Sunflower Husk Bioplastic Granulate Drying Process
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing bioplastic granules from sunflower seed shells/husk material result in high oxidation of processing tools and inconsistent dimensional accuracy due to high residual moisture content, which is difficult and costly to reduce using conventional drying methods.
Innovation Solution
A multi-step process involving initial drying during grinding, further drying during compounding, and final drying in a controlled atmosphere to achieve a residual moisture content below 0.1%, using thermal energy and degassing to remove moisture and volatile components, while maintaining the material above 100°C to facilitate evaporation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional drying methods are used to reduce moisture content in sunflower husk material, then residual moisture can be reduced, but energy consumption and processing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The drying process is segmented into multiple stages: initial drying during grinding, intermediate drying during compounding, and final drying in a controlled atmosphere. Each stage removes a portion of moisture, achieving the target residual moisture content below 0.1% without requiring excessive energy input from a single high-temperature drying step.
Solution Approach 2:
Drying actions are performed preliminarily at different stages before the final product is completed. The material is dried during grinding before compounding, and again during compounding before final processing, preventing moisture accumulation and reducing the energy burden on any single drying operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If high residual moisture content is present in bioplastic granules, then processing is simpler, but tool oxidation and product dimensional accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The moisture content parameter is precisely controlled through multiple drying stages, and the atmosphere parameters (oxygen content, humidity) are adjusted during final drying to prevent oxidation. This achieves both ease of manufacture and high reliability by optimizing multiple parameters simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The final drying stage utilizes an inert or low-oxygen atmosphere to prevent oxidation of processing tools and degradation of the bioplastic material. This controlled environment maintains reliability while allowing the material to be processed with high dimensional accuracy.
3Manufacturing precision
If extensive drying is applied to achieve low residual moisture, then product quality improves, but processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple drying functions are merged into existing processing operations: drying occurs during grinding, during compounding, and during final atmosphere-controlled processing. This integration achieves high manufacturing precision without adding separate complex drying equipment or significantly increasing processing time.
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
The process effectively reduces residual moisture to extremely low levels, preventing tool oxidation and ensuring uniformity and quality of the bioplastic products, while minimizing energy consumption and maintaining the material's integrity during processing.
Implementation Method 1
During the grinding process, i.e. during the comminution of the sunflower husk fibers to their desired grain size, the sunflower husk material is exposed to a great deal of friction, with the result that the husk material also heats up accordingly
Implementation Method 2
a first important drying step already takes place, especially since the air moistened by the grinding process is constantly sucked off and thus a significant proportion of the moisture in the sunflower shell material is removed
Implementation Method 3
Compounding must take place at a temperature of >100 °C
Implementation Method 4
the humidity is further reduced
Implementation Method 5
a third drying phase then occurs after compounding by exposing the still very hot sunflower husk-plastic composite for a predetermined time to a natural air atmosphere or an artificial atmosphere that favors drying down of the material
Implementation Method 6
The rotating knife is under water. The water prevents the individual granules from sticking together, i.e. the spheres, lenses, or cylinders, etc., and also cools the material down to a desired temperature
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a bioplastic granulate based on sunflower seed shells or sunflower seed hulls, having the following steps: - providing milled sunflower seed shell/sunflower seed hull material, wherein the particle size ranges 3 mm or less, preferably from 0.01 to 1 mm, preferably from 0.1 to 0.3; - providing a plastic material; and - compounding the sunflower seed shell/sunflower seed hull material with the plastic material, wherein the compounding process is preferably carried out in an extruder (3), preferably a two-screw extruder, and the compounded material is disposed with the addition of water at the end of the extruder section using a tool, said water having a temperature which is preferably higher than 50 °C, preferably ca. 80 - 90 °C, in order to cool the compound material, wherein - the compounding material undergoes an atmospheric degassing process (9) and/or a vacuum degassing process (5) during the compounding process.