Fiber pellets and processes for forming fiber pellets

Abstract

Low moisture processed cellulose fiber pellets useful in the manufacture of cellulose fiber reinforced polymer products and materials, and an extruder-less process for forming such low moisture cellulose fiber pellets from wet processed cellulose fiber-based waste source materials. The cellulose fiber pellets include processed cellulose fibers and mixed plastics and/or inorganics such as minerals, clay, and the like, and have a moisture content of about 0.1 to 14% by weight. The extruder-less process includes the steps of drying, grinding and pelletizing in a manner capable of forming low moisture cellulose fiber pellets from wet processed cellulose fiber-based waste source materials having a moisture content of about 40-80% by weight.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A method of forming a cellulose fiber pellet comprising the steps of 
 receiving raw material from waste streams of a paper mill process, the raw material comprising processed cellulose material and a binder material indigenous to the waste stream,    drying the raw material, and    extruderlessly pelletizing the raw material into pellets.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the waste streams are corrugated medium waste stream.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the binding material comprises plastic material.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the plastic material comprises polyolefin polymers.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the binding material comprises inorganic material.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the inorganic material includes clay.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the inorganic material includes ash.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the drying step includes drying the raw material from a moisture content in a range of about 40 to 80 percent by weight to a moisture content in a range of about 0.1 to 14.0 percent by weight.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the step of grinding the dried raw material to reduce size of the raw material,  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pellets have cellulose fiber content in a range of about 60% to 99% by weight.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pelletizing step includes compacting the raw material to a bulk density in a range of about 10 to 50 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pelletizing step includes compacting the raw material to a bulk density in a range of greater than 25 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the pellets have a moisture content in a range of about 1% to less than 5% by weight.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the pellets include plastics in a range of about 0 to 30% by weight and inorganics in a range of about 0 to 40% by weight, wherein the pellets include at least about 1 to 5% by weight of either plastics or inorganics and not more than about 40% by weight of combined plastics and inorganics.  
     
     
         15 . A method of forming a cellulose fiber pellet comprising the steps of 
 drying a processed cellulose-based source material having a moisture content in a range of about 40 to 80 percent by weight to a moisture content in a range of about 0.1 to 14.0 percent by weight,    grinding the dried source material to reduce size of the source material, and    extruderlessly pelletizing the source material into a plurality of pellets.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a binding material is indigenous to the source material.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the binding material comprises plastic material.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the binding material comprises inorganic material.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the inorganic material includes clay.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the inorganic material includes ash.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the plurality of pellets have cellulose fiber content in a range of about 60% to 99% by weight, plastics in a range of about 0 to 30% by weight, and inorganics in a range of about 0 to 40% by weight, wherein the pellets include at least about 1 to 5% by weight of either plastics or inorganics and not more than about 40% by weight of combined plastics and inorganics.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising the step of sourcing the source material from waste streams of a paper mill process.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the waste streams are corrugated medium waste streams.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the step of pelletizing includes compacting the source material to a bulk density in a range of about 10 to 50 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the step of pelletizing includes compacting the source material to a bulk density in a range of greater than 30 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the plurality of pellets have a moisture content in a range of about 1% to less than 5% by weight.  
     
     
         27 . A method for forming a composite structure comprising the steps of 
 forming fiber pellets from raw materials sourced from a paper mill's corrugated medium waste stream, the raw materials comprising cellulose fiber and mixed plastics that are indigenous to the waste stream, and    forming a cellulose-fiber-polymer composite structure from the fiber pellets.    
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the step of forming fiber pellets comprising the steps of 
 drying the raw material, and  
 extruderlessly pelletizing the raw material into pellets.  
 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the mixed plastics include polyolefin polymers.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the drying step includes drying the raw material from a moisture content in a range of about 40 to 80 percent by weight to a moisture content in a range of about 0.1 to 14.0 percent by weight.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28  further comprising the step of grinding the dried raw material to reduce size of the raw material.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the pellets have cellulose fiber content in a range of about 60% to 99% by weight.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the pelletizing step includes compacting the raw material to a bulk density in a range of greater than 30 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the pellets have a moisture content in a range of about 1% to less than 5% by weight.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 32  wherein the pellets include plastics in a range of about 1 to 30% by weight and inorganics in a range of about 0 to 39% by weight, wherein the pellets include at least about 1 to 5% by weight of either plastics or plastics and inorganics and not more than about 40% by weight of combined plastics and inorganics.  
     
     
         36 . A method for forming a composite structure comprising the steps of 
 sourcing raw materials from a paper mill's corrugated medium waste stream, the raw materials comprising cellulose fiber and mixed plastics that are indigenous to the waste stream, and    forming a cellulose-fiber-polymer composite structure from the raw materials.    
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  further comprising the steps of 
 drying the raw material, and  
 extruderlessly pelletizing the raw material into pellets.  
 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the mixed plastics include polyolefin polymers.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the drying step includes drying the raw material from a moisture content in a range of about 40 to 80 percent by weight to a moisture content in a range of about 0.1 to 14.0 percent by weight.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising the step of grinding the dried raw material to reduce size of the raw material.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the pellets have cellulose fiber content in a range of about 60% to 99% by weight.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the pelletizing step includes compacting the raw material to a bulk density in a range of greater than 30 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the pellets have a moisture content in a range of about 1% to less than 5% by weight.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 41  wherein the pellets include plastics in a range of about 1 to 30% by weight and inorganics in a range of about 0 to 39% by weight, wherein the pellets include at least about 1 to 5% by weight of either plastics or plastics and inorganics and not more than about 40% by weight of combined plastics and inorganics.