APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION, PROCESSING OF FIBRE MIXTURES AND FORMING PRODUCTS THEREFROM

Abstract

The invention to which this application relates is apparatus and a method for use in the preconditioning, processing of a material mixture and forming of end products from the processed material mixture which includes fibres such as cellulose fibres so as to allow the end products including the same to be formed in an efficient and controllable process.

Claims

1. A method of forming and using a material including cellulose fibres, wherein said method comprising the steps of: pre-processing the cellulose fibres; forming a material mixture including said cellulose fibres, and one or more added agents and/or components to the material mixture; processing the said material mixture and forming the processed material mixture into an end product capable of being used for a predefined function.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the pre-processing step includes selection of source material comprising any, or any combination of, short, medium or long fibre ligno-cellulosic materials.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein agricultural and/or horticultural sources of fibres are used and included any or any combination of straw, rice straw, wheat straw, barley straw, rye straw, oat straw, hemp shives (hurds), cotton bush, reeds, grasses, woodchip, sugarcane leaves, water hyacinths, pomace, coir, sugar beet residue and/or sugarcane bagasse and/or plant stems, industrially produced cellulose from hard and/or softwood sources and/or crops such as grasses, bagasse, hemp, flax, miscanthus, bamboo and/or reeds recycled and/or residue and/or waste fibres including any or any combination of waste and residual paper, cardboard, packaging, pulp, paper-based utensils, vessels, ginning waste, cotton noils and/or wool waste.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. A method according to any of the claim 2 wherein the source material for the said one or more added agents or components is selected from recycled waste or residual materials for use as fillers or additives.

10. A method according to claims 2 wherein the pre-processing step is the size reduction of the fibres of the selected source materials by use of any or any combination of cutting, shredding, disbursement, division and/or milling procedures.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the pre-processing step includes the use of liquid and/or gas jet apparatus to apply said liquid and/or air under pressure to the fibres of the selected source materials.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein a treatment step is performed to comb the fibres of the selected source materials into individual fibres.

13. A method according to claims 2 wherein unprocessed source materials are added and mixed with the pre-processed selected source materials.

14. A method according to claim 2 wherein the selected source materials are prepared and pre-processed independently and blended together and mixed prior to the preparation step.

15. A method according to claim 2 wherein the selected source material mixture is passed through a pressurised or standard atmospheric pressure steamed chamber.

16. A method according to claim 2 wherein agents are added to the selected source material mixture in the range of 0.1-80% of the dry fibre in the material mixture at the processing stage, said agents in the form of a softener agent, preservative agent, calcium oxide and/or sodium hydroxide.

17. (canceled)

18. A method according to claims 16 wherein an agent is added to activate lignin present in the material mixture and hence strengthen the bonding within the end products which are formed.

19. (canceled)

20. A method according to claims 1 wherein a liquid is added to the material mixture to set it to have a solid content of between 10-90% prior to the same entering the processing stage.

21. A method according to claim 1 wherein a screw extruder includes fibre manipulation components with contact surfaces to contact the said material mixture as it passes along a screw extruder longitudinal axis and said contact surfaces act to reshape, tear or defibrillate the fibres of the material mixture.

22. A method according to claims 21 wherein the contact surfaces are provided on elements located along the longitudinal axis of the one or more screw extruders and said elements are selectively positioned so as to form a first zone to cause fibre defibrillation, a second zone to cause fibre-to-fibre defibrillation, a third zone to cause high- and low-pressure state changing of the structure of the fibres and a fourth zone to perform a holding action on the material mixture.

23. A method according to claim 21 wherein during the processing stage further components are added to the material mixture via feeder apparatus situated at predetermined intervals along a length of the screw extruder apparatus.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the further components are any or any combination of processed or unprocessed fibres, minerals, dyes, pigments, retention aids such as alum and polyacrylamides, sizing agents such as rosin and ketene dimers, and/or strengthening agents such as starches and/or lubricants.

25. A method according to claim 1 wherein during the processing step and/or prior to the forming step, one or more components are extracted from the said material mixture.

26. A method according to claim 1 wherein the processed material mixture is further adapted by performing any or any combination of fibre singulation, separation and/or moisture conditioning.

27. A method according to claim 1 wherein the processed material mixture is passed to the forming step via a stream of gas, such as air.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein said stream of gas is a stream of air which also performs a drying function on the material mixture.

29. (canceled)

30. A method according to claim 1 wherein the material mixture at the forming step is passed to a carrier into a moulding section and then moulded or otherwise formed into the end product.

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. An apparatus for forming and using a material mixture comprising: cellulose fibres by performing pre-processing, processing and forming steps on the material mixture, said apparatus including mixing means to allow the selected source materials and further selected agents or components to be combined at the pre-processing step, moulding and/or pressing apparatus to perform the processing step and wherein the processing step includes extrusion apparatus including at least one screw extruder and along which said material mixture is passed.

34. Apparatus according to claim 33 wherein the screw extruder includes fibre manipulation components with contact surfaces to contact the said material mixture as it passes along the one or more screw extruder longitudinal axis and said contact surfaces act to tear and defibrillate the fibres of the material mixture.

35. Apparatus according to claim 34 wherein the contact surfaces are provided on elements located along the longitudinal axis of the one or more screw extruders and said elements are selectively positioned so as to form a first zone to cause fibre defibrillation, a second zone to cause fibre-to-fibre defibrillation, a third zone to cause high- and low-pressure state changing of the structure of the fibres and a fourth zone to perform a holding action on the material mixture.

36. (canceled)

Description

[0069] In one embodiment further components are added to the material mixture during the processing step via feeder apparatus situated at predetermined intervals along the length of the screw extruder apparatus. Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

[0070] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of the method and apparatus used in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

[0071] FIGS. 2a and billustrate perspective and plan views of an embodiment of apparatus used in the processing step in accordance with the invention.

[0072] In the method embodiment as described in FIG. 1, there is provided apparatus which includes a storage area 2 into which selected source material fibres which are to be utilised, are deposited and which may also include the ability to dose the said fibres with further agents and components which are selected as required for the particular process and/or end product type which it is to be formed. It should be appreciated that the particular further components and agents which are dosed, may change depending on the particular requirements for the particular process and end product. These are then combined to form the material mixture which is to be processed and subsequently formed.

[0073] There is provided the optional step 4 of mixing the fibres and any agents and component additives, with a quantity of water or other liquid to define the particular solid content (SC) of the mixture. In addition, or alternatively, the optional step 6 may be performed to reduce the size or dimensions of the fibres and this include the use of the processed of granulation, shredding, hammer milling or other processes which can be utilised to perform the required reduction.

[0074] At stage 8, the material mixture in the required format, is dosed and transferred into screw extrusion apparatus 10, one type of which is illustrated in FIG. 2 and which in this embodiment includes at least two screw extruders 11,13 which are provided to rotate along respective shafts which are parallel, and driven by a motor 15 and the extruders have extrusion elements mounted along the respective said shaft to form a passage along which the material mixture passes as the spacing between the outer contact surfaces of said elements define the size of the passage 19 through which the mixture is moved along the extrusion apparatus and is processed. The particular form of the outer contact surfaces of the screw extruders are selected to suit the particular use of the fibre mixture and typically the contact surface pattern of the elements change along the length of the screws so as to form different zones in which differing functions are performed on the fibres of the material mixture as it passes along the extrusion apparatus. Also at the extruder apparatus 10, the apparatus includes liquid inputs 12 to allow the pumping of additional fluids and/or colour components, and an input 14 for the feeding of components such as the fibres and the material mixture 14 into the extruder. Additional access apertures 17 on the top and side apertures 19 are provided to allow access at spaced intervals to the housing in which the extruders are located. The step 16 of extracting material from the extrusion process such as lignin, hemicellulose, nutrients and/or sourced materials so as to remove these from the material mixture during the processing step is also performed and the access apertures 17,19 may be used for this purpose as and when required. The apparatus also includes control means and control panel 21 for user interaction to allow the control of the operation of the apparatus to be achieved in a required format. It will therefore be appreciated that each or a combination of these optional steps may be performed with respect to the final use of the material and/or the type of material which is being processed.

[0075] At stage 20, the processed fibres which, typically, although not always, will now be substantially binder free, and may have a solid content in the range of 10-98% and an SR ratio of between 5° and 86° and the processed material mixture leaves the extrusion apparatus. An optional step 22 may then be performed to process the fibre by using any or any combination of singulation, separation and/or moisture conditioning and the fibres are then passed to stage 24 where the fibre and mixed components are delivered to a forming station 26, typically by an airstream or other movement system which allows the fibres which have been processed to reach the end forming/pressing/stamping/moulding apparatus. In one embodiment, the fibres may be moved to the forming station 26 by being passed onto a carrier which may take several forms and the appropriate form can be selected for the material mixture and subsequent forming procedures such as moulding, pressing or the like, which may be performed to form the desired end product.

[0076] In one embodiment the processed material mixture between films and/or sheets so as to define the passage along which the fibres are passed. The end product forming can then be achieved using appropriate forming techniques to define substantially planer and/or three-dimensional items.