A biomass processing system produces charcoal briquettes in a closed loop system. The system includes a first and second torrefaction/drying augers drying green raw sawdust and providing the dried material to a carbonizing auger. Charcoal released from the carbonizing auger is formed into charcoal briquettes. Process gas created during the charcoal production is used to provide heat required by the process.

A method, for mitigating an environmental condition, may include assessing a geographic area with which the environmental condition is associated; and creating a plan to mitigate the environmental condition. The plan may identify a bio-crop for mitigating the environmental condition and a bio-product to be produced from the bio-crop. The method may also include planting the bio-crop in soil that is located within the geographical area. The bio-crop may be planted in a manner that enables the environmental condition to be mitigated. The method may further include harvesting the bio-crop based on planting the bio-crop; processing the harvested bio-crop to obtain biomass; producing the bio-product based on the biomass; and outputting the bio-product based on producing the bio-product.

A fertilizer/soil conditioner or a fuel source material is formed by processing animal waste by-products through the use of a rotary biomass dryer system. The animal waste by-product includes without limitation manure obtained from cattle or swine; feed lot bedding, poultry litter, a digestate of animal waste by-products obtained from an anaerobic digester, municipal waste, waste meat renderings, waste meat, or a mixture thereof. The processed material may comprise a higher amount of ash and a lower amount of volatile material than the animal waste by-product. The processed material may be stored as a powder or processed into pellets, logs, pucks, briquettes or another convenient shape form.

The invention relates to a method of torrefaction of an optionally predried biomass in a torrefaction reactor such that torrefied biomass and torrefaction gases are obtained, and wherein an oxygen-containing gas is supplied to the torrefaction reactor at a first position in the reactor such that oxygen reacts with components of the torrefaction gases under the formation of heat and wherein torrefaction gases are withdrawn from the torrefaction reactor at a second position of the torrefaction reactor and wherein the first position is located downstream of the second position in relation to a biomass transport direction in the torrefaction reactor such that the torrefaction gases moves through the torrefaction reactor countercurrent with the biomass transport and wherein the optionally predried biomass has a temperature of between 30 C. and 230 C., preferably between 50 C. and 200 C., most preferably between 60 C. and 180 C. when entering the torrefaction rector.

The present invention concerns a method for the removal of inorganic components such as potassium, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, phosphorus and heavy metals, from biomass of rural or forest or urban origin or even mixture of different origin biomasses, from low quality coals such as peat, lignite and sub-bituminous/bituminous coals, from urban/industrial origin residues/wastes, which are possible to include as much organic>5% weightas inorganic<95% weightcharge and from sewage treatment plant sludges. The desired goal is achieved with the physicochemical treatment of the raw material. The method can also include the thermal treatment, which can precede or follow the physicochemical one. The application of the thermal treatment depends on the nature and the particular characteristics of each raw material as well as on the feasibility analysis of the whole process in order to determine the optimization point in each case.

A torrefaction reactor includes a preheater section and a torrefaction section arranged to receive the biomass material from the preheater section. The preheater section includes a plurality of preheater plates arranged to facilitate the flow of the biomass material between the preheater plates by the force of gravity, each of the preheater plates facilitates a flow of a preheater fluid through the preheater plate for heating the biomass material. The torrefaction section includes a plurality of torrefaction plates arranged to facilitate the flow of the biomass material between the torrefaction plates by the force of gravity, each the torrefaction plates facilitates a flow of a torrefaction fluid through the torrefaction plate for heating the biomass material to the torrefaction temperature, and a first and second torrefaction purge gas openings to facilitate a flow of a torrefaction purge gas for providing an oxygen-depleted environment within the torrefaction section.

The improved method and arrangement are for cooling torrefied lignocellulosic material. By adding water in controlled amounts to the torrefied material in a grinder at exit from a roaster the entire volume of torrefied material could be cooled down to a temperature well below the critical temperature without increasing the water content of the final product.

A blast furnace includes: a blast furnace body; raw material charging means for charging raw material into the blast furnace body; hot air blowing means for blowing hot air into the blast furnace body; a drying apparatus etc. for evaporating moisture in low-grade coal; a dry distillation apparatus etc. for carbonizing dried coal; a cooling apparatus etc. for cooling carbonized coal; a pulverization apparatus etc. for pulverizing the carbonized coal cooled by the cooling apparatus; a storage tank for storing powdered coal; a nitrogen gas supply source, a conveyor line and a cyclone separator etc. for conveying the powdered coal pulverized by the pulverization apparatus to the inside of the storage tank by generating a gas flow with the nitrogen gas; and an injection lance etc. for feeding the powdered coal inside the storage tank to hot air that is blown into the blast furnace body.

A bio-product such as biochar, bio-coal, bio-oil, coke, and/or activated carbon material is formed by processing a starting biomass material comprising water-laden material. The starting biomass material is heated to below or above an autoignition temperature through a rotary compression unit (RCU) by generating steam through releasing unbound and bound waters in the biomass thus forming a bio-product. The biomass material being processed may be, without limitation, a woody or non-woody biomass material, such as cellulosic material and/or grain. The process can also form bio-oil from pyrolysis vapors which can be processed to other bio-products.

A fluidized bed reactor for biomass treatment comprising a vessel extending in a first direction from a first end to a second end, an inlet at the first end of the vessel for feeding biomass particles into the vessel, an outlet at the second end of the vessel for outputting processed biomass, a first fluid inlet independently activatable to deliver a first volume of a gas in a second direction into a first region of the vessel, and a second fluid inlet spaced apart from the first fluid inlet in the first direction and independently activatable to deliver a second volume of the gas in the second direction into a second region of the vessel, the second region adjacent the first region.