An apparatus for handling hot coal is provided, comprising —a cooling structure arranged to receive coal from a process chamber and to cool the coal in an atmosphere impeding ignition; and —a pneumatic conveyor system arranged to move coal by air pressure; wherein the cooling structure is configured to cool the coal to a surface temperature allowing the pneumatic conveyor system to convey the coal across a predetermined distance without the coal igniting.

Disclosed herein is a binder-free product and process for making the product. The product is a mechanically stable, water resistant torrefied biomass product that does not comprise an extrinsic binder additive. The product is made using a combination of appropriate pre-treatment steps and compressing the conditioned biomass feedstock into a thermally managed compaction device comprising at least one modified die. The modified die allows for differential cooling/heating modifications so as to control the temperature near the entrance to the compaction device and passing the formed torrefied biomass into a post-formation curing zone.

Process for the treatment of a feedstock containing biomass, the process including a) drying the feedstock at a temperature between 20 and 180° C. for a duration between 5 and 180 minutes, b) torrefaction of the feedstock originating from step a) in order to produce at least one torrefied biomass solid effluent, c) co-grinding the torrefied biomass solid effluent originating from step b), in the presence of at least one solid fossil feedstock in order to obtain a powder.

A methodology for the removal of the harmful components of ash from urban/industrial wastes and sludges from the sewage treatment plants is invented. The harmful components are alkaline metals, chlorine, sulphur, zinc, lead, and chromium. They are removed before the thermochemical conversion and therefore the corrosion problems, scaling/deposition, ash agglomeration, dioxin and furan emissions, alkaline metal, chlorine, sulphur emissions are minimized if not diminished. The emissions of heavy metals such as zinc, lead, copper, and chromium are reduced. The removal is achieved with prepyrolysis/pregasification at 250-320° C. for 5 min to 2 h of urban/industrial wastes and sludges from the sewage treatment plants. Then the prepyrolyzed/pregasified sample is washed with a 0.5%-5% weight basis aqueous calcium acetate and/or magnesium acetate and/or aluminum acetate solution. These acetate salts can be mixed in a proportion of 0% to 100% to form an active salt which is used for the preparation of the aqueous solution.

A liquid fuel derived from processed biomass having extremely low water content and suitable for use in diesel engines or as an additive to petroleum based fuels, or which can be used as a petroleum or coal slurry substitute in those uses where a lower cost fuel have reduced emission is desired, is described.

A continuous reactor device for treatment of biomass includes a biomass feed for introduction of the biomass or the feedstock to a reactor portion of the continuous reactor device. The reactor portion includes a compartment, a transport device for transportation of the biomass through the reactor portion, and a heating device for precise temperature-adjustment in the compartment in the reactor portion, is proposed.

A method for preparing biochar, including steps as follows: dosing: putting pre-crushed biomass into a reactor; charring conversion: heating the reactor to a certain temperature and pressure, and putting an active group-containing active agent containing 1% to 5% by mass of biomass and a catalyst containing 1% to 10% by mass of biomass (or putting the catalyst first and then putting the active agent) into the reactor to perform solid solution charring on the biomass; and cooling: after the charring conversion is completed, cooling the reactor to 40° C. or lower to obtain the biochar. Feedstocks are abundant and cheap, farmland biomass waste is reused, and the active group-containing active agent is added in biomass charring, which can effectively inhibit side reactions and coordinate with the catalyst to perform solid solution charring on the biomass, thereby improving a biochar conversion rate and making the charring process clean and environmentally friendly.

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to torrefied biomass briquettes and methods for producing the same that make use of a mixture of lightly torrefied material (LTM) and highly torrefied material (HTM) and/or make use of torrefied materials that are subjected to a hydrolysis pretreatment prior to being torrefied.

A system and method for torrefying a combination of biomass and biochar colloidal dispersion is provided.

A method for producing an agglomerated solid bio-material comprises providing a particulate torrefied wood mass or a comminuted wood mass and blending with a particulate melt-flowable extract (MFE) recovered from an organosolv pulping process. The particulate torrefied biomass or the comminuted biomass is blended with the MFE to form a blended mixture wherein the particulate torrefied bio-mass or the comminuted wood mass is the primary component. The blend is agglomerated under pressure at a temperature of at least approximately 38° C. (100° F.) to form the agglomerated solid material which exhibits hydrophobic characteristics.