Oxygen-Deficient Thermally Produced Processed Biochar from Beneficiated Organic-Carbon-Containing Feedstock

Abstract

A renewable processed biochar composition made with an oxygen-deficient thermal sub-system from a processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock made with a beneficiation sub-system is described. Renewable biomass feedstock passed through a beneficiation sub-system to reduce water content to below at least 20 wt % and water-soluble salt reduction of at least 60% from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock on a dry basis. The processed feedstock is introduced into an oxygen-deficient thermal sub-system to result in renewable processed biochar having an energy density of at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20 GJ/MT) a water content of less than 10 wt %, and water-soluble salt that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A composition, comprising:
 a processed biochar composition that comprises a solid renewable carbon fuel with characteristics that include an energy density of at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20 GJ/MT), a water content of less than 10 wt %, and a water-soluble salt content that is decreased more than 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock, and   the processed biochar is made from unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock that is converted into the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock with a beneficiation sub-system, and to the processed biochar with an oxygen-deficient thermal sub-system.   
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the beneficiation sub-system, comprises:
 a. a transmission device configured to convey into a reaction chamber unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprising free water, intercellular water, intracellular water, intracellular water-soluble salts, and at least some plant cells comprising cell walls that include lignin, hemicellulose, and microfibrils within fibrils; 
 b. at least one reaction chamber comprising at least one entrance passageway, at least one exit passageway for fluid, at least one exit passageway for processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock, and at least three sections, the sections comprising,
 i. a wet fibril disruption section configured to interact with at least some of the lignin and hemicellulose between the fibrils to make at least some regions of the cell wall more susceptible to penetration by water-soluble salts, 
 ii. a vapor explosion section in communication with the wet fibril disruption section and at least configured to volatilize plant fibril permeable fluid through rapid decompression to penetrate the more susceptible regions of the cell wall so as to create a porous organic-carbon-containing feedstock with plant cell wall passageways for intracellular water and intracellular water-soluble salts to pass from the plant cell, and 
 iii. a compaction section in communication with the vapor explosion section and configured to compress the porous organic-carbon-containing feedstock between pressure plates configured to minimize formation of water-impermeable felt so as to permit the escape of intracellular water and intracellular water-soluble salt from the reaction chamber fluid exit passageway and to create processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock that passes out through its reaction chamber exit passageway; and 
 
 c. a collection device in communication with the reaction chamber and configured to gather the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock having a water content of less than 20% by weight and a water-soluble salt content that is decreased by at least 60% on a dry basis from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock. 
 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system, comprises:
 a reaction chamber configured to heat processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock in an atmosphere that contains less than 4 percent oxygen to a temperature sufficient to convert at least some processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into processed biogas and processed biochar. 
 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 3  wherein the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system, comprises:
 a. a hot box configured to be able to heat from an ambient temperature to an operating sublimation temperature, maintain an initial operating sublimation temperature and a final operating sublimation temperature that are stable within less than ±10° C., and cool from operating sublimation temperatures to an ambient temperature without leaking any oxygen into the hot box and having at least one heat source in communication with the interior of the hot box to supply heat as needed; 
 b. at least one substantially horizontal reaction chamber largely located within the hot box, having a surface, configured to heat the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock without external catalyst or additional water to an operating sublimation temperature in a time frame that is short enough to sublime at least part of the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock without creating substantially any liquid, configured to heat from an ambient temperature to an operating sublimation temperature, operate at a sublimation temperature, and cool from a operating sublimation temperature to an ambient temperature without leaking any product gas fuel into the surrounding hot box, and comprising an input end outside the hot box and configured to receive compressed feedstock through an input line and an output end outside the hot box and configured to discharge product gas fuel gas through a discharge line and solid char fuel through an output line; 
 c. a first powered transport mechanism that is located within the reaction chamber and is configured to convey sublimation products of the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the reaction chamber as the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock is transformed into processed biogas and processed biochar; and 
 d. a gas-tight element on both the input line and output line and configured to prevent hot biogas from adversely escaping from the reaction chamber. 
 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 3  wherein the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system, comprises:
 a. at least one substantially vertical reaction chamber configured to heat the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock without external catalyst or additional water, carbon dioxide, or carbon monoxide, to an operating sublimation temperature in a time frame that is short enough to sublime at least part of the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock without creating substantially any liquid; 
 b. a first powered transport mechanism that is located partly within the reaction chamber, has an extended part that extends outside the reaction chamber, and is configured to convey sublimation products of the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the reaction chamber as the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock is transformed into biogas and processed biochar; and 
 c. a self-adjusting seal that is configured to continuously contain the processed biogas within the reaction chamber at the region surrounding the extended part of the powered transport mechanism during changing temperatures of startup and shutdown operations, and during steady-state sublimation temperature during operation. 
 
     
     
         6 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the water-soluble salt content is reduced by more than 70 wt %. 
     
     
         7 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprises at less than 5 wt % water. 
     
     
         8 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprises less than 5 wt % volatiles. 
     
     
         9 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprises at least two from a group consisting of a herbaceous plant material, a soft woody plant material, and a hard woody plant material, wherein each type passes in series through the at least one reaction chamber, and wherein the energy density of each plant material in the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock is at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20 GJ/MT). 
     
     
         10 . The composition of  claim 1  wherein the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing has a water-soluble salt content of at least 4000 mg/kg on a dry basis. 
     
     
         11 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprises at least two from a group consisting of a herbaceous plant material, a soft woody plant material, and a hard woody plant material, wherein each type passes in series through the at least one reaction chamber, and wherein the energy density of each plant material in the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock is at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20 GJ/MT). 
     
     
         12 . The composition of  claim 2 , wherein the beneficiation system, further comprises:
 a pretreatment chamber that is configured to use for each organic-carbon-containing feedstock a particular set of conditions including time duration, temperature profile, and the chemical content of pretreatment solution to at least initiate the dissolution of contaminates that would hinder creation of the plant cell wall passageways that allow intracellular water and intracellular water-soluble salts to pass outward from the plant cells.   
     
     
         13 . The composition of  claim 2 , wherein the vapor explosion section, further comprises:
 at least one rinsing subsection configured to flush at least some of the water-soluble salt from the porous organic-carbon-containing feedstock before it is passed to the compaction section.   
     
     
         14 . A process of making processed biochar, a solid fuel, composition, comprising the steps of:
 a. inputting into a system comprising a first and a second subsystem an renewable unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock that includes free water, intercellular water, intracellular water, intracellular water-soluble salts, and at least some plant cells comprising cell walls that include lignin, hemicellulose, and microfibrils within fibrils,   b. passing unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the first sub-system, a beneficiation sub-system process, to result in processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock having a water content of less than 20 wt % and a salt content that is reduced by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock, and   c. passing the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock through the second sub-system, an oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system process, to result in processed biochar, a solid renewable fuel composition having an energy density of at least 17 MMBTU/ton (20 GJ/MT) a water content of less than 10 wt %, and water-soluble salt that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of the unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock.   
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 14  wherein the beneficiation sub-system process and the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system process, further comprises the steps of:
 a. inputting into a beneficiation sub-system reaction chamber unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprising free water, intercellular water, intracellular water, intracellular water-soluble salts, and at least some plant cells comprising cell walls that include lignin, hemicellulose, and microfibrils within fibrils; 
 b. exposing the feedstock to hot solvent under pressure for a time at conditions specific to the feedstock to make some regions of the cell walls comprising crystallized cellulosic fibrils, lignin, and hemicellulose more able to be penetrable by water-soluble salts without dissolving more than 25 percent of the lignin and hemicellulose; 
 c. removing the pressure so as to penetrate the more penetrable regions to create porous feedstock with open pores in the plant cell walls; and 
 d. pressing the porous feedstock with conditions that include an adjustable compaction pressure versus time profile and compaction time duration, and between pressure plates configured to prevent felt from forming and blocking escape from the reaction chamber of intracellular and intercellular water, and intracellular water-soluble salts, and to create processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock that has a water content of less than 20 wt % and a water-soluble salt content that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock; 
 and the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system process, further comprises the steps of: 
 e. inputting processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into an oxygen=-deprived reaction chamber configured to heat the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock in an atmosphere that contains less than 4 percent oxygen to a temperature sufficient to convert at least some processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into processed biogas and processed biochar. 
 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15  wherein the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system process, further comprises the steps of:
 a. inputting processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into a substantially horizontal sublimating reaction chamber largely contained within a hot box and configured to be able to heat from an ambient temperature to an operating sublimation temperature, operate at a sublimation temperature, and cool from a operating sublimation temperature to an ambient temperature without leaking any hot product gas fuel from the reaction chamber into the hot box or atmosphere, or leaking any oxygen from outside the hot box into the hot box; 
 b. heating the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to a sublimating temperature before it is able to form a liquid phase; 
 c. maintaining the temperature at a sublimation temperature for a residence time that is as long a time as needed to convert the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to processed biogas and processed biochar; and 
 d. separating the processed biogas from the processed biochar. 
 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15 , wherein the substantially horizontal sublimating reaction chamber is supported by a vertical support that is beneath the substantially horizontal reaction chamber and is configures to be dimensionally stable in the vertical direction over temperature variations of from ambient temperature to about 850° C. that may occur during the startup, operating, and shutdown operations of the substantially horizontal reaction chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 15  wherein the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system process, further comprises the steps of:
 a. inputting processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into a substantially vertical sublimating reaction chamber; 
 b. heating processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to a sublimating temperature before it is able to form a liquid phase; 
 c. maintaining the temperature at a sublimation temperature for a residence time that is as long a time as needed to convert the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock to processed biogas and processed biochar; and 
 d. separating the processed biogas from the processed biochar. 
 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 14  wherein the beneficiation sub-system process and the oxygen-deficient thermal sub-system process, further comprises the steps of:
 a. inputting into a reaction chamber unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock comprising free water, intercellular water, intracellular water, intracellular water-soluble salts, and at least some plant cells comprising cell walls that include lignin, hemicellulose, and microfibrils within fibrils; 
 b. exposing the feedstock to hot solvent under pressure for a time at conditions specific to the feedstock to make some regions of the cell walls comprising crystallized cellulosic fibrils, lignin, and hemicellulose more able to be penetrable by water-soluble salts without dissolving more than 25 percent of the lignin and hemicellulose; 
 c. removing the pressure so as to penetrate the more penetrable regions to create porous feedstock with open pores in the plant cell walls; and 
 d. pressing the porous feedstock with conditions that include an adjustable compaction pressure versus time profile and compaction time duration, and between pressure plates configured to prevent felt from forming and blocking escape from the reaction chamber of intracellular and intercellular water, and intracellular water-soluble salts and to create processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock that has a water content of less than 20 wt %, a water-soluble salt content that is decreased by at least 60 wt % on a dry basis over that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock, and a cost per weight of removing the water and water-soluble salt that is reduced to less than 60% of the cost per weight of similar water removal from known mechanical, known physiochemical, or known thermal processes, 
 and the oxygen-deprived thermal sub-system process, further comprises the steps of: 
 e. inputting processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into an oxygen=-deprived reaction chamber configured to heat the processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock in an atmosphere that contains less than 4 percent oxygen to a temperature sufficient to convert at least some processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock into processed biogas and processed biochar.