The production of steam-cracked biomass in the form of black pellets in the field of solid biofuels. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to the production of black pellets from a heterogeneous biomass. The aim of the present disclosure is to produce black pellets having good mechanical strength, good water resistance and an increased calorific value.

The present invention describes a method for the energy efficient production of metals and alloys by carbothermic reduction of minerals and ores in electric reduction reactors, said method comprising at least the following steps: conveying a wood containing material to at least one pyrolysis step for producing charcoal; conveying said produced charcoal, possibly other carbon-containing reduction materials and metal containing raw materials to the at least one reactor for producing metal or alloy; conveying off-gas from said at least one pyrolysis step and off-gas from said at least one reactor to at least one energy recovery step.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for thermochemically processing material, and in particular relates to the torrefaction of organic material such as biomass, in particular to improve the energy content of the material, the method involving enclosing the material in a reactor which is then evacuated by means of a fluid driven vacuum pump to establish an oxygen free environment within the reactor, heating the material to above 200° C. to liberate process by-products such as volatile gases and/or oils, extracting the liberated volatile gases and/or oils from the enclosure and entraining same within the fluid driving the vacuum pump.

This invention provides processes and systems for converting biomass into high carbon biogenic reagents that are suitable for a variety of commercial applications. Some embodiments employ pyrolysis in the presence of an inert gas to generate hot pyrolyzed solids, condensable vapors, and non-condensable gases, followed by separation of vapors and gases, and cooling of the hot pyrolyzed solids in the presence of the inert gas. Additives may be introduced during processing or combined with the reagent, or both. The biogenic reagent may include at least 70 wt %, 80 wt %, 90 wt %, 95 wt %, or more total carbon on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may have an energy content of at least 12,000 Btu/lb, 13,000 Btu/lb, 14,000 Btu/lb, or 14,500 Btu/lb on a dry basis. The biogenic reagent may be formed into fine powders, or structural objects. The structural objects may have a structure and/or strength that derive from the feedstock, heat rate, and additives.

The present invention relates to a method of making a firelog, as well as to a firelog itself, and methods of using the firelog. The method of the present invention allows firelogs to be made that burn very cleanly. This is advantageous for the environment. Furthermore, the firelogs of the present invention can be burnt in a conventional fireplace, or in a stove. This is in contrast to the presently available firelogs which cannot be burnt in a stove.

A biomass solid fuel manufacturing method, including: a heating step of carbonizing a biomass molded body formed by molding raw material biomass, in an external heating type rotary kiln, in which the rotary kiln includes a non-heating zone that is provided on an upstream side of a kiln body and is not provided with a heating unit on an outer circumference, the non-heating zone includes a spiral blade on an inner circumferential surface, and in the heating step, the biomass molded body is introduced to the non-heating zone of the kiln body.

Method and device implemented in a reactor for the plasma treatment of carried fragmented material or of pulverized elements by a support gas where the main element is an intermediate temperature plasma (PIT) generator fed by a source of electric pulses, the amplitude of whose current is limited and for which the generating frequency, the duration of the pulses and the duration of the time spans between the pulses are determined in such a way as to generate a nonthermal plasma (PIT) of large extent, the plasma and the carrier gas flux (4) laiden with the fragments of material or of pulverized elements to be treated (5) moving along helical trajectories coaxial with the axis of the reactor at controlled angles a and B respectively relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis of the reactor, the angles a and B being able to vary in a given manner according to the properties of the material to be treated and the technological parameters and the dimensions of the reactor. Use of the invention both for the combustion of combustible powders in the boilers of electric power plants and for the generation of solid or gaseous combustible products, of given properties and dimensions, effected through the organization of plasmochemical reactions on fragments or pulverized elements of organic materials in the reactor.

A fuel made from co-products derived from a lignocellulosic biomass fermentation process is used to fuel a cement production process. Filter cake and syrup co-products are mixed and dried, then burned in a cement kiln to create the temperatures needed for cement production.

A biomass solid fuel is provided which, when exposed to rain water, has a reduced COD in discharged water and has low disintegration-property, while suppressing an increase in cost. The present invention relates to a biomass solid fuel obtained by molding pulverized biomass, having a fuel ratio (fixed carbon/volatile matter) of 0.2 to 0.8, dry-basis higher heating value of 4800 to 7000 (kcal/kg), a molar ratio of oxygen O to carbon C (O/C) of 0.1 to 0.7, and a molar ratio of hydrogen H to carbon C (H/C) is 0.8 to 1.3.

The present invention relates generally to the generation of bio-products from organic matter feedstocks. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of pulping liquors in the hydrothermal/thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic and/or fossilised organic feedstocks into biofuels (e.g. bio-oils) and/or chemical products (e.g. platform chemicals).