Pellets with infused accelerants and method of use

Abstract

A pellet manufactured from a porous combustible material which is infused with a combustible liquid accelerant. The pellet is preferably made from wood shavings, crushed cocoa shells or coffee grounds that are compressed together. The compressed materials are then soaked in a liquid accelerant, such as a petroleum product, or sprayed with a petroleum product. This results in a pellet that has only an outermost layer that includes the accelerant or the entire pellet is saturated with the accelerant. The pellets are then poured over the wood or briquettes that are to be burned and they tend to filter into the spaces between the wood logs or briquettes. The accelerant is volatile and consequently when a flame is applied to one or more pellets they ignite quickly and the flames spread rapidly from one pellet to another and thereby to the wood logs or briquettes that they surround.

1 . A combustion aid for igniting a plurality of combustible members; said combustion aid comprising:
 a plurality of pellets formed from a combustible material;   an accelerant applied to said pellets so that the accelerant is retained within at least a portion of said combustible material.   
   
   
       2 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the pellet is comprised of compacted combustible material formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. 
   
   
       3 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the pellet has a length of between ¼ inch to ¾ inch and a diameter of ⅛ inch to ½ inch. 
   
   
       4 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the pellet has a length of ⅜ inch and a diameter of ¼ inch. 
   
   
       5 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the pellet is manufactured from a porous combustible material. 
   
   
       6 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 5 , wherein the pellet is manufactured from one of wood shavings, sawdust, crushed cocoa shells, coffee grounds and combinations of the same. 
   
   
       7 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 6 , wherein coffee grounds comprise between 2% and 60% of the total amount of porous combustible material within the pellet. 
   
   
       8 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 7 , wherein coffee grounds comprise between 2% and 10% of the total amount of porous combustible material within the pellet. 
   
   
       9 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the accelerant is distributed throughout one of an outermost layer of the pellet and the entire pellet. 
   
   
       10 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the accelerant is one of a liquid petroleum-based product and kerosene and a combination of the same. 
   
   
       11 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising a layer of non-porous combustible material applied around an exterior surface of the pellet. 
   
   
       12 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the layer of non-porous combustible material is a wax layer. 
   
   
       13 . A combustion aid comprising a plurality of combustible pellets made from porous combustible materials saturated with a flammable liquid; and wherein said combustible pellets are adapted to be distributed throughout a plurality of spaced apart combustible members to be ignited. 
   
   
       14 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 13 ; wherein the pellets are formed from porous combustible materials that are compacted together with a binder. 
   
   
       15 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 14 , wherein the porous combustible materials are one of wood shavings, sawdust, crushed cocoa shells, coffee grounds and combinations of the same. 
   
   
       16 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 14 , wherein the flammable liquid is a one of an inorganic material, an organic material and a combination of inorganic and organic materials, and the pellets are soaked in or sprayed with the flammable liquid. 
   
   
       17 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 16 , wherein the flammable liquid is one of a petroleum-based product and kerosene and combinations of the same. 
   
   
       18 . The combustion aid as defined in  claim 14 , wherein the pellets each have a length of between ¼ inch and ¾ inch and a diameter of between ⅛ inch and ½ inch. 
   
   
       19 . A method of lighting a plurality of combustible members using a combustion aid; said method consisting of the steps of;
 providing a combustion aid comprising a plurality of combustible pellets saturated with a flammable liquid;   stacking the combustible members to be ignited;   pouring the pellets over the stack of combustible members; whereby the pellets drop into spaces formed between the combustible members in the stack;   igniting one or more of the pellets.   
   
   
       20 . The method defined in  claim 19 , further comprising the step of:
 pouring a layer of pellets into a container within which the combustible members are to be stacked prior to the step of stacking the combustible members.