Biomass Fuel Pellet Production via Fine Comminution and Mechanical Dehydration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing press-molded fuel from moist biomass are energy-intensive and inefficient, leading to high energy expenditure and equipment wear, with limited removal of combustion-related harmful substances and residual moisture.
Innovation Solution
A method involving fine comminution of biomass before mechanical dehydration, which disrupts cell structures, facilitates mechanical moisture reduction, and includes a washing process to separate impurities and enhance combustion properties, along with pre-dehydration and heating to optimize energy and cost balances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional compression methods are used on fresh biomass, then some moisture removal is achieved, but the energy consumption is high and moisture removal is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing fine comminution before compression to disrupt cell structures and release cell fluids. This preparatory step makes subsequent mechanical dehydration much more effective, allowing moisture removal with significantly lower energy input than conventional direct compression methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of biomass by transforming it from a coarse, structured material into a fine mash or puree through intensive comminution. This parameter change in consistency and structure enables much more efficient moisture removal in subsequent mechanical dehydration steps.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional compression is applied to hard fresh biomass, then some water is removed, but considerable forces are required causing major equipment wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing fine comminution before compression to disrupt cell structures and release cell fluids. This preparatory step makes subsequent mechanical dehydration much more effective, allowing moisture removal with significantly lower energy input than conventional direct compression methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of biomass by transforming it from a coarse, structured material into a fine mash or puree through intensive comminution. This parameter change in consistency and structure enables much more efficient moisture removal in subsequent mechanical dehydration steps.
3Quantity of substance
If thermal drying is used to remove moisture from compressed biomass, then moisture content is reduced, but energy consumption increases and harmful substances remain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing fine comminution before compression to disrupt cell structures and release cell fluids. This preparatory step makes subsequent mechanical dehydration much more effective, allowing moisture removal with significantly lower energy input than conventional direct compression methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces thermal drying with mechanical dehydration methods such as filtration, centrifugation, or pressing. This substitution uses mechanical forces instead of thermal energy to remove moisture, significantly reducing energy consumption while also removing water-soluble harmful substances through the mechanical separation process.
4Quantity of substance
If natural field drying is used for biomass, then moisture is removed, but combustion-related harmful substances remain and mass losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal drying with mechanical dehydration methods such as filtration, centrifugation, or pressing. This substitution uses mechanical forces instead of thermal energy to remove moisture, significantly reducing energy consumption while also removing water-soluble harmful substances through the mechanical separation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts harmful substances from biomass through mechanical dehydration processes. By using filtration, centrifugation, or pressing, water-soluble harmful substances are separated and removed from the biomass along with the moisture, improving the quality of the resulting fuel.
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
Significantly reduces energy consumption, enhances heating values, improves ash behavior, and extends equipment lifespan by effectively removing moisture and harmful substances, resulting in improved fuel quality and reduced corrosion risks.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the biomass, prior to mechanical dehydration by means of milling, sieving, pureeing, mashing or the like, to a fine comminution process so as to produce a mash/puree/homogeneous pulp
Implementation Method 2
a washing process to separate impurities and enhance combustion properties
Implementation Method 3
pre-dehydration and heating to optimize energy and cost balances
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and to devices, and to the use of the same, for producing fuel pellets from moist biomass of all kinds, wherein the biomass is comminuted, mechanically dehydrated, dried, and then processed into pellets, wherein the comminution is a fine comminution and/or the biomass is washed before or after the comminution—optionally with the water developing during the mechanical dehydration—and is optionally pre-dehydrated and/or heated before the mechanical dehydration step, and is optionally comminuted again after the mechanical dehydration for easier drying.