Method and system for efficiently disposing of dead animal parts and for converting animal parts and biomass to fuels

Abstract

A method and system utilizes animal parts as a feedstock to produce one or more combustible fuels or chemicals. The animal parts are mixed with a chemical waste to form an animal-chemical waste product. This animal-chemical waste product is transferred to a reactor and heated under pressure to form a gaseous composition. The gaseous composition is distilled to form one or more combustible fuels.

1 . A method of forming fuel from animal parts, comprising: 
 a. utilizing animal parts as a feedstock;    b. mixing a chemical reactant with the animal parts to form an animal-chemical waste product;    c. transferring the animal-chemical waste product to a reactor;    d. heating the animal-chemical waste product in the reactor under pressure to form a gaseous composition; and    e. distilling the gaseous composition to form combustible fuel.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the feedstock comprises fowl.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the feedstock further includes plant parts.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the animal parts and plant parts that comprise the feedstock are taken from the group consisting of fowl, pigs, cows, horses, dogs, coconut shells, husks, palm fruit, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, corn oil and soybean oil extracts.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  including controlling the pH of the animal-chemical waste product.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein controlling the pH includes varying the amount of chemical reactant added to the feedstock.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5  including controlling the pH to about 8-12.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5  wherein controlling the pH of the animal-chemical waste product includes adding a base to the animal-chemical waste product.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  including pressurizing the reactor with a noble or inert gas.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the inert gas is taken from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen, and helium.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1  including pressurizing the reactor to about 40 to 80 psi with a noble or inert gas taken from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen and helium.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  including pressurizing the reactor with argon.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12  including heating the animal-chemical waste product after the reactor has been pressurized.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  including heating the animal-chemical waste product in the reactor to a temperature of approximately 200 to 290° C.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1  including heating the animal-chemical waste product to a temperature of approximately 200 to 290° C.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1  including a multistage distilling process where the gaseous composition passes into or through a series of distilling or condensing devices.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16  including at least three condensing devices arranged in series.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1  including grinding or cutting the animal parts to form a ground mixture of animal parts and combining the ground mixture of animal parts with the chemical reactant.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1  including purging the reactor by directing a gas selected from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen and helium through the reactor.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the chemical reactant includes a chemical waste.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the chemical waste is taken from the group consisting of propenoic acid, guaiccol, acetic acid, butyl ester, hexahydrobenzene, cyclopentane, methyl-formamide, N, N-dimethyl oxioane.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1  including grinding the animal parts to where the animal parts become a fluid slurry.  
   
   
       23 . A method of forming fuel from animal parts comprising: 
 a. utilizing animal parts as a feedstock;    b. transferring the animal parts to a reactor;    c. transferring a gas selected from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen and helium into the reactor;    d. heating the animal parts in the reactor under pressure to form a gaseous composition; and    e. distilling the gaseous composition produced by the animal parts to form combustible fuel.    
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the gas transferred into the reactor is argon.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23  including pressurizing the gas within the reactor.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the gas in the reactor is pressurized to about 40 to 80 psi.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the animal parts are taken from the group consisting of chicken parts, pig parts, and cow parts.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 23  further including mixing a chemical waste or reactant with the animal parts to form an animal-chemical waste product; and wherein the animal-chemical waste product is transferred into the reactor and after heating produces the gaseous composition that is distilled.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the chemical waste or reactant is taken from the group consisting of propenoic acid, guaiccol, acetic acid, butyl ester, hexahydrobenzene, cyclopentane, methyl-formamide, N, N-dimethyl oxloane.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 23  including heating the reactor to a temperature of approximately 200 to 290° C.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30  including heating the animal parts in the reactor for a time period of 1 to 5 hours.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 23  including producing a combustible fuel within the reactor, and after a selected period of heating the animal parts in the reactor, removing the combustible fuel from the reactor.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the method of forming the fuels from animal parts is carried out in a distilling system including a series of condensing units, and wherein the gaseous composition is directed from the reactor to and through one or more of the condensing units where portions of the gaseous composition condense and form one or more combustible fuels.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 23  including heating the contents of the reactor with one or more internal heating devices and one or more external heating devices.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34  including intermittently actuating the one or more internal heating elements.  
   
   
       36 . A method of forming fuel from animal or plant parts comprising: 
 a. utilizing a biofeed stock that is formed from animal or plant parts;    b. transferring the biofeed stock to a reactor;    c. pressurizing the reactor with argon;    d. heating the biofeed stock in the reactor to produce a gaseous composition; and    e. distilling the gaseous composition to form fuel compositions and chemicals.    
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36  including pressurizing the reactor with argon to a pressure of approximately 40-80 psi.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 37  including purging and cleaning the reactor by directing argon into or through the reactor and thereafter pressurizing the reactor with argon to a pressure of approximately 40-80 psi.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the method is carried out in a distilling system having a series of condensing units communicatively connected, directly or indirectly, with the reactor.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39  including purging the reactor and at least one of the condensing units with a noble or inert gas selected from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen and helium.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 40  wherein the purging gas is argon.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 36  including heating the biofeedstock in the reactor to a temperature of approximately 200 to 290° C.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 36  including mixing a chemical waste or reactant with the biofeedstock to form a biofeed-chemical waste product that is transferred to the reactor.  
   
   
       44 . A method of disposing of parts of dead animals comprising: transferring the parts of the dead animal into a reactor; pressurizing the reactor with an inert gas; and heating the parts of the dead animals and transforming at least a portion of the parts of the dead animals into a gaseous composition.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 44  including pressurizing the reactor with argon.  
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 44  wherein the inert gas is taken from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen, and helium.  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 44  including pressurizing the reactor to about 40 to 80 psi with the inert gas and wherein the inert gas is taken from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen and helium.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 44  including heating the reactor to a temperature of approximately 200° to 290° C. and controlling the pressure within the reactor such that the pressure does not exceed 350 psi.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 48  including pressurizing the reactor to about 40 to 80 psi with an inert gas taken from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen and helium, and wherein the reactor is pressurized to about 40 to 80 psi before the reactor is substantially heated.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 44  including heating the parts of the dead animal to form a gaseous composition and distilling the gaseous composition to form a fuel.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 44  wherein the parts of the dead animal include parts from dead fowl.  
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 50  including mixing a chemical reactant or a chemical waste with the dead animal parts to form an animal-chemical waste product that is heated in the reactor.  
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 52  including controlling the pH of the animal-chemical waste product to about 8-12.