Continuous Biomass Extraction via Hot Gas Vaporization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for extracting oils and compounds from biomass are time-intensive, labor-intensive, resource-intensive, and require specialized equipment, often using flammable solvents and producing limited batch sizes, with additional processing needed to remove undesirable ballast and achieve continuous output.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing hot gas vaporization and electrostatic precipitation to extract and condense oils from biomass without solvents, involving a heat source to vaporize compounds, separation units to isolate enriched vapors, and an electrostatic precipitator to convert vapors into liquid oils, allowing for continuous production and efficient separation of desirable compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If solvent-based extraction processes are used to extract oils and compounds from biomass, then extraction efficiency is improved, but safety risks increase due to use of flammable solvents and facility storage limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful solvent component from the extraction process entirely, replacing it with hot gas vaporization. This eliminates the safety risks associated with flammable solvents while maintaining extraction efficiency through thermal vaporization of oil compounds from biomass material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the extraction mechanism from chemical dissolution (solvent-based) to thermal vaporization (hot gas). By changing the extraction parameter from chemical to thermal, the process eliminates flammable solvent requirements while achieving efficient oil compound recovery through temperature-controlled vaporization.
2Device complexity
If batch processing methods are used for biomass extraction, then equipment complexity is reduced, but productivity decreases due to limited batch sizes and time-intensive operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous processing where biomass material continuously moves through the extraction system via conveyor mechanisms. The hot gas vaporization and electrostatic precipitation operate continuously rather than in discrete batches, enabling sustained high-volume production without requiring complex batch-to-batch transition equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates preliminary material preparation and positioning mechanisms that prepare biomass continuously before it enters the extraction zone. This preliminary action ensures optimal extraction conditions are maintained throughout continuous operation, maximizing productivity while using relatively simple equipment configurations.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple post-extraction processing steps are used to remove ballast and refine extracts, then product purity is improved, but loss of time and resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes undesirable ballast components (fats, waxes, carbohydrates, proteins, sugars) during the primary extraction process itself through selective vaporization. This eliminates the need for multiple subsequent post-extraction processing steps to remove these contaminants, achieving high purity in a single operation and significantly reducing processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent skips traditional multi-step post-extraction refinement processes by achieving direct high-purity extraction in one step. The hot gas vaporization selectively vaporizes oil compounds while leaving ballast behind, and electrostatic precipitation directly captures pure oil vapor, rushing through what would traditionally require multiple sequential processing steps.
4Productivity
If traditional extraction equipment is used to achieve continuous output, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical separation and refinement equipment with an electrostatic precipitation system. Instead of using complex mechanical devices to separate and refine extracted oils continuously, the system uses electrostatic fields to directly precipitate oil vapor from hot gas, achieving continuous high-volume output with simpler equipment architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient, scalable extraction of high-purity oils with reduced labor and resource requirements, producing a continuous output without the need for flammable solvents, and achieves high recovery rates of valuable compounds like CBD from hemp, with potency exceeding 70% in the extracted oil.
Implementation Method 1
A gas is heated to a predetermined temperature to produce a heated gas. The heated gas is mixed with a biomass to produce an enriched organic vapor
Implementation Method 2
The enriched organic vapor is cooled to produce a liquid organic oil and the liquid organic oil is collected
Implementation Method 3
The enriched organic vapor is cooled to produce a liquid organic oil
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing valuable organic liquid from a biomass wherein a heated gas is mixed with a biomass to produce an enriched organic vapor and a biomass waste product. The biomass waste product is separated from the enriched organic vapor. The enriched organic vapor is cooled to produce a liquid organic oil and the liquid organic oil is collected. A system for producing the liquid organic oil including a first separation unit to separate an enriched organic vapor and a biomass waste product. The enriched organic vapor and the biomass waste product are generated from mixing a heated gas and a biomass. The system also includes a wet scrubber for cooling the enriched organic vapor to generate an enriched organic smoke. The organic smoke can be transformed to the liquid organic oil in an electrostatic precipitator.