Fuel pellet and method of producing fuel pellet

Abstract

An ignitable combustible fuel pellet and a method for manufacturing an ignitable combustible fuel pellet are disclosed. The ingredients of the fuel pellet are ground shelled corn, an igniting agent for facilitating continued combustion of the fuel pellet, a bonding agent for bonding the ingredients together, and an anti-caking agent for promoting flowability of the ingredients during the manufacture of the food pellet. The method of forming the food pellet comprises the steps of grinding shelled corn in a hammer mill, mixing the shelled corn with the other ingredients in a grinding mill, and pressing the combined ingredients in a pellet mill.

1 . An ignitable combustible fuel pellet for generating heat in a pellet-burning stove or the like, said fuel pellet comprising the following ingredients:
 (a) ground shelled corn having a moisture content of not more than 15 percent by weight of said ground shelled corn and comprising a range of from about 50 percent to about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet;   (b) an igniting agent for facilitating continuing combustion of said fuel pellet when said fuel pellet is combusted in a pellet stove or the like;   (c) a bonding agent for bonding said ingredients together to form said fuel pellet; and   (d) an anti-caking agent for promoting flowability of said ingredients during the making of said fuel pellet.   
     
     
         2 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent is selected from a group comprising wheat midds, barley, oats, wheat, dried distiller grain, speltz, and milo; 
 (b) said bonding agent is selected from a group comprising soy hulls, dried distiller grain, and milo; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent is selected from a group comprising pulverized limestone, dehydrated phosphorous, and crushed egg shells. 
 
     
     
         3 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises at most about 25 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises at most about 20 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises the balance of said weight of said fuel pellet and at most  5  percent by weight of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         4 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises at least about 12.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises at least about 12.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises the balance of said weight of said fuel pellet and at most about 5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         5 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 4  wherein said ground shelled corn comprises particles of size not to exceed about 3.1 mm in any dimension. 
     
     
         6 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises about 25 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises at most about 20 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises the balance of said weight of said fuel pellet and at most  5  percent by weight of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         7 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises at most about 25 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises about 20 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises the balance of said weight of said fuel pellet and at most about 5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         8 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises about 25 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and remains substantially constant as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises a range of about 20 percent to about 0 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and decreases in a substantially linear fashion from said about 20 percent to said about 0 percent over a major portion of said range of said ground shelled corn as said percent of ground shelled corn is increased substantially in a linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises a range of about 7.5 percent to about 0 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and remains substantially constant over a major portion of said range of said ground shelled corn as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet, said percent of said anti-caking agent decreasing in a substantially linear fashion to said 0 percent beyond said major portion. 
 
     
     
         9 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 8  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent is selected from a group comprising wheat midds, barley, oats, wheat, dried distiller grain, speltz, and milo; 
 (b) said bonding agent is selected from a group comprising soy hulls, dried distiller grain, and milo; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent is selected from a group comprising pulverized limestone, dehydrated phosphorous, and crushed egg shells. 
 
     
     
         10 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises a range of about 25 percent to about 0 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and decreases in a substantially linear fashion from said about 25 percent to said about 0 percent as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased substantially in a linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises about 20 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and remains substantially constant as said percent of ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises about 7.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and remains substantially constant as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         11 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 10  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent is selected from a group comprising wheat midds, barley, oats, wheat, dried distiller grain, speltz, and milo; 
 (b) said bonding agent is selected from a group comprising soy hulls, dried distiller grain, and milo; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent is selected from a group comprising pulverized limestone, dehydrated phosphorous, and crushed egg shells. 
 
     
     
         12 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises a range of about 25 percent to about 12.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and decreases in a substantially linear fashion from said about 25 percent to said about 12.5 percent as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises a range of about 25 percent to about 12.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and decreases in a substantially linear fashion from said about 25 percent to said about 12.5 percent as said percent of ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises about 0 percent by weight of said fuel pellet as said percent of ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         13 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 12  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent is selected from a group comprising wheat midds, barley, oats, wheat, dried distiller grain, speltz, and milo; 
 (b) said bonding agent is selected from a group comprising soy hulls, dried distiller grain, and milo; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent is selected from a group comprising pulverized limestone, dehydrated phosphorous, and crushed egg shells. 
 
     
     
         14 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 1  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent comprises a range of about 25 percent to about 12.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and decreases in a substantially linear fashion from said about 25 percent to said about 12.5 percent as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; 
 (b) said bonding agent comprises a range of about 20 percent to about 7.5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and decreases in a substantially linear fashion from said about 20 percent to said about 7.5 percent as said percent of ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent comprises about 5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet and remains substantially constant as said percent of said ground shelled corn is increased in a substantially linear fashion from said about 50 percent to said about 75 percent by weight Of said fuel pellet. 
 
     
     
         15 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 14  wherein:
 (a) said igniting agent is selected from a group comprising wheat midds, barley, oats, wheat, dried distiller grain, speltz, and milo; 
 (b) said bonding agent is selected from a group comprising soy hulls, dried distiller grain, and milo; and 
 (c) said anti-caking agent is selected from a group comprising pulverized limestone, dehydrated phosphorous, and crushed egg shells. 
 
     
     
         16 . An ignitable combustible fuel pellet for generating heat in a pellet-burning stove or the like, said fuel pellet comprising the following ingredients:
 (a) grade  2  fine ground shelled corn having a moisture content of not more than about 15 percent by weight and comprising about 50 percent by weight of said fuel pellet;   (b) soy hulls as an igniting agent for facilitating continuing combustion of said fuel pellet when said fuel pellet is combusted in a pellet stove or the like, said soy hulls comprising about 20 percent by weight of said fuel pellet;   (c) wheat midds as a bonding agent for bonding said ingredients together to form said fuel pellet, said wheat midds comprising about 25 percent by weight of said fuel pellet; and   (d) pulverized limestone as an anti-caking agent for promoting flowability of said ingredients during the making of said fuel pellet, said anti-caking agent comprising about 5 percent by weight of said fuel pellet.   
     
     
         17 . The ignitable combustible fuel pellet of  claim 16  wherein said ground shelled corn comprises particles of size not to exceed about 3.1 mm in any dimension. 
     
     
         18 . A method for forming ignitable combustible fuel pellets for generating heat in a pellet-burning stove or the like, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) grinding in a hammer mill shelled corn having a moisture content of not more than about 15% by weight;   (b) mixing said shelled corn ground in said grinding mill with other ingredients in a grain mixer to provide a ground shelled corn mixture wherein said shelled corn comprises a range of from about 50 percent to about 75 percent by weight of said ground shelled corn mixture; and   (c) pressing said ground shelled corn mixture in a pellet mill having a die of size in the range of about 1.5 mm to about 12.8 mm at a temperature in the range of about 125 degrees Fahrenheit to about 225 degrees Fahrenheit to form said combustible fuel pellets.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said pressing step is accomplished at a temperature of about 176 degrees Fahrenheit. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said shelled corn is ground in said hammer mill into particles of size not to exceed about 3.1 mm in any dimension.