Mechanical Activation of Industrial Waste for Binder Production

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Solution Overview

Problem

The construction and other industries face economic burdens due to rising prices of binders and energy costs, while industrial wastes are underutilized, posing environmental challenges. Conventional methods for producing alternative binders like geopolymeric binders are energy-intensive and complex, limiting their practical application.

Innovation Solution

A method involving physical activation of materials using mechanical, magnetic, or acoustic impulses to increase the chemical reactivity of waste materials, reducing energy consumption and expanding the raw material base for binder production, which includes treating particles from various industrial by-products to create defects and active surfaces, and optionally adding chemical additives to enhance pH and ion content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If conventional methods are used to produce alternative binders like geopolymeric binders, then binder production is achieved, but energy consumption is high and production complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidproduction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary mechanical activation to the raw materials before the main binder formation process. This pre-treatment creates defects and increases reactivity in the raw materials, which then requires less energy and simpler subsequent processing steps to produce the binder, thereby reducing both energy consumption and production complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces thermal/chemical activation methods with mechanical activation. Instead of using high temperature or complex chemical treatments to activate the raw materials, mechanical forces are applied to create defects and increase reactivity, substituting a simpler mechanical system for more complex thermal or chemical systems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If industrial wastes are underutilized as binder raw materials, then environmental burden is reduced, but binder quality and reactivity are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental burdenVSAvoidbinder quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical parameters of the waste materials through mechanical activation. By applying mechanical forces to create defects, cracks, and increase surface area, the reactivity and quality parameters of the waste materials are transformed, enabling them to serve as effective binder raw materials while reducing environmental burden

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the previously harmful waste materials into beneficial binder raw materials. Through mechanical activation, the waste materials' reactivity is enhanced, transforming them from environmental burdens into useful resources for binder production, thereby converting harm into benefit

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Adaptability or versatility

If physical activation is applied to expand raw material basis, then more waste materials can be used, but treatment process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveraw material basisVSAvoidtreatment process
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies a universal mechanical activation approach that can be used with multiple types of waste materials. The same basic mechanical activation principles and equipment can process different waste materials (fly ash, slag, natural rocks, etc.), providing a multi-functional solution that expands raw material basis without proportionally increasing treatment process complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 method enables the production of high-quality binders with reduced energy consumption, broader raw material utilization, and cost savings, allowing for the use of previously unutilized industrial wastes, thereby addressing economic and environmental issues while improving binder quality and application scope.

Implementation Method 1

physical treatment consisting in the action of at least one force impulse, preferably of more successive force impulses, for passing on of mechanical energy E tk to particles of the material treated, the result of which is formation of dislocations, disorders, changes in characteristics of the basic cells of the crystalline structures, cracks, crevices, and other defects

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical activation: Mechanical Force

Implementation Method 2

passing on of magnetic energy E tm to particles of the treated material by means of alternating and/or variable magnetic field having frequency from 150 to 15.10 6 Hz

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic activation: Magnetic Field

Implementation Method 3

physical activation, which activation is using action of a strong mechanical, magnetic, acoustic, or electrical impulse on grains of the material treated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAcoustic activation: Ultrasound

Implementation Method 4

physical activation, which activation is using action of a strong mechanical, magnetic, acoustic, or electrical impulse on grains of the material treated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical activation: Electric Field

Data Source

PatentEP2291248B1Method of producing inorganic hydraulic binders
Publication Date: 2017.05.31 DASTIT MANAGEMENT SPOL S R O

AI summary

Method of producing binders for building and building products cosisting in that a material of man-made and/or natural origin from a set comprising solid products produced by burning of solid fuels, metallurgical slag, ground fire products, products from burnt out mining deep stock piles after mining of fossil fuels, glass production waste, ceramic production waste, brick and concrete construction waste, heat-activated clays, low-crystalline pyroclastic rocks, sedimentary laterite, bauxite, opalolite, allophanolite, diatomite rocks, limestones and claystones and clays, is subjected to physical treatment consisting in action of a power pulse, during which mechanical energy Etk is passed on to the particles of the material treated by acting of a force of the size from 50 to 3.105 N, related to 1 g of the treated material, during a very short time in the range from 1.10-6 to 1.10-2 s or more subsequent pulses that cause passing on of mechanical energy Etk to grains of the material treated and/or passing on of magnetic energy Etm to its grains together with passing on of mechanical energy and/or after it by means of alternate and/or variable magnetic field having frequency from 15.101 to 15.106 Hz and intensity from 10-2 to 103 T, which acts on particles of the ferromagnetic substances if they are present in the treated material and/or on charges in defects of grains of the material, which defects were produced as a result of passing on of mechanical energy, what is having as consequence that the internal energy of the material treated is increasing, the particles of which are becoming more fine at least to 200 micrometers, and simultaneously re-aggregation of its particles is prevented, and chemical reactivity of the material treated is increased to obtain dry binder and/or dry building material and/or water is added in the quantity from 8.20 to 420% by weight, based on weight of the material treated to obtain formable wet binder and/or formable wet material, which can be formed to the desired form of products and/or hardened by autoclaving and/or dry warming up.