a first degassing section, the first degassing unit is provided at a connection portion of the first cylinder with the raw material supply unit, The woody biomass torrefaction product is torrefied under conditions in which the oxygen concentration is 10% or less, The roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material is 240°C to 350°C, The temperature of the kneaded material is controlled so as not to exceed the roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material.

2. A method for producing a resin composite material, comprising the steps of: (2a) supplying a thermoplastic resin from a resin supply section to a first cylinder; (2b) melt-plasticizing the thermoplastic resin; (2c) supplying woody biomass torrefaction material from a woody biomass supply unit into the first cylinder and kneading it with the melt-plasticized thermoplastic resin; (2d) conveying the kneaded product obtained by the kneading through the first cylinder; and (2e) a step of extruding the conveyed kneaded material through a die provided on the first cylinder to produce a woody biomass / thermoplastic resin composite material; In the step (2c), volatile gases generated from the kneaded mixture are degassed to the outside through a first degassing unit provided at a connection between the woody biomass supply unit and the first cylinder, The woody biomass torrefaction product is torrefied under conditions in which the oxygen concentration is 10% or less, The roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material is 240°C to 350°C, The temperature of the kneaded material is controlled so as not to exceed the roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material.

3. 3. The method for producing a resin composite material according to claim 1 or 2, The method for producing a resin composite material, wherein the degassing of the volatile gas in the step (1b) or the step (2c) is carried out by suction.

4. 3. The method for producing a resin composite material according to claim 1 or 2, A method for producing a resin composite material, wherein in the step (1c) or the step (2d), gas components derived from the kneaded material are degassed to the outside separately from the degassing of the volatile gas.

5. The method for producing a resin composite material according to claim 4, A method for producing a resin composite material, comprising: degassing the gas components derived from the kneaded material by using a vent device having a second cylinder connected to the side of the first cylinder while pushing the kneaded material toward the first cylinder.

6. The method for producing a resin composite material according to claim 5, the gas component derived from the kneaded material is degassed while being sucked by the vent device.

7. 3. The method for producing a resin composite material according to claim 1 or 2, A method for producing a resin composite material, wherein the die has a die hole for extruding the kneaded material with a ratio (L / D) of length L to diameter D of the die hole being 5 or less.

8. Resin composite manufacturing equipment, including: First cylinder; a raw material supply unit that supplies a thermoplastic resin and a woody biomass torrefaction product to the first cylinder; and a die for extrusion molding a kneaded mixture of the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material; wherein the first cylinder has a first degassing section that degasses volatile gases generated from the kneaded material to the outside, the first degassing unit is provided at a connection portion of the first cylinder with the raw material supply unit, The woody biomass torrefaction product is torrefied under conditions in which the oxygen concentration is 10% or less, The roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material is 240°C to 350°C, The apparatus has a control device that controls the temperature of the kneaded material so that it does not exceed the roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material.

9. Resin composite manufacturing equipment, including: First cylinder; a resin supply section that supplies a thermoplastic resin to the first cylinder; a woody biomass supply unit that supplies torrefied woody biomass to the first cylinder; and a die for extrusion molding a kneaded mixture of the thermoplastic resin and the woody biomass roasted material; Here, the woody biomass supply unit has a first degassing unit at a connection portion with the first cylinder, which degasses volatile gases generated from the kneaded material to the outside, The woody biomass torrefaction product is torrefied under conditions in which the oxygen concentration is 10% or less, The roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material is 240°C to 350°C, The apparatus has a control device that controls the temperature of the kneaded material so that it does not exceed the roasting temperature of the woody biomass roasted material.

10. 10. The apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to claim 8 or 9, The apparatus for manufacturing a resin composite material, wherein the first degassing unit is capable of degassing by sucking the volatile gas.

11. 10. The apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to claim 8 or 9, The apparatus for producing a resin composite material has a second degassing section that degasses gas components derived from the kneaded material to the outside of the first cylinder, separately from the degassing of the volatile gas.

12. The apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to claim 11, The apparatus for producing a resin composite material, wherein the second degassing section is connected to a vent device having a second cylinder that can degas the kneaded material while pushing it toward the first cylinder.

13. The apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to claim 12, The vent device is capable of sucking and degassing gas components derived from the kneaded material.

14. 10. The apparatus for producing a resin composite material according to claim 8 or 9, The die has a die hole for extruding the kneaded material, and the ratio (L / D) of the length L to the diameter D of the die hole is 5 or less.

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